Young Coders (or, 'How to Teach Python to Kids')

04:30 PM - 04:55 PM on July 16, 2016, Room CR5

Barbara Shaurette

Audience level:

intermediate

Description

Since PyCon 2013, interest in the Young Coders class has intensified. Several Python conferences have run their own, and classes outside of conferences - from one-time workshops to after school clubs - have sprung up as well. With more people than ever interested in teaching Python to kids, I'm here to talk about what you'll need to get started, and the immense amount of satisfaction you'll get out of it.

Abstract

This talk is for programmers who are interested in teaching Python to others, regardless of whether or not they've worked with kids before, or whether or not they have teaching experience.

Coding is today's literacy, and too many young students are not being exposed to it at school or home. As Python developers, we have the unique opportunity to share our skills in our local communities and give kids an opportunity to experience something that could change their lives.

Attendees will learn about the tangible requirements for setting up a class (such as financing, and hardware).

More importantly, I hope to show attendees that teaching kids is easier than they think - the only thing they really need is the desire and enough programming experience to be able to explain concepts in simple terms.

Teaching is so exciting - by conveying my experiences, I hope to inspire attendees to use the Young Coders materials to plan their own classes.