Интервью с Аланом

[lauerz]

 У нас тут завтра, 5 июля, начинается летний цикл Питонового клуба. Будем преподвать Питон и Скрэтч, по-английски и по-русски. В виде информационной подержки летнего цикла мы взяли несколько интервью у наших преподавателей-подростков. Вот первое из них, с нашим преподавателем Python 1 in English Аланом.

Q. How old are you and where do you live?

A. I am 16 years old and I live in Chicago.

Q. What do you like about programming? What is your role in the Python Club?

A. Programming is a useful skill to learn, so when I heard about the Python Club last summer, before the first cycle began, I was happy to sign up as a student. I have been active in the club as a teaching assistant/instructor for Python 1 since September 2020. I found teaching and TAing fun and interesting and I was learning valuable skills needed to become a better teacher.

Q. Why do you want to teach?

A. Teaching interests me because not only do you help others learn, but you yourself learn more deeply about the concept as you teach. Mostly, though, learning is fun for me, and helping other people learn is something I like doing.

Q. Talk a bit about the course that you plan to teach.

A. I plan to teach Python 1 in the summer cycle 2021, which will include topics such as variables, data types, if statements, while and for loops, functions and modules. These are generally the basic foundational skills of Python programming.

Q. What would your teaching style be like?

A. I wholeheartedly believe in the quote: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” I explain concepts simply but thoroughly, and I want to create an environment that’s fun and fosters learning.

Q. What would a typical class entail?

A. During the online summer cycle, for instance, I will first use lectures to explain concepts. Then, I will place my students in breakout rooms, where every student will have a chance to write their own program to solve a problem and then show me, and ask me any questions. At the end of class, I will give a few homework problems where students will be asked to create a program for an assigned purpose (related to what we studied in class). There will be a final project, where students will be able to combine the different functions and skills learned throughout the course to make a game of hangman.

Q. Alright, tell me about yourself, how long have you been programming?

A. I first started learning about programming around age nine when I started learning some Javascript and HTML. Then I programmed on and off until last summer, when I became more actively interested in this Python club, and in coding in general.

Q. What are your current plans for college?

A. Currently I am thinking about majoring in mathematics and perhaps double majoring in linguistics as well, or majoring in math and minoring in linguistics. While I won’t be doing programming directly in school, I plan to continue learning coding independently.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. I’ve always loved math and language, and I’m heavily interested in both. I study languages and linguistics and am part of my school’s Certamen team, which is a quiz bowl game surrounding Roman history, mythology, language and literature. Last year, our team came in second place in the nation. I also do theatre, and perform in plays and musicals at school, and I’ve also been singing in my school choir and chamber choir for a few years.

Q. All in all, what skills do you bring to this club?

A. Most of all I have a relaxed and enthusiastic attitude, and I have greatly succeeded in the skills that I plan to teach. I think I will be a great fit to help people learn and acquire a love for programming.
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You can sign up for online Python classes here: https://www.thepythonclub.com/book-online