[Edu-sig] python teacher = mathematics teacher (namespace)

[Gregor Lingl]

kirby urner schrieb:
> ...
> If you go back to the start of the Edu-Sig archives, where I do most
> of this work, you'll find Tim Peters and Arthur Siegal using a
> math-through-programming approach.  
Hi Kirby,

I do strongly sympathize with your approach to this question - alas: in 
contrast
to most of my students (of math), which do not because of the same reason
they do not like to play the piano, even if they like to hear piano playing.

Nevertheless I think, that not only executable notations have to be 
correct but
also the notations of people's names (in pythonista's namespace) - even 
if they
are not alive anymore.

Arthur Siegel was a very vivid and exiting (sometimes excited) opponent
in discussions with you and therefore I'm sure that you will miss him a lot.
He deserves to be cited by his correct name.

I expect to visit chicago too this year and I hope to have the 
opportunity to
meet you there and also to find a tiny place in the ever growing crowd that
will be listening to your presentation.

Regards,
Gregor

P. S.: notwithstanding the overall appropriateness of your comparison there
is perhaps special difference between the world of mathematics and the 
world
of electronic computing. Supposed that proofs of mathematical theorems 
are at
the heart of mathematicians' output, those proofs *have* to be correct.
On the other hand - as far as I was told and what I experienced - there are
very few substantial computer programs which are correct (i. e. bugfree).
> Tim cites 'Concrete Mathematics',
> Knuth a co-author, and similar to 'The Book of Numbers' in some ways
> (what Iverson-Hui take on).  Siegal is doing projective geometry with
> Pygeo, which I think you'll still find, c/o his estate.
>
> I work with Ian Benson, a top curriculum writer in the UK, who is very
> connected in the Python community.
>
> Although Python itself is open source, a lot of private sector
> business do curriculum writing for profit, so some of these efforts
> aren't going to feature in academic papers.
>
> http://tizard.stanford.edu/groups/sociality/wiki/d4276/Visiting_Professorship_(Kingston_University).html
>
> I gave a talk to London Knowledge Lab on how I do Python, which you
> may be interested in, also my Chicago talk at Pycon last year drew
> large crowds, expecting even more this year, plus I have 3 hours this
> time [ and blah blah ]
>
> http://www.bfi.org/our_programs/bfi_community/python
>
> http://blog.showmedo.com/2008/07/30/your-pythonic-math-class-of-the-future-chicago-pycon-screencast/
>
> Kirby
> """
>
> So the way I'm thinking of it, we're all math teachers if we teach
> Python, a live (executable) math notation (MN) for implementing
> logic-numeric solutions to problems.  We've been trained, especially
> in the Anglophone tradition, to maintain all these sharp turf lines,
> such that we might be computer scientists in some way, but even there,
> we're supposed to respect these various record locking schemes based
> on degrees and such claptrap.  Mathematics is something removed from
> our purview and relegated to some elite that maybe only uses paper and
> pencil (or so "they" like to pretend -- many use Mathematica or
> MathCad most of the time i.e. live MNs, just as we do).
>
> Now that the concept of "namespace" has reached some maturity, I think
> it's easy to explain that namespaces differ in how they use key words
> (like "maths") and equating describing Python teaching or programming
> in general as mathematics is maybe not university-speak, but
> consistency in design is what we're looking for, not necessarily the
> approval of Oxbridge dons or whatever gowned authorities.
>
> So, on with the math teaching!
>
> Kirby
>
> PS:  some of you may have wondered about my "Cockfight!" allusion,
> saying one of my computers was set aside for that purpose.  It's just
> a concept.  I'm not able to write a game as sophisticated as Spore
> coming from a tiny office with only a few partners, most of whom have
> other day jobs as well.  I clarify this humble truth in my blog this
> morning, with a link back to this list.
>
> http://controlroom.blogspot.com/2009/01/cockfight.html
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