tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post443220795619996470..comments2024-03-27T15:13:24.764-04:00Comments on Computer Science Teacher: Helping Students Debug CodeAlfred Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575057876858763822noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-89664292015335301392016-06-05T10:36:13.204-04:002016-06-05T10:36:13.204-04:00It always amazes me how little time textbooks spen...It always amazes me how little time textbooks spend on debugging. One brief show and tell of the debugging tools then on to perfection. I spend more time trying to teach debugging than syntax. Syntax the kids can read from the book, debugging take effort and experience from making errors. Simple tricks like print statements to follow variables simply seems to be too much work for some. And again there is that dividing line between helping and dependency.Garthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-32337955542987973432016-06-05T06:14:01.865-04:002016-06-05T06:14:01.865-04:00Yes, teaching debugging is very tricky/challenging...Yes, teaching debugging is very tricky/challenging. For the kids I've worked with, it is such a new skill/thought process--so different from the way that they are used to interacting with world.<br /> <br /><br />As time goes on, I find it's one of the most important skillsets to foster--it really can help liberate kids from depending on the teacher. ( I still remember spending a good 20 minutes trying to help a kid track down an error that ended up being caused by '1' replacing 'l' in the code editor--was almost indistinguishable in the editor's font!)Vernon Morrishttps://twitter.com/teachcs01noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-26923183022517779862016-06-03T15:24:00.436-04:002016-06-03T15:24:00.436-04:00Yes actually I wrote about this last October http:...Yes actually I wrote about this last October http://blog.acthompson.net/2015/10/would-you-like-hint.htmlAlfred Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05575057876858763822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-11845890721373271822016-06-03T15:07:58.630-04:002016-06-03T15:07:58.630-04:00This is a very interesting read. Thank you.
I am...This is a very interesting read. Thank you. <br /><br />I am conflicted regarding helping students debug because I feel that there is a thin line between helping and fostering a blind dependency which draws them to office hours. How does one balance that? Any thoughts/ideas?Alarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02951780641975453236noreply@blogger.com