On May 15, 2009, at 7:16 AM, _why wrote:
What we should do is make a list of minor errors that children make
and then decide upon what is the clearest way of phrasing how to
correct the problem, then use that as our guide for improving the
error console.
If there is a wiki or something, I'll add errors that kids get stuck
on. Otherwise, if you like, I can just email them to the list.
- What I normally do is a coding demo with them following along and
typing with me. I wish I had done that. Instead, because of the set
up glitches, I let them follow the instructions while Chad and I
tried
to debug various install issues...
You might try getting some other older kids to come help do the
debugging while you teach. The best ratio is something like one
helper for every five kids. Then you go through the lesson in
advance with your helpers and not only do they become familiar
with your lesson, but they are really helpful for debugging. (Often
going through the lesson is just a matter of sending an email just
listing all the examples.)
Great idea!
FYI: I'm publishing the lesson plans as part of a RailsBridge
project (http://railsbridge.org)
Wild, so is the ultimate goal to teach Rails to the kids?
Not at all. The story is more that a bunch of folks who work with
Rails got together to brainstorm what positive steps could be done to
diversify the community. Teaching kids was one of the ideas that came
of that, but we all agreed that Rails isn't a great choice for
teaching young folks who are new to programming. Shoes was one of the
many options suggested and the one I like best for a variety of
reasons. I agreed to lead the project since I was planning to teach
my son's class some programming this month and with RailsBridge I have
all sorts of helpers and the possibility that other folks will
leverage what I'm doing and teach classes of their own. I'm
interested in this, not only for my own kid, but to address a really
big, troublesome issue in my own small way:
"Research shows that although girls are as talented as boys in math and
science, and although most girls are excited about science in
childhood, these same
girls begin to lose interest in math and science in middle school [8,
9]. By the eighth
grade, twice as many boys as girls show an interest in science,
engineering, and
mathematics careers [10]."
http://www.springerlink.com/content/l757045lq0t47467/
I think there is similar research for people of color (at least in the
United States). It is great to see a 4th/5th grade class, where girls
and boys with a mix of race and background are all outspoken and
unafraid of diving into coding.
Well, again, brilliant work, Sarah!
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. And thank you for Shoes!
Sarah
http://www.ultrasaurus.com
