Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site harvard.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!draves From: draves@harvard.ARPA (Richard Draves) Newsgroups: net.college Subject: re: programming and carpentry in high school Message-ID: <246@harvard.ARPA> Date: Fri, 4-Jan-85 15:17:57 EST Article-I.D.: harvard.246 Posted: Fri Jan 4 15:17:57 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 6-Jan-85 00:44:21 EST References: <399@hou2b.UUCP> Organization: Aiken Computation Laboratory, Harvard Lines: 22 > > >...... In any case, I feel kids should be taught to > >program whether or not they will use it, because it is good training > >for their minds. > > this is exactly the point of view that i am criticizing. should > chess be made part of the high school curriculum because it is > good training for the minds? i think that most people will say > no. it is rather self-centered to think that the type of training > you have received has made your mind BETTER (techno-centric). i'm > no cognitive scientist, but i don't think that the human problem > solving processes resembles the way we currently program (hence the > term semantic gap). > I believe writing good programs and writing good proofs involve much the same skills. I would favor the inclusion of programming because it gives the student a more tangible result, a running program. I think a student is more likely to work on a game program than some abstract algebra proof. Rich