Transitioning from Blocks to Text

Block-based programming languages are very popular for introducing young novices to programming. The drag-and-drop interface, with large palettes of blocks, aids initial manipulation and discoverability. When novices continue with programming, they will likely do so by transitioning to a text-based programming language where they are confronted by a blank page and a blinking cursor. The move can be quite a shock. It is important for educators to be able to help with this transition. There are several elements to managing this transition: pedagogical, or tool-based. There exist tools that can show blocks and text, and there also exist tools occupying a middle space between blocks and text. In this session we will give a programming environment designer's view of why this transition is so difficult and explain how we attempted to solve the challenge in our own hybrid programming systems. We will then invite opinions from the audience on how they conquer the transition using tools and/or pedagogical approaches.