Teaching C++: Three perspectives

An attempt is made to demonstrate how judicious use of various features of the C++ language, especially its object-oriented features, can be used to establish a pedagogically sound approach to teaching computer programming. Three criteria which any language that is used for teaching computer programming must satisfy are presented: parallel rather than sequential presentation; implementation support for reducing form; and language support for reducing meaning errors. It was shown that, as a strongly typed object-oriented programming language C++ satisfied these criteria, it was also shown that the language's ADT support made it appropriate for use in various curricula and at various levels. A practical example which demonstrated how to utilize C++ to teach computer programming to three separate student populations is also presented.<>