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Maths maths maths. Come on, it's a nice skill but not very practical by itself. How about an intro to IOS/android programming?

by brador 12y ago

jeffreyrogers 12y ago
I agree, the more math I learn the less useful I think it is for most people, but if you enjoy it it can be rewarding to study on its own. I think some more practical stuff would be great, unfortunately I can't remember ever coming across a good introduction to programming. The way I learned was just by finding example programs and then modifying them to do something different. That's a hard skill to teach though.
- johan_larson 12y ago
  I wonder what a clever 14-year-old would make of an advanced introduction to programming, such as SICP. It's written for students only four years older, although those are very important four years. Has anyone tried pointing a highschool student at that book?
  - neilparikh 12y ago
    I read a little bit (only section 1.1, if I recall correctly) in high school (in grade 11, I think). I didn't get very far (mostly due to being busy with school work/forgetting about it), but I didn't find the parts I read too difficult. It doesn't assume much prerequiste knowledge.
  - abecedarius 12y ago
    I'd suggest Turtle Geometry by Abelson and diSessa -- yes, same Abelson as SICP's. I only wish I'd had it as a teenager; it was still interesting when I got it in my 20s. Less advanced but also plausibly worthwhile: Brian Harvey's Computer Science Logo Style.
  - ddp 12y ago
    I think my 14yo self would have loved SICP. I know I would have been able to process "The Little Schemer".
  - jeffreyrogers 12y ago
    I tried reading it in high-school. I think I made it about 2 chapters in. To be honest I'm not a big fan of SICP, though I seem to be in the minority.
borgia 12y ago
> Come on, it's a nice skill but not very practical by itself. Why focus on practical skills instead of more abstracted concepts? Teaching someone to think for themselves rather than dictating a set of "must have" skills for them to learn?
yodsanklai 12y ago
> Maths maths maths. Come on, it's a nice skill but not very practical by itself. I don't know if it's equally true in all parts of the world, but where I live being good at maths opens the door to pretty much any job, including the most prestigious ones.

Maths maths maths. Come on, it's a nice skill but not very practical by itself. How about an intro to IOS/android programming?

by brador 12y ago

Maths maths maths. Come on, it's a nice skill but not very practical by itself. How about an intro to IOS/android programming?

jeffreyrogers 12y ago

I agree, the more math I learn the less useful I think it is for most people, but if you enjoy it it can be rewarding to study on its own. I think some more practical stuff would be great, unfortunately I can't remember ever coming across a good introduction to programming. The way I learned was just by finding example programs and then modifying them to do something different. That's a hard skill to teach though.

johan_larson 12y ago
I wonder what a clever 14-year-old would make of an advanced introduction to programming, such as SICP. It's written for students only four years older, although those are very important four years. Has anyone tried pointing a highschool student at that book?
- neilparikh 12y ago
  I read a little bit (only section 1.1, if I recall correctly) in high school (in grade 11, I think). I didn't get very far (mostly due to being busy with school work/forgetting about it), but I didn't find the parts I read too difficult. It doesn't assume much prerequiste knowledge.
- abecedarius 12y ago
  I'd suggest Turtle Geometry by Abelson and diSessa -- yes, same Abelson as SICP's. I only wish I'd had it as a teenager; it was still interesting when I got it in my 20s. Less advanced but also plausibly worthwhile: Brian Harvey's Computer Science Logo Style.
- ddp 12y ago
  I think my 14yo self would have loved SICP. I know I would have been able to process "The Little Schemer".
- jeffreyrogers 12y ago
  I tried reading it in high-school. I think I made it about 2 chapters in. To be honest I'm not a big fan of SICP, though I seem to be in the minority.

borgia 12y ago

> Come on, it's a nice skill but not very practical by itself. Why focus on practical skills instead of more abstracted concepts? Teaching someone to think for themselves rather than dictating a set of "must have" skills for them to learn?

yodsanklai 12y ago

> Maths maths maths. Come on, it's a nice skill but not very practical by itself. I don't know if it's equally true in all parts of the world, but where I live being good at maths opens the door to pretty much any job, including the most prestigious ones.