lauerz | Entries tagged with summer cycle 2021

Ну и вот заключительное интервью из нашей короткой серии интервью с подростками-инструкторами Питона. Наташа взяла это интервью у Гоши, большое ей за это спасибо. Вы знаете, я Гошу никогда не видела, только по зуму. Но мне кажется, что я знаю его сто лет, причём лично. Впервые я услышала про Гошу осенью 2017 года, потому что его мама нашла меня на дриме и спросила – это ваш ребёнок преподавал Питон в Маусленде? (А Верик как известно действительно преподавал Питон в Маусленде в возрасте 12 лет, причём сам, по собственной инициативе, я к этому решению не имела никакого отношения). Так мы познакомились с Люсей, взаимно зафрендились и я стала читать Люсин лытдыбр и в нём стала читать про Гошу. Гоше в это время было 12 лет и уже тогда было понятно, что он гений. Но особенно близко я познакомилась с Гошей летом 2019 года. Тем летом я искала стажировку для девушки А., писала об этом посты в фейсбуке, в фейсбук стали приходить разные люди это прокомментировать и пришла Люся, и сказала, что хорошо бы тоже найти стажировку Гоше. Я сказала, что хочу помочь, и запросила Гошино резюме. Как только я прочла Гошино резюме, я позвонила Аркадию Мушегяну и Гоша получил стажировку с Аркадием и с Ириной Сорокиной, в ходе которого они решали биологическую задачу, которая требовала программирования, и Гоша как раз отвечал за программирование. То есть уже летом 2019 года я совершенно точно знала, что Гоша хорошо программирует и эта информация лежала в моей голове тихо, пока не наступил июнь 2020 года, и я не стала думать про Питоновый клуб. Когда я стала рыться в своей памяти на тему кто бы мне мог помочь с преподаванием в Питоновом клубе, я нашла там только одного очевидного кандидата, и этот кандидат был Гоша. Я спросила его маму, и она сказала: Нет, он занят, но я у него на всякий случай спрошу. И она спросила Гошу на всякий случай, и Гоша сказал: Да. Так начался Питоновый клуб.
Всё, что мы хотели: демонстрационные уроки, предварительные обсуждения программы, peer review, домашки, их проверка и обратная связь для учащихся, использование Google classroom, всё обкатывалось в первый раз тогда, в июле-августе 2020 года. Гоша был единственный инструктор-подросток, и я тогда ещё понятия не имела, что через год у нас будет тридцать подростков-инструкторов. В учебном году Гоша учился и работал на полставки программистом, для Питонового клуба он мог работать как Curriculum coordinator и помогать с сайтом. И вот теперь, в июле 2021, Гоша опять будет преподавать, на этот раз Python 3 на английском языке и опять по выходным (ну, по будним дням он работает на взрослой работе программистом и не может у нас преподавать). Так что если вы хотите изучить Python 3, ещё не поздно записаться, начало занятий 10 июля, в субботу. Записаться можно здесь: https://www.thepythonclub.com/book-online

Q: How old are you and where do you live?
A: I am 16 years old and I live in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Q: You have been programming for 9 years, is it true?
A: It sounds about right, I started with Scratch when I was 7 years old.

Q: Wow, I cannot imagine a 7 year old writing a code, what made you interested to continue programming?
A: I really like it because it is like solving a puzzle. When your program works, it is almost like magic, especially when it does something you can do or it does something better than you can do it. I enjoy that and it gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

Q: You have been programming for 9 years and hold a part-time programming job, tell me a little bit more about that.
A: Actually, in the summer it’s a full-time programming job, last summer I also had a full-time programming job. It’s in Java, I code a better API for modeling software.

Q: What type of product is it?
A: It’s systems modeling software which works with systems modeling languages like UML (unified modeling language) and SysML. It has a really rough application interface which is hard to use. Our team works on improving the application interface which will be more convenient to use.

Q: That’s great! With so much experience in coding and spending a lot of time doing that, do you think coding will be a big part of your professional life?
A: Yes, it is most likely. When I go to college, I plan to major in computer science. This is really fun! In addition to coding I love mathematics and physics as well. It is not the only option I can see but when I grow up I always hoped to be a Computer Science teacher at school.

Q: You were the first teen instructor in the Python Club in the summer of 2020. What brought you to become an instructor in the Python Club?
A: Last summer my mom told me about the Python Club looking for instructors but she thought I won’t have time for that because I held a full-time job. But I really love teaching, so I figured out that I could do that over the weekends. And I just love teaching, it is a lot of fun, I enjoy it!

Q: Tell me about the work on the Python Club website.
A: We tried to organize it in the most logical way for easy use. We got the registration system to work and it should be up and running seamlessly now.

