Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder4.news.weretis.net!rt.uk.eu.org!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed1.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.032 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.94; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:Python': 0.06; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'subject:language': 0.09; 'things,': 0.09; 'python': 0.11; 'jan': 0.12; '(mainly': 0.16; 'benjamin': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'reedy': 0.16; 'subject: \n ': 0.16; 'subject:programming': 0.16; 'language': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'all,': 0.19; 'programming': 0.22; 'header:User- Agent:1': 0.23; 'instead.': 0.24; 'switched': 0.24; 'meeting': 0.26; 'subject:/': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'header :In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'point': 0.28; 'am,': 0.29; 'room': 0.29; 'draft': 0.30; 'programming.': 0.30; "i'm": 0.30; '(which': 0.31; 'anyone': 0.31; 'this.': 0.32; "we're": 0.32; 'could': 0.34; 'case,': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'scheme': 0.36; 'similar': 0.36; 'area': 0.37; 'improving': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'university': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'course.': 0.60; 'most': 0.60; 'free': 0.61; 'ago,': 0.61; 'received:173': 0.61; 'course': 0.61; 'first': 0.61; 'our': 0.64; 'teaching': 0.64; 'situation': 0.65; 'studies': 0.65; 'believe': 0.68; 'online': 0.71; 'blogs': 0.78; 'introduce': 0.78; 'improvement': 0.84; 'offerings.': 0.84; 'oscar': 0.84; 'received:fios.verizon.net': 0.84; 'taught': 0.96 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Terry Reedy Subject: Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Date: Mon, 09 Dec 2013 14:57:18 -0500 References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: pool-173-75-254-207.phlapa.fios.verizon.net User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.1.1 In-Reply-To: X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 22 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1386619061 news.xs4all.nl 2908 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:33384 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:61407 On 12/9/2013 7:23 AM, Oscar Benjamin wrote: > Hi all, > > I work in a University Engineering faculty teaching, among other > things, programming. In our last meeting about improving our teaching > syllabus and delivery we've identified the first year programming > courses as an area where there is room for improvement and we're > considering (mainly on my suggestion) switching to using Python as the > first programming language that we use to introduce our students to > programming. I'm interested to know if anyone can share experience of > a similar situation or can point to any case studies about this. A few years ago, MIT switched from Scheme (which I believe originated at MIT) to Python for its first course. There might faculty blogs discussing the reasons. In any case, the course is one of MIT's free online offerings. There is a draft of a syllabus for your school. Certainly, most of the concept taught in the current C course could be taught with Python instead. -- Terry Jan Reedy