From: Aaron Kulbe Date: 2006-02-26T12:57:02+09:00 Subject: Re: Ruby as First Language On 2/25/06, Alex Combas wrote:> On 2/25/06, Chris Pine wrote:> > I have written a tutorial, and recently a book, lovingly and> > painstakingly built over the last three years, aimed at teaching> > programming, using Ruby, to non-programmers. So I'm totally,> > hopelessly biased here...> >> Chris, I really enjoyed your book. The exercises are well thought out> and practical.> The lessons build knowledge in a logical manner. When you are finished the> book you feel "learned", I've been subconsciously buying tween blazers> ever since. Chris, I am presently enjoying your book. > I am a big, really big big... not even in a strictly volume sense, I'm> talking mass...> ridiculously humongous fan of the Poignant Guide. me too! > However I found the actual lesson material was not always as thorough> as I would like, and there are no exercises. I don't think I will ever> forget the forklift, or the caterpillar but _why's book is not really> for a new programmer, unless they> are really strange/wonderful/interesting/open minded type people or unless> they have just finished reading your book ;)>> I think normal[1] folk will probably find _why's guide too distracting.> This depends. I have them both. I printed out Why's guide, and Ialso purchased both the PDF and dead tree copy of Chris Pine's Learnto Program book. As I've said publicly in other places... Why was one of two thingswhen he write the Poignant Guide.... he was either 1. VERY stoned. or 2. VERY much a genius. Let me qualify. Chris wrote a VERY good book with excellent examples. Why uses crazy techniques and you think the guy is all over the map. This will sound painfully obvious... but if it were, schools would beMUCH different than they are today. People do NOT learn the same. Let me say that again... people do NOTlearn the same. One person may learn the most from the traditional'teacher talk - student listen' model. That is what the VAST majorityof our schools still believe and practice to this day. There was a man named Howard Gardner [2] that came up with the theoryof multiple intelligences. In a nutshell, many different methods oflearning... and if you're trying to teach someone a subject in amanner that doesn't match what their learning style is, you're missingthe mark!!! This is where I think Why has it right on, and where I think Chrismight benefit in doing a little research and seeing if he wants toimplement some of these things in his next book. A present day example would be the Head First series that O'Reilly &Associates is doing. > I think the books add to each other. _why's guide is very entertaining> and fun. Your> guide is very practical. Both guides will teach you a lot and we as a> community are far richer for having both to read. AMEN! >> Thanks Chris, and thanks _why.>> [1]People who know how to send email and download music, but not much else.>> --> Alex Combas> http://noodlejunkie.blogspot.com> [2] http://rubyurl.com/g2V