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

[James Oden <joden@eworld.wox.org>]

> 
> While all the points in this discussion are valid, you have to remember
> first and most of all that these are 10 Y/O KIDS!   Are they interested in
> learning programming theory, networking or algorithms?  The stuff that you
> ppl consider basic cause you learned it in freshman year of college or so is
> way too advanced for the 10 year olds.
It depends on how you teach things.  The trick is to find the write metaphors.
Often when you are teaching someone something you will have them do thing that
use the theory, but you do not tell them that.  You will often craft lessons
in such a way, to speak metaphoricaly, send the student on journey of discovery.
As an example outside of programming, when teaching guitar I will have 
students learn various excersises that they can easily master, without telling
the theory at first.  Once they have mastered the excersise I will then 
explain the theory to them.  Another thing you can do (back to programing) is
enjoin the students in a where you pose a question (e.g. how would you do X)
and allow them to work through even several bad ways of doing things, and you
help come to their own conclusions about why these ways are bad all along
nudging them to the proper conclusion.  The trick though is getting them
to discover the solution, and not you tell them.  In this way the students
experience epiphany and not likely to forget the lesson.

>  It's like you're talking about
> differential equations when the kids still have to learn polynomials.  
Speaking of there have actually been studies where elementary students
are taught the concepts of integration and they actually do learn it.
Again it is a matter of your metaphor.  No these students will not be
able to solve complex integration formulas, but given the proper metaphors
they will understand what integration is (and do).  As an example, the 
concept of a limit can be taught by presenting the student with a
right triangle, and telling the student to shorten its base more and more.
At shortening one the non-right angles should be measured.  Then you
pose the question to the students, what angles are the non right angles 
coming closer and closer to.  The answer 90 degrees and 0, but they 
never will get there.  The point is that, again, given the proper metaphor
you can teach even 10 year olds (and younger) very complex concepts.

Cheers...james