Q: It’s great! I think it is very helpful for those who sign up to learn programming. What do you think?
A: Yes, the Python Club is growing at an enormous rate right now. They started out last summer with three classes and three teachers in the US and Israel. Now we have students and teachers from 12 different countries and ten times more instructors we had a year ago! It is amazing how fast it is growing!

Q: It is amazing! What other programming languages do you use, and why do you like them?
A: A few years ago, I would have said that I like Python the most for sure, but now I like different programming languages for different things. Python is extremely flexible and allows you to do a lot of cool things. At the same time this flexibility may have some drawbacks by not enforcing rigidity. Java and some other programming languages got more rigidity. I think all programming languages have their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, in C one can do some stuff which is harder to do in other languages like Python or Java and vice versa. Python allows you to do some things really neatly and elegantly which other languages don’t. It's a really fun programming language but there is more than this in the world of coding. It really depends on what you are doing and how you want to do the project.

Q: It makes sense. What about school? You have taken 6 AP subjects during 2020-2021, what subjects are your favorite?
A: I took AP Computer Science, AP Biology, AP Physics mechanics through my school, self-studied for AP Physics E and M and took two university classes in economics and linear algebra which did not have AP exams but are AP weighted at my school.

Q: Wow! It’s a lot to juggle: 6 AP classes, part-time job, teaching and other responsibilities. How did you manage that?
A: It was a tough year but I made it (smiling)!

Q: I guess you don’t have much free time but I will still ask you. If you have free time, what do you like to do in your free time?
A: I really love reading and programming, I have a bunch of programming projects for fun. I like reading science fiction and fantasy.

Q: You love programming in your free time and you work as a programmer, it’s a dream job and dream life combination!
A: Exactly!

Q: What are your plans for college?
A: My dream college would be MIT. I am a sophomore going into junior year, I work really hard and do everything I can towards this dream. I want to major in computer science but I think it would also be fun to combine physics and computer science or mathematics and computer science. I am open to possibilities.

Q: I wish you the best of luck and I think you will be a great fit for MIT!
A: Thank you!

Два дня назад Юля взяла интервью у подростка, сотрудника Питонового клуба, который перевернул мой мир. Знаете, есть такой раздел человекознания "Люди, которые нас удивили." Подростку этому в момент, когда он меня удивил, было 14 лет. Примерно в январе, когда силы мои стали постепенно убывать, я вдруг обнаружила, что пришла помощь, откуда её не ждали. Пришёл подросток, который не спрашивал, устала я или нет, а просто стал помогать. Учился всему на ходу, креативно искал, где в системе задержка и спешил туда. Да, я знаю, я вообще легко восхищаюсь подростками, я просто нахожусь на этой волне. Но это совершенно исключительный случай. Почитайте сами. Все, кто в теме, наверное уже догадались, что речь идёт о Кате. Низкий поклон тебе, Катя, за всё, что ты сделала для Питонового клуба. *** Кстати, Катя преподаёт в летнем цикле, и туда ещё не поздно записаться. Ссылку положу в первом комменте.

J. Kat, how old are you, where do you live?
K. I am 15 and I live in North Carolina.

J. So you are in High School?
K. Yes, a sophomore.

J. So tell us, what was it that originally brought you to the Python club?
K. I took Python with The Art of Problem Solving (AoPS), and I was looking for a chance to further my studies. I asked my mom to help me find some additional classes, and she told me about Oxana's Python club that was just starting up. I took Python for beginners, which is now Python 1, though it turned out I already knew most of the material. I loved the atmosphere, the teachers, and the students, so I continued to take more advanced classes. I continued to want to be more involved and eventually took up the opportunity to TA for the Python club.

J. Did you take all that the Python club had to offer, Python 1 through Python 5?
K. Yes, and some time in between I took another class by professor Zinoviev.

J. And how many courses have you been helping to teach?
K. I have been teaching Python 1 through 4.

J. I understand you have teaching experience outside of the Python club?
K. Yes! I have been teaching mathematics to children from the ages of 8 to 13.

J. So now that you've tried both, can you tell us what is it that you really like about the Python Club?
K. My math lessons are always one-on-one, so I loved having the chance to teach group lessons. In private tutoring sessions, you only hear the perspective of one student on how to solve a problem, but just like with mathematics problems, programming problems can be solved in varying ways. I enjoy being able to see the different methods that students implement to problem solve.

