Re: [seul-edu] Language to teach 10 year olds

[Manuel Gutierrez Algaba <algaba@gmx.net>]

On Sat, 14 Jul 2001, David Woodhouse wrote:
> I suppose it depends on your intention - if you want to churn out people who
> can cobble together python code, teach them python; if you want to produce
> programmers, teach them programming.

Here I have to disagree. Programming is a practical thing, not
a theoretical thing, like walking. Children learn walking by
trying to walk, till they don't try they don't learn. 

Even if you teach "abstract" programming concepts you're 
learning languages, maybe, a mix-mash of them, anyway, 
for a 10 years old, the key is not to learn programming but
to acquire some skills and habits that programming has and that
programming can teach them. 

To teach "abstract programming" would be pretty dumb, IMO. 

-- 
Regards/Saludos
Manolo
http://metagraf.seul.org
http://spain.50g.com