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Coding should be taught after algebra. Don't really know how you can learn to code without understanding the concept of a variable.
by friedman23 5y ago
Coding should be taught after algebra. Don't really know how you can learn to code without understanding the concept of a variable.
- csande17 5y agoPersonally, I don't know how anyone could learn algebra without first understanding the concept of a variable. In programming, one generally thinks of variables like "boxes" that you can put values in (with, eg, `i = int(input("Enter a number: "))`) and take values out of (by referring to `i` later in the program). Algebra, then, expands on this by introducing more advanced ideas like "solving for a variable". Of course, I'm probably biased because I learned programming before algebra myself.
- Falkon1313 5y agoAlso it's a lot easier to understand algebra once you understand factoring. I don't know how people get through it without that.
- issa 5y agoI have not studied the subject beyond remembering my own childhood and seeing my children learn, but I think most kids are able to grasp the concept of a variable much earlier than they learn Algebra or coding. Variables grow naturally out of categorization, which is something very young children excel at. Once you learn the difference between "a ball" and "the ball" you're halfway there.
- marcosdumay 5y agoImperative language variables aren't the same concept as algebra variable anyway. I don't see how one helps with the other. In fact, it's much better to state this out loud to people learning to program, because statements like 'x = x + 1' added to the name coincidence make things very confusing.