A JAVA FUNCTION VISUALIZER
Herbert L. Dershem, Daisy Erin Parker, Rebecca Weinhold · 1999
Visualization is an important tool for student learning. The Function Visualizer provides a resource that permits the visualization of function calls for any set of Java functions. It provides a control panel where the user specifies the speed of the visualization and the parameter values for the initial function call. When the visualization begins, lines of code are highlighted in a function window as they are executed and when another function is called, a new window appears on top of the previous one, producing a visualization of the function call stack. This tool provides a flexible and intuitive visualization aid for the teaching of recursion. INTRODUCTION Visualization is an important classroom tool. All teachers use it to help their students "see" difficult concepts. A recent overview paper [1] listed many motivating factors for the use of visualization including better learning, attracting student attention, faster coverage of topics, increased student understanding, encouragi...