[Edu-sig] [edupython] Python in Education Advocacy Article

[Laura Creighton]

In a message of Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:25:40 +0200, Laura Creighton writes:
>A first programming language should be interpreted not compiled.  It
>should also not have type declarations.  
>
>Laura

correction: it should not have type declarations, unless it is 
Haskell, which is another pretty good first programming language, but
which also can be described as 'nothing _but_ type definitions, with
a little bit of language tacked on that makes it possible to run
programs. :-)'.

People who are learning how to program are learning how to write
executable alogrithms.  They need to get to the algorithm part as
quickly as they can, with as little superfluous junk as possible.
Learning to write algorithms is hard enough as it is.  Everything from
braces and begin/end blocks, and all the stuff you learn in order to
make things easier for the compiler or interpreter to generate code
are things that only get in the way of the novice programmer actually
learning how to write algorithms.

Laura