On Teaching Abstraction in CS to Novices

Abstraction is a key concept in CS, one of the most fundamental ideas underlying CS and its practice. However, teaching this soft concept to novices is a very difficult task, as discussed by many CSE experts. This paper discusses this issue, and suggests a general framework for teaching abstraction in CS to novices, a framework that would fit into most kinds of introductory courses. While this paper leans on some anecdotal evidence to support its claims, it is not an empirical work. Rather, it builds on research literature and experience in underlying some concrete rules that can assist in teaching abstraction.