[Edu-sig] Best approach to teaching OOP and graphics

[Linda Grandell]

Dear all,

During the last six months, I have given an introductory programming
course to high school students using Python. The course covered the
fundaments of programming: data types, conditionals, loops, files,
exceptions, modules, functions, and so on (no graphics). At the same
time I taught Java to another group of high school students, which
turned out to be a really "eye-opening" experience; using both languages
at the same time really pointed out the advantages of Python.  

Starting in mid-April, I will give a continuation course to the same
students now including OOP concepts and graphics. Based on my positive
experience of Python, I will continue using it as the language of
instruction. In addition, I am curious about trying out pair-programming
in high school settings, and have therefore decided to use this
methodology in the course. 

So far I have come up with two alternatives for how to go about this
course: 

1) Use PyGame from the very beginning of the course. 

2) Cover OOP in the traditional (text-based) manner, using IDLE as in
the basic course, and later in the course introduce a GUI module, e.g.
AnyGUI, for graphical programming. 

Using the first approach, graphics could be introduced already during
the first lecture, and no distinction would have to be made between
non-graphical and graphical programming. This might, on the other hand
not be the case with the second approach; in fact, I feel there may be a
risk of the students developing an idea of OOP and graphical programming
being two different things if they are introduced separately.

As an active lurker on the edu-sig list, I therefore decided to present
my small "dilemma" here. How do you think OOP and graphics could best be
introduced in high schools? Is one of my alternatives OK, or do you have
other suggestions? The fact that the students will be working in pairs
will hardly affect the choice of teaching approach.

Best Python-regards,

Linda Grandell
Åbo Akademi University
Turku, Finland