[Texas] [dfwPython] opinions of the Teach-In approach

[Jeremy Dunck]

On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 11:13 AM, Brad Allen <bradallen137 at gmail.com> wrote:
...
> skilled Python community members would be generous enough to donate
> two hours of their time at PyTexas helping newbies get started.

I spent some time yesterday reviewing Carl's Ripley text.  I think as
far as syntax goes, it's a solid foundation.  He thinks covering more
will lead to fatigue; I haven't taught a 101, so have no I don't have
an informed opinion.  I'd like to think Ripley could be covered in an
hour, but I think he said it was 2 hours, and it's been a long time
since I learned to program.

I see you've updated the schedule to feature koans; I haven't looked
at those yet.

> Is that too presumptous on my part? I'd like to hear some community
> feedback. Please feel free to respond to this thread with your
> opinions, or email me directly.

I'm happy to do it, though I think 1-on-1 is not a useful goal.  I
imagine some peer instruction and some floating would be effective and
easier to achieve.

> P.S. We have currently have six beginners registered for the Teach-In,
> and four tutor volunteers. When university students find out about
> PyTexas next week, via their professors and flyers around the
> campuses, I expect those beginner numbers to rise.

I had considered offering to lead a 101 lecture class, but liked the
idea of peer instruction.  If the numbers stay low, it should be fine.
 I think the ideas we discussed before, with ribbons and teachers
wearing ribbons indicating which topics they can teach would be a good
way to scale beyond 1-1.

I know time is short; I'm coming and plan to be one of the Teach-in
teachers, but will try to manage a more standard 101 class if there's
a pinch.