I just wish this all existed some six years ago when I was learning programming at seven years of age...
On Sat, May 16, 2009 at 5:28 PM, Sarah Allen <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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 > > > -- ~devyn
