Teaching OOP

A Practical Approach Using BlueJ

David J Barnes Michael Kölling

University of Canterbury University of
Southern Denmark

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 1

 Introduction
• Who are you?
• What/where do you teach?
• What is your experience with Java
teaching?
• What do you expect from this
workshop?
• What problems do you experience in
your teaching?
Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 2
 Analysis

What is happening with

OOP teaching?

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 3

 Functions
Data Fields

Conversion: square sqMeters

metres to square
yards for a piece
Methods
of fabric
toSqYards
readSqMeters
displayFabric

getDouble
displayResult
...

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 4

 Hello World

public class Hello

{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
System.out.println(“Hello, world”);
}
}

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 Text
public class OldMacDonald {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println(“Old MacDonald had a farm”);
System.out.println(“E I E I O”);
System.out.println(“and on his farm he had a duck”);
System.out.println(“E I E I O”);
System.out.println(“With a quak quak here”);
System.out.println(“And a quak quak there”);
System.out.println(“Here a quak, there a quak”);
System.out.println(“Everywhere a quak quak”);
System.out.println(“Old MacDonald had a farm”);
System.out.println(“E I E I O”);
} }

1. Write a Java class that prints the second verse

2. Write a Java class that prints the following design...
Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 6
 GUI’s
import java.awt.*;
public class Message2 extends Frame {
Font f;
public Message2() {
f = new Font(“SansSerif”, Font.BOLD, 24);
setBackground(Color.yellow);
setSize(400, 150);
}
public void paint(Graphics g) {
g.setFont(f); g.setColor(Color.blue);
g.drawString(“Welcome to Java”, 100, 100);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Message2 m2 = new Message2();
m2.setVisible(true);
}
}
Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 7
 Text input
import java.io.*;

public class Square

{
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception
{
BufferedReader reader =
new BufferedReader(
new InputStreamReader(System.in));
System.out.println(“Input a number”);
int number = Integer.parseInt(reader.readline());
System.out.println(number + “ squared is “ +
(number * number));
}
}

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 8

 Why are things like this?
• It has a lot to do with the Pascal
(etc.) heritage.
• Just using a class doesn’t make an OO
program.
• Using an OO language requires a
proper OO approach.

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 9

 Getting started

How to get over the

first few weeks

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 10

 Suggestions #1
• Objects first
• Jump start
• Don’t use “main”
• Don’t start with I/O (GUIs, applets, text
I/O)
• Don’t convert old examples
• Teach programming, not a programming
language

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 11

 Objects first
• Start with key issues:
Objects, classes, methods
• State and behaviour
• Almost universally accepted, but: not
easy

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 12

 Jump start
• Don’t get students bored with detail
at the start
• Start doing something!
• Experiment with objects before
writing objects.

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 13

 Don’t use “main”
• What has main got to do with objects? -
Nothing!
public class Hello
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
System.out.println(“Hello, world”);
}
}

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 14

 Don’t start with I/O
• I/O is an undesirable distraction from
programming principles
• Text I/O (especially input) is not easy
• Applets are mysterious
• GUIs are complicated
• Custom made libraries…?

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 15

 Don’t convert
your old examples

• Examples are (or should be)

handpicked to illustrate key points
• Examples from procedural languages
do not illustrate concepts of object
orientation

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 16

 Teach programming, not a
programming language
• Don’t teach Java, teach OOP!
• Don’t teach OOP, teach
programming!
• Don’t teach programming, teach
problem solving!

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 17

 Environment again
• need visualisation
• need interaction
• need simplicity
• BlueJ
– successor of Blue system
– supports Java
– written in Java
– free

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 18

 An Object-Oriented
Environment

• An environment for an object-

oriented language is not the same
as an object-oriented environment

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 Examples

Shapes and Pictures

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 Questions / Discussion

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 21

 Break

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 22

 Conveying key topics

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 23

 Examples

Ticket machines &

technical support

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 24

 Suggestions #2

• Key issues first

• Read code
• Use “large” projects
• Don’t start with a blank screen
• Do sensible things
• Prepare for maintenance

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 25

 Key issues first

• Choose examples to illustrate key

issues first
• Don’t get stuck in detail
• Avoid completeness trap!

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 26

 Read code

• Make students read code! (read

before write)
• Show many examples
• Make sure all examples are well
written (and worth reading)

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 27

 Use “large” projects

• Don’t start with small examples -

they don’t have structure
• Use realistic context
• Concentrate on object interaction

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 28

 Don’t start with a blank screen

• Starting with a blank screen requires

design (or the example is too trivial)
• Design is hard
• Designing a complete application is
an advanced exercise

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 29

 Do sensible things

• Choose examples that make sense

• Don’t make students do things that
you wouldn’t do yourself

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 30

 Prepare for maintenance
• Prepare students for real-life
situations:
– code maintenance
– modification, extension
– documentation
– using class libraries
– reuse

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 31

 Example

The dark world of Zuul...

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 32

 Suggestions #3
• Discuss application structure
• Open/closed exercises
• Create ownership
• Apprentice approach

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 33

 Discuss structure
• OO-modelling
• Relationships of classes
• Coupling and cohesion
• Later: patterns

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 34

 Open/closed exercises
• Make exercises that are closed so
students know exactly what is
expected of them (and when they are
done), and
• Make exercises that are open so each
student can adapt them to his/her
own level of knowledge, expertise
and ambition
Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 35
 Create ownership
• Create your exercises and
programming projects in such a way
that the students take ownership
• Students then will
– work harder
– have more fun
– learn much, much more...

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 36

 Apprentice approach
• Let students observe what you are
doing
• See teacher in action
• Learn by imitation

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 37

 Reflection / Discussion

Teaching OOP - A Practical Approach using BlueJ 38

 References
The material from this workshop will be
available on the web:
www.mip.sdu.dk/~mik/bluej-workshop

David J Barnes, Michael Kölling

Objects First with Java -
A Practical Introduction using BlueJ

http://www.bluej.org
Contact: David Barnes (djb@kent.ac.uk)
Michael Kölling (mik@mip.sdu.dk)
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