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Jul 27, 2024 at 04:13
Bril is a cute intermediate language for teaching (think simplified LLVM IR): https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~asampson/blog/bril.html The idea of providing a standard JSON format to help students write basic passes is really elegant.
Bril: An Intermediate Language for Teaching Compilers
Bril: An Intermediate Language for Teaching Compilers
I created a new intermediate language, called Bril, for teaching my funky open-source, hands-on compilers course. Because it’s for education, Bril prioritizes simplicity and regularity over more typical compiler priorities like performance and concision. This is an overview of Bril’s design, its quirks, and the ecosystem that has grown up around it since 2019.

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May 24, 2025 at 22:28
43
I regularly see the phrase "all Xs are Ys, but not all Ys are Xs" in teaching material. Even material for children! I have to re-read it every time. I very much prefer "Y is a more general category than X" or "X is a subset of Y". Do people find this phrasing helpful, or is it poor pedagogy?
Apr 15, 2023 at 02:19
On teaching Haskell, and which parts of the semantics are tricky for newcomers: https://ciobaca.substack.com/p/pedagogical-downsides-of-haskell
Aug 5, 2020 at 06:46
I've realised the big advantage of teaching OO with physical analogies. It's well accepted that OO isn't just about modelling the eworld. Physical items are great for explaining subtyping. You can view types as subsets, and Ferrari <: Car <: Vehicle is intuitive.