1. Philosophy of Teaching
Barrett E. Koster
In many fields, hands-on learning is a new trend in education, but in CS we've had it all along.
My students frequently write programs to help with a family business or perform useful tasks
around the college (e.g., document handler for the Academic Council). Whatever subject is at
hand, the best thing seems to be to get students to make something that actually works, does
something they want. And of course, with computers, they can.
To encourage them, I start with attitude. The computer demands perfection, but there are
seldom consequences for mistakes along the way. This fosters an approach which is aggressive
and yet cavalier. We pound on the machine fearlessly, then laugh when it fails. In class I
frequently answer the question of "can the program do X?" with "I don't know, let's try it".
Sometimes I make mistakes on purpose. Some times I project a student's laptop in class, to show
a nice success or an impressive failure. At first they fear being exposed, but after several have a
turn, a spirit of cooperative adventure takes over. And occasionally, I'm honored to be the first
to walk out of class at the end of the period, leaving the students hammering with each other on
the lesson of the day, too engaged to tear themselves away.
There's also richness to be had in non-programming classes. The first class I was ever called to
teach was Operating Systems, and my reaction was not enthusiastic. But I soon realized that the
saga of IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Google is a huge drama of promise and betrayal, and I have
lived through it. In the 70s I got a glimpse of what the Web would be from my college-mate Ted
Nelson (who invented the word "hypertext"). In the 80s I hung out with Tom Truscott, co-
author of USENET precursor to the Internet. I had the first Apple, the first PC, the first web
browser, the first MP3 player. Everything about computing is fresh and relevant, and the next
Zuckerberg is the guy next to you, or maybe YOU, if you can just find the right niche.