[Edu-sig] Python, in classroom settings

[Fotis Georgatos]

Hello all,

first of all let me be welcomed ;-)

this is a newcomer bringing nice news:
Python will be evaluated in classroom settings for teaching
programming skills, mostly in high school level in Greece.

If interested, read the excerpt from the coming research thesis,
there is more to say but it's early for announces right now.

So, it's my turn to dig the archives of this mailing list...

PS. Who am I:
Computer Engineer & Informatics + M.Sc. in CS Education (ongoing)

many greetings,
Fotis

----------------------------------------------------

Fotis Georgatos
15-6-2001
UvA, Amstel Institute

PROLOGUE

Guido van Rossum, in his paper "Computer Programming for Everybody" 
[CP4E] explains why teaching a good first computer language to pupils can be so critical in
their performance in a technological society. The very same person is the initiator of a
growing in value computer language, which in his words has the following properties:
'Python is a language designed for rapid development.  Python makes a great first language
to learn: Unlike languages designed specifically for beginners, Python is also the choice of
many programming professionals. 
It has an active, growing user community with expressed
interest in education matters, and this will be a fertile first deployment ground for
teaching materials and tools.
Originally developed at CWI in Amsterdam, Python is extremely suitable for teaching
purposes, without being a "toy" language: it is very popular with computer professionals as
a rapid application development language. Python combines elements from several major
programming paradigms (procedural, functional and object-oriented) with an elegant syntax
that is easy on the eyes and easy to learn and use.'

This thesis' aim is to evaluate Python in a classroom environment as an educational tool and
examine its properties through real experience.

RESEARCH QUESTION

How applicable is Python as first computer language 
in a preacademic educational environment?

AIMS
* Develop a 1-month computer language course for high school level,
  defining both course content and implementation environment.
* Find teachers that are interested to (a) learn and (b) teach Python.
* Teach in classes with this curriculum.
* Build a user community for the above, encouraging feedback and 
self-help.
* Investigate teacher's feedback and student's results with the 
language.