Explain that Strings in Java are a weird-hybrid between a primitive and an Object and as a result they can’t be modified.
Use Car as an example of an interface because students agree on the general behaviors of a car but can only come up with specific instantiations of cars, which provides students with a strong mental model for interface relationships.
Create boolean variables to use as the condition when introducing if statement to highlight for students that the condition is any expression that evaluates to true or false.
Have students code boundary condition test to handle removing adjacent duplicates to help them better understand data structures and become familiar with common bugs through practice.
Step through an accumulator pattern on board to make clear how variables change within a while loop to help students understand this confusing topic.
Foreshadow arrays right after teaching for loops by showing students how to create a 1x6 grid using the rectangle object in the Java objectdraw library because visualizations built off of recently introduced material provide a useful transition.
Use the “fence post” method when teaching Java’s substring method to help students use it accurately.
Have students use a spiral notebook to keep track of important information to enhance their understanding of topics by writing down the material.
Explain nested for loops using a car odometer, the innermost loop controlling the ones digit must cycle fully before the outer loops steps forward, to help students better understand nested loops through a real world example.