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Misconception: Students create a new instance variable when they only need a local variable.

  • For example, in Java, students create an instance variable public int count that is only used in one method, so they should instead create a local variable.

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Tags

  • Content Misconceptions
  • CS 1
  • Intro Programming
  • Java
External Source

"Exploring programming misconceptions: an analysis of student mistakes in visual program simulation exercises" by Teemu Sirkiä and Juha Sorva.

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Other Tips By Juha Sorva
Juha Sorva

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Create a list of questions pertaining to the daily lab material that focus on the concepts of lab exercises to ask students, individually or in groups, to gauge student’s understanding of the material.
For AP CS courses, consider using the linked Java API that only contains the subset of classes and methods that the AP course uses.
Encourage students and TAs to share tips with each other to make the classroom a more collaborative space.

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