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Iteration and Decision are key concepts, yes, but don't underestimate the idea of "Program State". Beginners struggle with the concept that computers have a min
by acbart 11y ago
Iteration and Decision are key concepts, yes, but don't underestimate the idea of "Program State". Beginners struggle with the concept that computers have a mind that changes over a program's execution. Honestly, it's baffling to me as a teacher sometimes how to breach the subject.
- dragonwriter 11y ago> Beginners struggle with the concept that computers have a mind that changes over a program's execution. Honestly, it's baffling to me as a teacher sometimes how to breach the subject. Start with not discussing computers having a mind. The metaphor that I've usually seen working well with neophytes is variables (or memory locations, depending on context)-as-boxes, and assignment and mutation as putting something in the box or doing something to whatever is in the box, respectively. "Mind" is a fuzzy concept that lacks the concreteness of boxes, and makes a poor (in utility terms) metaphor for program state (no matter that it might actually be reasonably analogous -- most people don't have a good concrete intuition about the operation of minds to make it a useful metaphor.)
- icebraining 11y agoAn alternative is using a tape (as in the turing machine), with cells that can be erased and re-written. You can even make it physical: http://aturingmachine.com/ http://aturingmachine.com/