On blooming first year programming, and its blooming assessment

Abstract

The traditional approach to introductory programming has students writing complete programs, as early as possible. Also, the traditional emphasis is on the technology, not the explicit cognitive development of the student. This approach jumps to the fifth and sixth levels of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, when these last two levels depend upon competence in the first four levels. I describe my alternative approach that addresses the six stages in sequence, emphasising effective assessment processes for the first four levels.