Dear Python Community,

 

I joined the Python Edu-Sig about a year ago and posed the question of what would be good for an Introductory High School Programming course.  Your input guided my efforts and now my high school is finally going to offer programming courses starting next year; we currently do not offer any programming.  We have permission for two classes and administration support for a third class a few years down the road.  At the moment the course offerings are looking like this:

 

  1. The first semester class will probably be Visual Basic.  Two reasons for this:  1). The GUI should hold students� attention quickly in this elective class and, 2).  Every other high school in my metro area is offering Visual Basic.
  2. The second semester class is looking like it will be Python.  Books are hard to find but I�m looking at, �Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner� by Michael Dawson, �Python Programming An Introduction to Computer Science� by John Zelle, and �How to Think Like a Computer Scientist Learning with Python� by Allen Downey, Jeffrey Elkner and Chris Meyers.  Maybe I�ll settle on one or a combination of the three.
  3. The next full year class will be AP Computer Science Java (This class won�t happen for a few years however.  I have to become more knowledgeable before I tackle three big fish at once).

 

I have done a lot of research on this but I must confess that since I am not a programmer that most of the research results are over my head.  My high school is not turning out programmers; we are just trying to expose students to computer science and programming and to help them think logically through problems.  We are trying to prepare them for college computer science.  From my research, Python�s strengths seem to be:  easy to learn, simple syntax, fun, allows students to spend time thinking about the problem versus fixing syntax, transitions nicely into Java, and develops logical thinking.  All that sounds great, just what we are tying to accomplish and I can�t wait for the course. 

 

(I�m finally getting to my question.)  Now some people are telling me that we need to offer C++.  Help! I don�t think I can fit more into the curriculum and do justice to any one language.  One of our goals is to offer AP Computer Science Java in the future and we want the students adequately prepared for that language.  What is the opinion of the Python Edu-Sig community?  Should we offer C++?  And if so, where would it fit into the curriculum?

 

Thank you.  This community was very helpful in the past in steering me in the right direction.  (Another strength of Python).  You are helping shape new courses at the high school level.  Your help is greatly appreciated. 

 

Joe Ehlers

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