Last academic year, in addition to the three unique preps that I had at Carthage College, I also “took” a course by auditing (i.e. sitting in on, as I never officially audited it). It was Computer Science 1/2. In addition to learning some different teaching styles, I also learned a ton since I never took a computer science course in college.
I had a significant amount of previous experience with computer programming, having previously dabbled in C++ (Physics 401 at UNL), MATLAB (throughout grad school), Mathematica (throughout grad school), FORTRAN (early grad school), and Sage/Python (since Stout). I knew a bit about loops and control flow, but never really learned the basics.
Taking this course was very helpful for me, and it improved my basic understanding of computer programming and how to make a reasonable program. Additionally, the active learning that was practiced in both Sara and Erlan’s classes gave me ideas for how to make my classes interactive.
Psychology also played a big role, with Erlan dedicating an entire class to the “7 plus or minus 2” idea of working memory. In coding, writing short bits of code (subroutines) is preferable to make it easier to work with.
I find that it can be a double-edged sword, since it makes each snippet easier to read, but it could also cause trouble if the organization of each small bit is unclear.
But, with folders and smaller documents, it becomes much more manageable.
I have implemented this practice in my organization of folders on my computer.
What does this have to do with “Throw it away?” Two things come to mind. First, taking the computer science course really gave me a new appreciation of sound principles, and Erlan repeatedly stated, “All that I need to know I learnt in kindergarten,” which I have found true. The “fanciest” concept I have used in my coding has been classes, without even using inheritance.
The other thing that came to mind: he also said “The first copy of your code is meant to be thrown away.” That is true, as after taking the course, I decided to revamp the bridge code that I had made with my student during the previous summer. And at this point, I’m throwing away part of it again, with new ideas that I have thought of, as well as ideas from my current students.
Never be stuck on a one-track mind!
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Lincoln: 3 days
Phoenix: REDACTED days
Sophomore Campaign: 68 days
Never A Worry 