Learning Connections Student Voices & Computer Science Programming as a Second Language By Justin Solomon Subject: Computer science, foreign Understanding the concepts and development language of programming can benefi t students by demand- Grades: K–12 (Ages 5–18) ing precision of thought and requiring students to clarify and improve on their problem-solving Technology: Programming process. The goal of beginning programming Standards: NETS•S 1, 3; NETS•T II; instruction should be to introduce the subject NETS•A I (http://www.iste.org/stan- dards/) in terms familiar to students. 34 Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 32 Number 4 Copyright © 2004, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Student Voices & Computer Science tandard methods of teaching an With simple adjustments to methods introductory course in comput- of programming instruction, students er science, designed to intro- could be shown that linguistic terms, Sduce computer programming as a tool such as specifi c parts of speech or ele- for mathematicians and engineers at ments of grammar, can be common the university level, are unnecessarily denominators in computer program- complicated and diffi cult. Th ey lack a ming. Using spoken and written common thread that unifi es each unit language as a metaphor for program- of material and frequently make use ming can show commonalities and of mathematical notation, technical diff erences across programming lan- keywords, and other terms or symbols guages, the correlation among these unfamiliar to the average middle or diff erences, and the repetitive patterns high school student. Furthermore, of the correlations. In addition, this they tend to focus on a single more concept can be adapted to reduce the advanced language, leading students intimidation factor of introductory to believe that each programming programming, making it accessible language is a distinct and separate to students from all backgrounds, entity with a tenuous—at best— ages, and genders. With this model, link to other languages. Ironically, introductory courses in computer traditional high school-level computer programming are more likely to science classes are often driven by the provide a solid basis for students in Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum all algorithmic thought, as well as dictated by the College Board, which a foundation for progress to related establishes a narrow set of bench- applications and extensions, possibly marks for evaluating profi ciency in including more advanced languages computer programming. According with specifi c advantages and particu- to research done by Allen Tucker, lar uses. these benchmarks promote memori- According to research conducted zation over understanding and are of by Letitia Naigles, students intro- limited practical use to the average duced to foreign language at a young student. (Editor’s note: Find this and age fi nd it easier to acquire profi cien- other Resources on p. 39.) As a result, cy in that language. Th e same holds students view programming as more true for computer programming. of a snapshot than a continuum, Although programming has become failing to see the value in pursuing an important subject for high school a higher level of programming and students to learn, there is no reason computer applications profi ciency. it cannot be introduced earlier. As a To meet the educational require- discipline, it provides students with ments of a wider and increasingly a unique way of thinking based on younger audience, computer pro- logic and reasoning. A rudimentary gramming instruction needs a com- understanding of the concepts and prehensive overhaul, with the goal of development of programming can fi tting into school-based curricula as benefi t students by introducing them a “second language,” starting as early to such topics as stepwise refi nement as the elementary years. To begin the and the use of documentation. It process of revising basic computer demands precision of thought and science curriculum, the goal of begin- requires students to clarify and im- ning programming instruction should prove on their problem-solving be to introduce the subject in terms process. Programming has applica- more familiar to the average student. tions in almost any fi eld, from lan- December/January 2004–05 Learning & Leading with Technology 35 Copyright © 2004, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Student Voices & Computer Science guage arts and design to architecture, languages and the languages they his or her needs and desires. Unsur- and could be viewed as the basis for speak, students would have greater prisingly, the vocabulary and struc- any type of computer use. Even the ease in remembering how to code as tures used to form these demands most fundamental knowledge of well as fewer syntax errors. Drawing are usually quite direct, as most programming can prove helpful to connections between program syntax toddlers do not have a deep under- students working on multimedia and punctuation, between language standing of complex grammatical presentations, classroom projects, structure and grammar, students can structures. spreadsheets, word processing, or recognize programming problems in Programs written by novice com- data aggregation. their everyday lives, making abstract puter science students follow the Unfortunately, the somewhat ar- topics much more concrete. Th ey will same pattern. Beginners fi nd it hard chaic model for lessons in program- have the ability to take an algorithmic to accept that certain statements are ming tends to target older, higher- and logical approach to problem-solv- necessary without understanding their level students who already understand ing both inside and outside the tech- purpose. For example, consider the the abstractions and jargon used by nical realm. following program written in Java, a computer technicians. Th is frequently After they make these connections, fairly complex programming language leads to discouragement and failure students will be able to communicate popular for introductory classes in among younger students who might in the language of the computer how computer science: otherwise benefi t from knowledge of problems can be solved in the most computer programming. Chris Ste- import javax.swing. phenson’s recent survey of high school JOptionPane; computer science teachers reported 1000 100010011 that many of the schools that do not public class SimpleProgram off er computer science instruction 1000 100010011 { decided that it was a fi eld best left to 1000 100010011 public static void colleges and universities due to “aca- main(String a[]) { String answer; demic rigor.” Th is notion is unfound- 1000 100010011 answer = JOptionPane.s ed. Many students in both elementary howInputDialog(“What is the and middle school are profi cient in 1000 100010011 password?”); programming, even though they do if (Integer.parseInt(a not have the traditional technical or 1000 100010011 nswer) == 123) mathematical backgrounds. JOptionPane.showMess According to Peter Van Roy’s basic 1000 100010011 ageDialog(null, “Correct”); constructivist model of education, else students who study computer sci- effi cient way possible. Programming JOptionPane.sh ence as an extension of what they will be much easier to understand owMessageDialog(null, “Incorrect”); already know tend to gain a deeper and it will become less problematic to retain the large amounts of knowl- } understanding of the subject material. } Also, Nicola Henze and Wolfgang edge needed to write useful programs. Nejdl found that students who learn Integrated into other classroom work, Th is code is hardly readable. Most answers by rote are less likely to un- computer programming can be a use- beginning programmers do not know derstand or apply them. For these ful, creative, and thoroughly enter- how or why methods are declared, reasons, a common-sense model of taining second language for students yet alone what it means to call them computer science education would at all levels. public, static, and void. Also, a single use something any student can un- typo in this and most other Java pro- derstand: language. One must learn First Words grams could result in any number the basic constructs of a language and According to the American Speech- of cryptic errors, from the simple how to manipulate them to be profi - Language-Hearing Association, after unclosed string literal to the terrify- cient in any language, be it designed simple nouns, the fi rst words typi- ing thread death exception. In fact, for communication among comput- cally used by infants are commands. running the above program with the ers or humans. If a computer science Straightforward and largely uncom- input “wrongPassword” will make it curriculum encouraged students to plicated, these commands are just stop running and output the follow- make connections between computer enough for a young child to convey ing error message: 36 Learning & Leading with Technology Volume 32 Number 4 Copyright © 2004, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int’l), [email protected], www.iste.org. All rights reserved. Student Voices & Computer Science 1000 100010011 easier to read and to write. Th ey look eryday language and back. Th is type closer to a set of directions given of work emphasizes the relationship 1000 100010011 from one person to another so that between programming and real-life they could be read from top to bot- situations. It also will encourage the 1000 100010011 tom without much interpretation. student to recognize the “punctua- Also, every command has a clear pur- tion” of coding, and that there are 1000 100010011 pose, making the debugging process several elements that make a program straightforward. No “keywords” are acceptable to the computer but still 1000 100010011 required to precede certain state- readable by humans.