<< snip >> Ed Cherlin wrote:
I propose to teach children the basics of the essential features used in all of the major languages, in primary school. My short list of really major concepts includes
arithmetic (prefix in LISP, postfix in FORTH, infix everywhere else) variable names are pronouns namespaces Boolean algebra sets permutations, sorting, and searching combinatorics lists of lists (LISP, SCHEME) arrays (APL) forests (arrays of trees, J) OOP (Smalltalk, Python) minimal syntaxes with neither parentheses nor precedence parse trees first-class functions functional programming number base/polynomial equivalence data/program equivalence database topological (dependence) sorting for spreadsheets
I'd be interested in an adaptation of this curriculum for teens to adults. Or maybe we'd use the elementary comix or cartoons or whatever you're using, in addition to the various languages. Adults learn a lot from kid-oriented materials (Sesame Street for example -- teaches a lot about how to make cool YouTubes, lightning talks). I'm looking to advance adult / child understanding and appreciation for polyhedra as well, a traditional Renaissance focus. The five Platonics and their duals (the five Platonics) plus dual-combos (combining duals to get new polys): that's a theme for anime in bars as well as schools. http://coffeeshopsnet.blogspot.com/2010/04/smart-bar-lcds.html Kirby