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I was going to ignore this, but it's driving me nuts. :-)
-----Original Message-----
From: John Posada [mailto:JPosada -at- book -dot- com]
The elements are real, but that has nothing to do with it. The formula is
the only real thing. It describes a concept. What e is, doesn't
matter....what matters is what e equals, and what it equals is something
called m times the square of something call c.
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And knowing this is then useful to the student how? ab=xy^3 is also "real" by those terms, and I just made it up. Who knew physics was so easy. <g>
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I describe the concept of SQL. I then explain it in terms that apply to the
system at B&N.com, so they know what to do with it, but that doesn't change
the fact that SQL is concept even if B&N.com doesn't exist.
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SQL is a particular implementation of the abstract idea "database query language." Teaching about it involves the passing-on of conceptual information, but SQL is not a "concept."
Way back in the beginning of this thread, someone was talking about teaching students a specific programming language, and then depending on the students to abstract general ideas about related languages based on their experience with the specific, concrete language. (This is how a For loop works in Java --> this is how For loops work, generally speaking.)
The suggestion was made that it would be more useful to do it the other way around - teach those things that can be said about all For loops in all languages, then how such a loop is implemented in Java. Teach the theory of declarative sentences, then particular declarative sentences. Sauce theory, then beurre blanc. Etc.
Teaching SQL in the abstract first would involve saying, "There are things called database query languages. Don't worry about what a database is yet," and then going on to provide all kinds of information about what query languages, in general, are and do before moving on to what *SQL* particularly is and does.
This approach, while it has the advantage of being very thorough, has a couple of consequences when applied. One, it takes more time, because you are providing more information, and another familiar equation is that time = money. Two, during the first half of your lecture you may very well have students who are wondering when the heck they're ever going to need a declarative sentence. :-)
And now that I've bored everyone on the list to death, I'm going to go for a badly needed specific cup of tea....
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