Title :
Toys are us: presenting mathematical concepts in CS1/CS2
Author :
Bucci, Paolo ; Long, Timothy J. ; Weide, Bruce W. ; Hollingsworth, Joe
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Comput. & Inf. Sci., Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH, USA
Abstract :
Presentation and use of formally-specified software components in CS1/CS2 presents interesting pedagogical challenges. Specifications may involve unfamiliar mathematical concepts and notation. We have found that the use of toys, such as stacking plastic cups and Lego(C) blocks, to be amazingly effective in helping students develop mental models for mathematical concepts. With the aid of these mental models, students are able to understand the behavior of software components through cover stories (their specifications), without knowing the implementations of the components
Keywords :
computer science education; formal logic; formal specification; human factors; teaching; CS1/CS2; Lego blocks; computer science education; cover stories; formally-specified software components; mathematical concepts; mental models; pedagogical challenges; software components; specifications; stacking plastic cups; students; unfamiliar mathematical concepts; Animation; Binary trees; Cognitive science; Context modeling; Data structures; Data visualization; Formal specifications; Mathematical model; Mathematics; Software engineering;
Conference_Titel :
Frontiers in Education Conference, 2000. FIE 2000. 30th Annual
Conference_Location :
Kansas City, MO
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-6424-4
DOI :
10.1109/FIE.2000.896585
