Teach these four Scanner methods that allow students to write interesting code at the beginning of an introductory Java course to give students a feel for programming without overwhelming them.
Create notes that look like Javadocs instead of introducing Javadocs so students are scaffolded in reading Javadocs without being overwhelmed by all the material available.
Tell students they have to believe that some things just work before they will understand why it works because they need exposure to a lot of material before some concepts make sense individually.
Misconception: Students get confused by the multiple equals signs comparison operators in Javascript making it difficult to motivate the difference to beginning students.
Scaffold students to evaluating and understanding 3 === “3” in Javascript using the following steps to help students learn the difference between confusing comparison operators.
Have students use Chrome or Firefox when teaching web development because these browsers contain the useful tools for development.
Emphasize to students that in CSS id is typically more specific than class, as beginners often struggle to disambiguate these attributes.
Reinforce introductory drawing in Processing by having students draw a simple logo students are familiar because using a recognized cultural icon students helps keep students motivated.
Replace classroom lecture with co-teaching to keep students accountable during course time and ensure student engagement.
Use popular, repetitive music to teach loops in a beginning course because this motivates the purpose and application of loops while keeping students engaged by referencing popular culture.
Use worked examples (step-by-step demonstrations of how to perform a task) to introduce new problem solving skills to students.
Give students guided notes (i.e., partially-completed notes that students complete) to help them stay engaged and learn from lectures or readings. It may be especially helpful to include vocabulary lists.
Create rubrics to grade complicated assignments so that both you and your students have a better understanding of what quality work looks like.
Install the offline editor on student machines in your Scratch course in case the online editor is not available.
Check out Professor Colleen Lewis’ online Scratch curriculum for ready-to-use CS classroom activities and for ideas for your own curriculum.
Have a way of preventing students from looking at their computer screens when you need to get the whole class’s attention.
Emphasize that computer use is a privilege that can be revoked to keep students on task and focused when working on computers.