Featured Articles
Announcing Pi
Technical Specifications
Raspberry Pi FAQs
Win a Pi
Raspberry Pi Wishlist
Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 15 replies
  • Subscribers 708 subscribers
  • Views 2046 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Getting kids started

e14 Contributor

I work at a small science & history museum in North Carolina. The science portion is aimed primarily at kids from 1st grade to 8th grade.  I am retired (so I have more time on my hands) and have the responsibility for new project development.  Because I have a background in programming (REXX & VBA) and a computer experience (OS/2 & Windows, but no Linux) I am really attracted to the RP.  We are planning on setting up some type of program to teach kids how to program (and how to use something besides Windows).

 

Here's my question:

I'm going to teach myself Python and I've installed Debian on a laptop so I can start learning the basics of Linux.  We have order the Pi (they seem to be back-ordered!) and I'll begin playing with it as soon as I receive it.  I'm a pretty good teacher and don't think I will have a problem teaching basic programming.  It's where to start, not with programming, but with the entire project.

 

One idea I had was to create an application myself that the kids would think was really cool, then tell them that's what we're going to build by the end of program. We'll get there in small steps making projects of ever-increasing complexity.

 

So, if anyone has experience introducing kids to the Pi and to programming, give me some direction, please.

 

 

Brian Grawburg

Imagination Station Science & History Museum

bgrawburg  at  imaginescience  dot  org

Parents

  • Hi from Australia,

     

    I got into programming using Alice which is just like Scratch then moved to Java and it was a big jump, looking back I think python would have been a great in between step.

     

    Anyway, I learnt python using "Learn python the hard way" which was one of the best books/tutorials (free) I have ever used. It's aimed at people who have never programmed before but at adults. It has 53 exercises which progress really well and have 'homework'. So if you want to teach python I would recommend you learn through this, then translate the lessons down to a childs level

     

    http://learnpythonthehardway.org/

     

    Long story short: Scratch->Python->C good transition from young to older

     

    Cheers,

     

    Dan.

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Yes, I agree, going to Java is a big leap, there are too many concepts to learn when you get into structured object oriented programming. For older people you may go straight to Python I guess. I'm not a big fan of Python but I find it much better as an starting language than BASIC or PASCAL. PASCAL was very good for teaching the basics of structured programming (I did that many years ago,) but it is not popular anymore and you will hardly find many applications today being written in PASCAL.

     

    BASIC was also easy and fun to teach (did also years++++ ago) it has the convenience to be an interpreted language and with a simple set of statements, but some people will have a hard time to switch from the line by line linear programming of BASIC to more modern structured languages, and you will hardly find it as a natural language in any unix like environment like the Rpi.

     

    You can also go for scripting languages like PERL, but I think Python is a much much better option, it also has the convinience of being interpreted, it is very simple and there is a ton of reference material and publications out there, and as you said from there jumping to C is not very painful.

     

    There are many good publications for Python, I really liked Simon Monk's book, "Programming the Raspberry Pi: Getting Started with Pythonimage", also "Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programmingimage" looks good, I've it on my list of books to check/buy, and I'm currently reading  "Think Pythonimage", it is a good book so far, but probably not for very young kids.

     

    I know some folks that did a lot of research and Scratch seems to be the best choice for the youngest, for an older person could be a boring thing to learn and use but the kids love it because is building a program like any structure in Minecraft or putting something together with Legos.

     

    BTW Minecraft is available for the Rpi that will probably entice many kids to get into the Rpi.

     

    Cheers

    Jorge

Reply
  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Yes, I agree, going to Java is a big leap, there are too many concepts to learn when you get into structured object oriented programming. For older people you may go straight to Python I guess. I'm not a big fan of Python but I find it much better as an starting language than BASIC or PASCAL. PASCAL was very good for teaching the basics of structured programming (I did that many years ago,) but it is not popular anymore and you will hardly find many applications today being written in PASCAL.

     

    BASIC was also easy and fun to teach (did also years++++ ago) it has the convenience to be an interpreted language and with a simple set of statements, but some people will have a hard time to switch from the line by line linear programming of BASIC to more modern structured languages, and you will hardly find it as a natural language in any unix like environment like the Rpi.

     

    You can also go for scripting languages like PERL, but I think Python is a much much better option, it also has the convinience of being interpreted, it is very simple and there is a ton of reference material and publications out there, and as you said from there jumping to C is not very painful.

     

    There are many good publications for Python, I really liked Simon Monk's book, "Programming the Raspberry Pi: Getting Started with Pythonimage", also "Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programmingimage" looks good, I've it on my list of books to check/buy, and I'm currently reading  "Think Pythonimage", it is a good book so far, but probably not for very young kids.

     

    I know some folks that did a lot of research and Scratch seems to be the best choice for the youngest, for an older person could be a boring thing to learn and use but the kids love it because is building a program like any structure in Minecraft or putting something together with Legos.

     

    BTW Minecraft is available for the Rpi that will probably entice many kids to get into the Rpi.

     

    Cheers

    Jorge

Children
No Data