Re: [school-discuss] ISO: Good programming language to teach an 8yrold

[Yishay Mor <y.mor@ioe.ac.uk>]

> 4) Encourages good programming style - indentation  is *mandatory* :-) 
> objects/classes are an integral part of the language - but you don't 
> have to dive headlong into classes before doing anything interesting 
> (which I feel is a pedagogical weakness of Java). 
Well, IMHO, this is one of Java's stronger points. When I teach Java, I 
usually start by explaining what a class is, and getting students to 
build a few. Loops and control structures are far more complicated to 
grasp than class structure. If anything, I would criticize Java for not 
being OO enough. But I guess it's not a matter of frame of mind, not a 
property of the language. I would say - leave the religious debate 
aside. Start with whatever language you are excited about, because then 
your excitement will show, and inspire your students.

All that said, here's one interesting candidate that hasn't been 
mentioned yet:
http://karel.sourceforge.net/

- Yishay

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Yishay Mor
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