====== Week 7: Teaching Variables and Control Flow ======

===== Objectives =====

  * Examine techniques for teaching students about variables and control flow.


===== Readings for Class Discussion =====

  * Twitchell (2002).  [[http://articlesforeducators.com/dir/science_tech/computers/computer_variables.asp|Understanding Computer Variables]]
  * Kuittinen, et al (2004). [[http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1026487.1008014 |Teaching roles of variables in elementary programming courses. SIGCSE Bull. 36, 3 (June 2004), 57-61.]] 
  * Feinberg,D. (2007). [[http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1227504.1227363 |A visual object-oriented programming environment. SIGCSE Bull. 39, 1 (March 2007), 140-144.]] 
  * Review chapters in Horstmann text on decisions and iterations.

Videos

  * Nick Parlante. [[http://cslibrary.stanford.edu/104/|Pointers in Java]]
  * Khan Academy. [[http://www.khanacademy.org/video/for-loops-in-python|For Loops in Python]] and [[http://www.khanacademy.org/video/while-loops-in-python|While Loops in Python]]

===== Topics =====

  * Understanding variables
  * Arrays and pointers
  * Explaining control flow

===== Lab ======

  * AP CS: Arrays and Array Lists