Title: eBeckett: Using The Work Of Samuel Beckett To Teach Fundamental Computing Concepts
1eBeckett Using The Work Of Samuel Beckett To
Teach Fundamental Computing Concepts
2Motivation
- Learning to program can initially be very
difficult - Two barriers to learning this skill are
- the abstract nature of programming, concepts such
as variables, data types, arrays, etc. have no
real world counterparts, and
- programming requires an exactness of
specification that contrasts strongly with the
flexible nature of the English language.
3TeachingbyAnalogy
4So
- To understand how to program, you need to know
how a computer computes
5So
- To understand how to program, you need to know
how a computer computes - von Neumann Architecture This means that they
execute programs by accessing both instructions
and data on the same storage device, which makes
the computer a very flexible device.
6So
- To understand how to program, you need to know
how a computer computes - von Neumann Architecture This means that they
execute programs by accessing both instructions
and data on the same storage device, which makes
the computer a very flexible device. - The computer performs the following sequence of
steps - Fetch the next instruction from memory at the
address in the program counter - Decode the instruction using the control unit
- Increment the program counter
- The control unit commands the rest of the
computer to execute the instruction - Go to step 1
7So
- To understand how to program, you need to know
how a computer computes - von Neumann Architecture This means that they
execute programs by accessing both instructions
and data on the same storage device, which makes
the computer a very flexible device. - The computer performs the following sequence of
steps - Fetch the next instruction from memory at the
address in the program counter - Decode the instruction using the control unit
- Increment the program counter
- The control unit commands the rest of the
computer to execute the instruction - Go to step 1
- Fetch-Decode-Execute (FDE) cycle.
8But
- How do we explain all this to the students?
9- We say that theres a little man computer inside
it -)
10Cartesian Theatre
11Cartesian Theatre
12Cartesian Theatre
of the Absurd
13Beckett's most perfect piece of writing for the
theatre
Krapps Last Tape
14(No Transcript)
15Krapps Last TapeAn Extended Analogy
Little Man Computer
Krapp the LMC room
Krapp's Den the stored information
Krapp's Tapes The analogy of the LMC
paradigm becomes the extended analogy of "Krapp's
Last Tape" which will hopefully be more dramatic
and memorable for the students.
16Krapps Last TapeAn Extended Analogy
Students required to undertakes exercises based
on KLT and
17Nexus Model of Learning Styles
18Nexus Model of Learning Styles
19Some Feedback
- "Good practice for understanding specifications
- "It was a bit of a laugh and brought the class
together - "It made me think outside the box"
20Some Results
21Some Results
22Some Results
23Some Results
24Ideas Encountered
- Stored Program
- Indirection (pointers)
- Analysis of complex requirements
- Serles Chinese
- Room Problem
25(No Transcript)