Encourage students to apply for opportunities, even if they’re not sure they’re qualified, because the practice of applying is an important experience.
Split students into groups responsible for programming different tasks in Java to create a Set game, this will allow them to learn to distributed work in environments that mirror industry.
Use an activity that introduces minimal spanning trees by having students determine the minimum number of roads to pave between houses.
Compare objects in Java to cloud-hosted documents, such as Google Docs, for a relatable analogy to explain object references with.
Use dice to introduce instantiable classes in Java because it’s easier for novice students to create classes based on a familiar object.
Provide multiple examples of specific CS concepts to make them relevant to individuals with diverse characteristics.
Set aside class time to read parts of Blown to Bits, a book about the social impact of technology, and then have discussions about the content and your students’ responses.
Have students use lollipop sticks or toothpicks to represent each statement call in an N-ary recursive algorithm.
Show students the visual representation of recursion in the Modern Family title sequence for a fun way to introduce them to this concept.
Use different methods of counting the stairs of the Eiffel Tower to explain how different algorithms affect Big-O runtime.