SI Seminar by Matthias Hauswirth
Talk: Pitfalls in Teaching Programming
Online
Thu, Oct 20, 2022
Matthias Hauswirth presenting “Pitfalls in Teaching Programming” at the USI Software Institute.
Abstract
Learning to program is difficult. Looking at programming language theory can shed some light on what makes programming hard and what might help to scaffold learning. In this talk we present four pitfalls in teaching programming, and we point out ways to avoid them. The deliberate choice of appropriate introductory programming languages, and the use of carefully crafted tools, libraries, and pedagogies, allows educators to largely avoid the pitfalls.