[Edu-sig] re: book: Head First Java

[Jason Cunliffe]

Art writes

> """Perhaps the worst of all assumptions a teacher or an author can make is
to assume the learner is intrinsically motivated and intellectually curious
about the content."""
>
> I guess I am stubborn on this point, or arrogant, or something.  In that I
have the luxuxry of having no interest in presenting material to learners
who have no intellectual curiosity about the subject matter I am presenting.
>
> One nice thing about the development of the Net (and which I associate
with Open Source), is that one can contribute by making the exactly opposite
assumption.  That one's effort will be found by those motivated by a
curiosity. And one can assume that curiosity as a starting point.

Hi. Art thanks for your comments..

The sun is shining - I'll happily quible with you --- Yes the Net is full of
curious people, but not necessarily for whatever you or I may be doing or
curious about.  They may be curious about something else and in ways we'd
never expect... I think the authors were perhaps just exercising a healthy
reality check on their own enthusiasms and assumptions. Trying not to
project onto the student. They'ev   put a lot of effort into the book based
firmly on its premise that learning by doing exploring play design etc is
the way to go. But they go to creative lengths to avoid dogma and reach for
the aha!! quality of programming.

I say this becuase I've been browsing "Head First Java" in my local Barnes&
Noble a few times since I first posted here.. The more I look at it, the
more impressed I think I am ;-) I'll wager it's fast on its way to becoming
a new 'classic' and a best seller . It's cartoony and witty, but benefits
greatly from the facts that its own content is the result of the two
authors' direct experience and collaboration.  Java is scary and verbose,
but powerful and ubiquitous. "Head First" really tries to tackle ideas
first, and let the syntax follow. But it gets into some serious work soon
enough. Reminds me of "Who is Fourier?"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0964350408/qid=1056493006/sr=1
-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7010533-5291168?v=glance&s=books

Jason