hea dublin shanshan final in warwick

8/8/2019 Hea Dublin Shanshan Final in Warwick

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Approaches for Teaching

Prolog to Beginners

By Shanshan Yang & Mike Joy


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Outline of the Presentation

Background

Methods

Findings Further work


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Teaching and Learning Prolog

Prolog: A typical declarative language

Challenges: Novices develop a Prolog

mindset Motivation: Aids novices to develop a Prolog

mindset


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Teaching Approaches

The first phase of this Project - study what

teaching approaches have been used

To aid learners to build a Prolog mindset

To deliver the first impression ofProlog

To link novices from different backgrounds into

the Prolog community


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Findings

Classification of teaching approaches

Logic based approaches

Declarative features approaches

Program based approaches


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Classification 1

Logic based approaches

covers mathematic logic and/or logic

programming first.

Theoretical foundation - first-orderpredicate logic

For example: The art of Prolog: advanced programming

techniques by Sterling I. 1994

Mastering Prologby Lucas B. 1996


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Classification 2

Declarative features approaches Specification tool based

Database based

Problem solving based System Based

Known facts and relations based

For example: Prolog programming for artificial intelligence

by Bratko I. 2001

Programming in Prologby Clocksin W.F. &Mellish C.S. 2003


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Classification 3

Program based approaches Viewing the program constructs

contained

Viewing the interactions

between the programmer, programand interpreter

For example: Logic programming with Prologby Bramer

M. 2005


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Teaching Content

Approaches are used to introduce the basic ideas

ofProlog at the beginning of the learning process

Human as:

Programmer or User

Prolog Programs:

Store data, relations

Prolog System:

Search Answers

Design, Code Query

Answer

Based


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Prerequisites

Background Knowledge

Abstract theory:

first order predicate logic

Related academic knowledge:

Database

Program specification

Related computer knowledge:

Using computer systems

Entities

Categories

Prolog

Program

Prolog

SystemHuman

Logic BasedLogic

statements

Performing

logic

deduction

None

Declarative

Feature

Based

Database,

specification

Problem

solving

machine

Describe

problem,

query

Program

Based

Source files

with data

and relations

Prolog

interpreter

Develop,

handle

program


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Trend of changes over time

Because more practical and concrete

Years

Approaches

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Logic Based

Declarative

features

SpecificationTool Based

DatabaseBased

Problem

Solving Based

System Based

Known Factsand Relations

Based

Programs Based


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Conclusions

Categorised teaching approaches currently

in use

Identified prerequisites are required forthese approaches

Identified trend of choice of approaches

changes in the past 25 years

Further work

hea dublin shanshan final in warwick

Documents