Misconception: Students frequently forget to add delimiters when writing HTML and CSS code, this error is called unclosed pairs.
Misconception: Students may write code in HTML and CSS that contains many errors yet still renders correctly, leaving them with faulty understandings of concepts and acceptable code.
Misconception: Students frequently make errors when creating lists in HTML by using unnecessary or incorrect elements.
Use the w3schools.com online HTML, CSS, and JavaScript tutorials to teach students web development through concrete examples rather than abstract definitions.
Emphasize that students should know which HTML tags are self-contained to make writing and debugging code easier.
Misconception: Students frequently forget to close tags or other paired constructs when writing HTML and CSS code, this error is called unclosed pairs. To help prevent this, have students write both open and close HTML tags before adding content.
Remind students to clear elements after using float so that extra elements don’t try to float as well when teaching CSS.
Provide students with the following document to help them remember important HTML and CSS facts; print it on cardstock to help them understand how important it is to keep around.
Compare the head and body tags in HTML to the Headless Horseman to help students remember what gets displayed on a web page.
At the beginning of a web development course, do not allow students to copy and paste the HTML tags so they can learn what needs to go into a document.
Assign tasks which require small changes to simple HTML documents to help students develop an understanding of the structure and syntax of HTML tags.
Have students use Chrome or Firefox when teaching web development because these browsers contain the useful tools for development.
Start programming courses with HTML to get students to engage with programming languages by building off of their pre-existing, experiential curiosity.