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Comment by cies | Hacker News Reader

I've been advocating the use of a LISP in the feedback committee of a local CS school I'm in... Some start the course with quite strong JS/Java/C#/Python skills, and some have zero exposure to programming.

A LISP would in most cases:

* level the playing field for all pupils

* focus on learning the concepts over learning the language (I argue LISPs are almost syntax-free)

* while not delving into type systems just yet!

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The level playing field is interesting.

My initial thought is that's a great idea. But then I start to think about how college classes are supposed to build on what you already know. Your math department doesn't begin with addition, the English department doesn't start with picture books.

Perhaps the real issue is forcing everyone with experience to start over at the beginning.

If you wanted native English speakers and second-language English speakers to be on a level playing field in a literature class, maybe you could teach the class using entirely Esperanto or Lojban translations of the works you are studying.

The language one speaks has nothing to do with literature class*, as the point is to teach reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and whatnot. The exposure of great works before college helps build a firm foundation on which to read and dissect more complex works.

* Obviously the works need to be readable in a language one knows. But it's not like the essence of literature classes change whether one speaks English or German or whatever. That's not the point.

It is easier to pass a literature class when you can already read the language the literature is in.

> Your math department doesn't begin with addition

Adition is a mandatory topic in school, so you can assume students know it when they get to the university.

Anyway one of my coworkers in the first year of the university asked 1/16 + 1/16 and after some tries from the students the best answer was 1/32.

> The level playing field is interesting.

I've been an assistant to a professor teaching introductory programming at a university. And we chose ML (later Haskell), as the first programming language, exactly because of this reason. Weaker students with no programming experience can build their knowledge on top of their mathematical knowledge from school. Whereas stronger students, with lots of programming experience, were challenged to reconsider their assumptions. Both groups did learn significantly.

> Your math department doesn't begin with addition

Well, ... actually, ... "Mathematik für Informatiker I" (mathematics for computer scientist I) did start with groups, then abelian groups, i.e. addition.

While I'd say Haskell is great (in general). I do have some reservations with using it as a intro lang, because the type system is almost a language of it's own. So you have two learn two things at the same time.

In LISPs you program the AST directly. No serious type system (usually). They are very "small" languages.

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