A silent revolution has changed the way computer science is understood and taught. The modern curriculum no longer focuses on the constructs of a language and the state changes in the machine. Instead, programming is taught as a problem-solving process that starts from a thorough understanding of classes of data and objects. The TeachScheme! Project has been at the vanguard of this revolution; the new series is its natural extension to cover a seamless transition to object-oriented design using Java.

The Project wants to turn Computing and Programming into an indispensable part of the liberal arts curriculum. Computing and Programming teach skills just as fundamental as, and closely related to, essay writing in English and problem solving in mathematics. Students who learn to design programs properly learn to analyze a problem statement; express its essence, abstractly and with examples; formulate statements and comments in a precise language; evaluate and revise these activities in light of checks and tests; and pay attention to details. This benefits all students, not just those who wish to study computing. For students who want to pursue other disciplines, this curriculum shows how they can use computing to model the phenomena they will encounter elsewhere.

In support of its mission, the Project has developed two radical innovations for the introductory curriculum on computing:

• program design recipes, which gently guide beginners through the entire process
• a pedagogic programming environment that makes programming easy and fun

These innovations enable teachers and students to focus entirely on problem solving skills and to ignore the whimsical details of syntax almost completely. They have been classroom tested by hundreds of high school and college teachers. And they work!

You can learn more about these new ideas from our materials and our summer workshops.