Experiences teaching or learning map/reduce/etc before recursion? [closed]

Question

As far as I can see, the usual (and best in my opinion) order for teaching iterting constructs in functional programming with Scheme is to first teach recursion and maybe later get into things like map, reduce and all SRFI-1 procedures. This is probably, I guess, because with recursion the student has everything that's necessary for iterating (and even re-write all of SRFI-1 if he/she wants to do so).

Now I was wondering if the opposite approach has ever been tried: use several procedures from SRFI-1 and only when they are not enough (for example, to approximate a function) use recursion. My guess is that the result would not be good, but I'd like to know about any past experiences with this approach.

Of course, this is not specific to Scheme; the question is also valid for any functional language.

One book that teaches "applicative programming" (the use of combinators) before recursion is Dave Touretsky's COMMON LISP: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation -- but then, it's a Common Lisp book, and he can teach imperative looping before that.

Answer 1

IMO starting with basic blocks of knowledge first is better, then derive the results. This is what they do in mathematics, i.e. they don't introduce exponentiation before multiplication, and multiplication before addition because the former in each case is derived from the latter. I have seen some instructors go the other way around, and I believe it is not as successful like when you go from the basics to the results. In addition, by delaying the more advanced topics, you give students a mental challenge to derive these results them selves using the knowledge they already have.