HTDPv2 https://htdp.org/ - it's about learning to program rather than teaching a specific language.
I thought the little projects you build along the way struck a good balance of interest, e.g. you're building a snake game by section 2 (but crucially you've already been exposed to how to think about data so you're not just dropped into the deep end with some boilerplate to fiddle with).
Anyway, i could write tons of praise for this book but it's convinced me to ditch python for teaching newbies and i LOVED python for getting newbies started real quick with projects for years.
That sound like an interesting approach and I'd love to hear more about it!
One striking difference compared to most "beginner languages" is the Lisp-like syntax. I think focusing on problem solving rather than learning syntax is a great goal, but does this particular choice of a language make it harder for your "students" to continue learning in another language?
I'm assuming they would switch to a more popular language at some point (with syntax that resembles C), so I'm curious what that transition is like for beginners.
Interesting, I rarely see it mentioned. How do people react to the mindset it teaches ? I really like that it's near language-less programming book, really more about and/or :)
I thought the little projects you build along the way struck a good balance of interest, e.g. you're building a snake game by section 2 (but crucially you've already been exposed to how to think about data so you're not just dropped into the deep end with some boilerplate to fiddle with).
Anyway, i could write tons of praise for this book but it's convinced me to ditch python for teaching newbies and i LOVED python for getting newbies started real quick with projects for years.