Hi Kathleen,
-> SK> I flipped through the 1992 Computer Science "A" exam after
-> SK> reading this message from you a few nights ago, and I didn't
-> SK> really see a heavy emphasis on math.
-> Well, personally, I think the students are going to have to
-> understand how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
-> work, extremely well.  I envision them having to multiply, divide, or
-> some other routine.
No doubt. I guess I misunderstood what you meant by "heavy math".
Somehow I figured something more complicated. I think it is pretty much
a given that they are expected to know how to implement division with
the Long Integer Case Study. Frankly, I was even thinking of doing some
instruction on binary (it seems necessary to discuss the underpinnings
of the computer hardware and how it operates), and I was considering
such assignments as programs that convert binary numbers to decimal or a
program that adds binary numbers, or something like that. What do you
think? Do you teach binary? Carey Matsuoko says that he does, although
it is not in the official AP Comp Sci curriculum, and because it is not
in the APCS official curriculum, he does not include any materials for
that topic in the curriculum materials he has developed.
-> I know enough C++ to realize that the folks who are panicking over
-> this are probably teaching the wrong subject.  It will definately
-> seperate the wheat from the chaff.
I suppose it will. I was flabergasted last week at how ill-prepared some
of the teachers are who've been asked by their school to teach this
course. There was this one guy, really nice and all, but he couldn't do
some very simple things. He was trying, he was asking questions and
getting help, and I'll bet he learned a lot. But he looked at some of
the recursion application programs I was working on in almost disbelief.
I said, that if I expected the kids to be able to do these programs (and
it is part of the APCS curriculum) then I'd better be able to do it too!
I know he felt overwhelmed. Comes out that he took computer programming
many years ago _and never liked it_!!! This floored me. Why would you
want anyone to teach something they didn't even like. They are likely to
confer that same attitude to the students. Well, he said that the
teacher who used to teach APCS at their school left, and he was the
staff member with the most programming experience after that. So the
admin asked him (told him?) to teach the course.
It certainly does underscore some of the points Stever Ambrosini (sp?)
has made about administrators in the schools not understanding computers
or computer curriculum. I know mine don't.
While I certainly am capable of learning C++, I'm not sure that I want
to spend the amount of time it would take me to become as comfortable
with it as I feel I should be before teaching it. And I KNOW the school
won't compensate me for such time I spend. I'll be lucky if I get them
to spring for the cost of the instruction.
Most teachers in the schools today are not familiar with the concept of
OOP (Object Oriented Programing), and I bet there are very few Comp Sci
majors in the schools. I just see a real disaster looming for the APCS
scores in 1999. You're undoubtedly right, that anyone panicking about
the language switch is teaching the wrong subject. But some of them
didnt' exactly seek out the position (myself included).
Sheila
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