[Tutor] if-else statements

[Kent Johnson]

Danny Yoo wrote:
> [Warning: I get totally off-topic, opinionated, and cranky in the
> following rant.  My apologies in advance!]
> 
> Hi Andrew,
> 
> But I get worried, though, that much teaching uses fragile techniques that
> don't really scale well.  I've disliked the order in which some Python
> tutorials approach language features --- in particular, functions seem to
> be given short shrift at times.
> 
> I think the concept of functions really need to come as soon as possible:
> to me, they're essential core material, and functions need to be
> introduced as a way to control program complexity and allow for testing.
>
> I really wish that someone would take a similar approach in writing a
> beginner Python tutorial that focuses on functions almost immediately,
> even before control flow. 

You might like John Zelle's book - he teaches functions before control flow and puts a fair emphasis on using functions to eliminate duplication and improve program structure.

"Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science"
http://www.fbeedle.com/99-6.html

Kent