We take an innovative approach to teaching Java by first introducing procedural programming through graphics and animations. The introductory game design path teaches students to create artwork with a computer, simulate physical phenomenon and create their own games.
We then teach problem solving, where students solve many simple math and logic problems to reinforce fundamental thinking patterns. In this path, we introduce computational thinking and the details behind Java syntax.
Once students are comfortable with procedural programming, we move on to object-oriented programming, which we introduce by recreating popular games like agar.io, simulating bacteria growth, and modeling complex physical phenomenon.
We cover all the standard data structures like linked lists and binary trees. We will also cover applications of these data structures to games like snake and 20 questions.