Teaching CS 1: object-first or algorithmic

Before object-oriented techniques were developed, procedural programming languages such as Pascal and C were taught in CS 1 courses. By virtue of the procedural paradigm, the focus of programming was on algorithms. Consequently, teaching methods concentrated on how to develop functions or methods that implement efficient algorithms using the various syntactic structures in the language. When object-oriented approach was brought into the curriculum, teaching methods still maintained the algorithmic focus but within the context of the object-oriented paradigm. The objects-first movement emerged and encouraged instructors to emphasize object modeling as an early focus of instruction. That is, students will start writing code with objects and their behaviors from the beginning of the curriculum.