Letter to the Editor

Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 19

Reading the two recent Vectors (July and October), I noted a constant cry for introducing APL in schools. May I make a few points:

1. The problem with schools is that teachers, even if they show interest in APL, cannot easily get the support from Heads because they cannot convince them of the use of APL as a teaching tool, or of the importance of the language.

2. It is still difficult in education to get away from using the BASIC language, mainly due to teachers’ convenience. I teach both Basic and APL in Further and Higher Education, and find APL far easier to put over in the short time available (often 12 hours of programming only) with students being able to advance much further than in Basic.

The ability to combine APL with word-processing and spreadsheets is a significant advantage, and should be presented in any educational advertising of APL.

1. I find that the current trend in education is to limit programming, and expand application usage. This is resulting in a stagnation for teachers and lecturers, like myself, with the result that we are being left behind in APL with almost no change of catching up.

To overcome these problems, I would like to suggest the following:

That Local Educational advisory groups be set up. (By local I mean in each town where this is possible.)

That these groups have two objectives: firstly, to go to local schools with a presentation package that would show the full scope of APL (or I-APL) as a teaching tool. It may also be beneficial to extend this to FE colleges. Secondly, to act as a local help group to APL users.

These groups could evolve under the guidance of the Education section of the Association. This can only succeed with the full backing of the Association: the Association, if it is to encompass the education sector, must have a more local approach. We are not able to take part in London meetings due to both financial and time restrictions.

For my part I am very willing to help any local teachers wishing to start in APL, and would appreciate contact with other local APLers to form such a group. I have tried to get teachers interested in APL, but without a more organised approach, it is a losing battle.

I am sure the Association has the material already; it just needs to be put into a ‘sellable’ package. Using the adage "if the mountain won’t come to you - you must go to the mountain", I hope the Association will support and act on this.

Richard Weber

Doncaster Metropolitan Institute of Higher Education