[Edu-sig] docs.tutorial function example - too complicated

[kirby urner]

The official docs for Python are not really designed for people new to
programming but for people who have already experienced programming and now
want to add Python as an additional language.  The tutorial does not take
the time to slow down and start from the beginning.

John Zelle's book (and many others) are closer to what you would want to
teach people who are new to programming.  'Mathematics for the Digital Age
and Programming in Python' is another good example.

Today's average / standard mathematics courses are not all that good at
prepping students for computer programming.  They don't feature many of the
concepts we would like.  This has led to much discussion, on many lists,
about with a 21st century curriculum might look like.  We've had a lot of
these discussions on edu-sig over the years.

I've done some pioneering of alternative "futuristic" math / STEM curricula
over the years such as this one:

http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/numerarcy0.html

Here's an old outline that shows more what a digital / computational math
might look like (one of any number possible):

http://4dsolutions.net/ocn/mainoutline.html

I have had many opportunities to put my ideas into practice, including with
teenagers.  Many of them realize that what they're getting from me is of
far far higher quality than anything they're getting currently in their
high schools.  I'm the best high school level math teacher in Portland bar
none, I might claim and defend.  But I don't waste my time on such claims.
What matters more is they realize it's an uphill battle to keep themselves
from being dumbed down by their 1900s style math courses.

Kirby


On Sun, Dec 16, 2012 at 2:47 PM, Jurgis Pralgauskis <
jurgis.pralgauskis at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> > currently more and more schools are trying Py,
>> > so studens read tutorial docs from time to time...
>> > and one of main programming (architecture) subjects starts with quite
>> > a mathematical and unpractical example..
>> >
>> > http://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/controlflow.html#defining-functions
>> > It's like teaching to pilot airplane, prior to bicycle and car :)
>>
>> Depends who you are teaching. There is a fine line between dumbing
>> down and just right...
>>
>> If it is in elementary schools, I agree that is too advanced. However,
>> Fibonacci numbers were taught in junior high when i was in school.
>> When is it introduced nowadays?
>>
>
>
> Well, I teach in College for future sysadmins...
> and most of them  are quite poor at math... :/
>
> and I also teach in high school - in math they have just arithmetic and
> geometric progressions - but only next year after I have programming :/
> and Fibonacci is not easy somehow... especially for some girls..
>
> so, if we'd like to position Python as good language for learning
> programming,
> I'd propose to give simpler examples of functions first :)
>
> one more point - one guy localized documentation to my native language,
> and I could use this as good source for students, but functions part
> wouldn't work...
> I mean - official tutorial is probably most used - so it's important to be
> understandable :)
>
>
> --
> Jurgis Pralgauskis
> tel: 8-616 77613;
> Don't worry, be happy and make things better ;)
> http://galvosukykla.lt
>
> _______________________________________________
> Edu-sig mailing list
> Edu-sig at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/attachments/20121216/840b7137/attachment.html>