I would agree that most AP CS students come from a background of CS. It was certainly less common for students in my high school (a private college-prep school) to randomly pick up AP CS to look good on their transcripts. Most had already an interest and experience.
I think there are two types of CS students, which are quite often reflective of preferred learning styles and life schemas: those who are far more intuitive learners, and grow and retain knowledge through doing (experience and practice); and those who need the rules laid out, so that they may digest them, incorporate them into their operational styles, and then figure out how to use them, push them to their limits, and break them. Both of these types of students possess the ability to operate from a place of creativity, but some have yet to develop gut intuition, and feel safer and more confident starting from a place of concreteness, and from there, launching into a more nebulous space.
I applaud the author for innovating the CS (and AP CS) curricula and teaching methodology. I think that it may very well prove more functional and effective for many students.
I think there are two types of CS students, which are quite often reflective of preferred learning styles and life schemas: those who are far more intuitive learners, and grow and retain knowledge through doing (experience and practice); and those who need the rules laid out, so that they may digest them, incorporate them into their operational styles, and then figure out how to use them, push them to their limits, and break them. Both of these types of students possess the ability to operate from a place of creativity, but some have yet to develop gut intuition, and feel safer and more confident starting from a place of concreteness, and from there, launching into a more nebulous space.
I applaud the author for innovating the CS (and AP CS) curricula and teaching methodology. I think that it may very well prove more functional and effective for many students.