J. So what do you like about programming?
K. I absolutely love it! In a way it is like mathematics, that there is almost never just one solution to a problem. My passion for mathematics has led me to programming and has furthered my understanding for problem solving. In mathematics, once you have solved a problem and gotten a correct solution, you are done, but in programming it is completely different. You could get a correct solution, but make it fancier and add little details to make the program unique, usable, or more convenient. Another thing about programming is that it is a language, maybe not a form of speech for humans, but it is a way for us to communicate with technology. Technology is the future and I would like to be a part of it.

J. Kat, I know you have other roles in the Python Club. I understand you have been heavily involved with building The Python Club website, which was a student-run project. Can you tell us a little about it?
K. We decided not to build it from scratch, because we had time constraints and because it would be too cumbersome. We decided to use Wix as our building platform. We started with the logo and design, where we all contributed. Then we started to put up information about the Python club, the instructors, and the courses we provide. That led to other things, like diagnostic tests for people to determine which class they should take. Then we thought it would be nice to add a way to register for classes directly from the website, and so we did. We also recently added information about our summer camp on the website!

J. You say "we" - how many of you were there?
K. There were 4-5 people in the team.

J. From the day you started to work on the project and to the day it was originally posted, how long did it take?
K. It took a couple of weeks to put just the information about the club and the courses. Setting up a way for people to register through the website was a bit more time consuming. We had to monkeypatch our site to collect and send additional info that Wix did not give us the option to, which was the most time consuming part, but now we have a website!

J. I was told you were the person who did most of the work, is that true?
K. Well, I kind of kick-started the project and I designed the logo. I also organized most of the content for the website, but everybody else pitched in with the ideas, especially when it came to deciding what pages to have on the website.

J. Can I say that you were running the project?
K. Yes.

J. That is amazing! Have you done this kind of project before?
K. I had experience with creating websites. I created my own website before, for my tutoring business. It is not as complex, though.

J. But you did that on your own, right? Did you have experience with group projects?
K. Yes, but this was the first time I really took a major leadership position.

J. That is amazing, and you did a great job. Now, let me ask a few more personal questions. What do you do in your spare time - that is, if you have any?
K. (laughs) Right, between the Python club and my math studies I do not have that much free time. In school, I participate in science competitions, including Science Olympiad and Envirothon. I also study math outside of school and spend time preparing for math competitions. Aside from that, I like to play the violin. I've been playing it since I was 6 years old, and now I am in a leadership quartet. I play in school and I also take private lessons. I also enjoy singing and reading. I also have some small hobbies, for example, I have recently started to learn crochet.

J. Really? That sounds like fun, what have you crocheted so far?
K. Just a small piece, about two palms wide. Oh, I also paint sometimes!

J. With what?
K. With acrylic paints. I wanted to show you the last piece I did, but I cannot find it right now.

J. What are you planning to do after graduation? Let me take a wild guess: math?
K. Yes math, specifically statistics! I will probably major in it and then maybe double minor in violin performance and in either CS or biology. I would like to become either a statistics professor, or an MD, which is why I am considering the bio minor. If I choose the path of medicine, I would most likely aspire to become a cardiothoracic surgeon!

J. Wow, those are two very different lifepaths! Whatever road you choose, I wish you the best of luck on it!
K. Thank you!

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.
***
You can sign up for online Python classes here: https://www.thepythonclub.com/book-online

Вы когда-нибудь задумывались о разработке нового программного обеспечения, веб, числового или игрового приложения? Программирование – это большой и быстро расширяющийся мир, в котором вы можете кодировать программу для выполнения любой задачи, которую вы можете себе представить. Он состоит из многочисленных языков, которые формулируют эти программы. Мы приглашаем вас присоединиться к нам этим летом для изучения языков программирования! Мы предлагаем обучение языкам программирования Питон и Скрэтч, и мы принимаем всех желающих детей и взрослых.

Летняя онлайн сессия Питонового клуба начнётся 5 июля и закончится 1 августа. Это всего четыре недели, но мы собираемся уместить в эти четыре недели 12 разных курсов Питона и Скрэтча, на русском и на английском языках. Мы предлагаем занятия в будние дни (первая сессия или вторая сессия), или по выходным (Сессия выходного дня). После каждого урока будет задаваться короткая домашняя работа. Большая часть преподавателей нашего клуба - подростки.

Первая сессия
(Понедельник - Четверг, 8 занятий длиной 60 минут, начало занятий 5 июля, конец занятий 15 июля)
Python 1 - 12 pm EST (English) (10 лет и старше)
Python 1 - 8 pm EST (English) (10 лет и старше)
Python 2 - 1 pm EST (Russian) (10 лет и старше)
Scratch 1 - 12 pm EST (Russian) (7 лет и старше)
Scratch 1 - 8 pm EST (English) (7 лет и старше)

Вторая сессия (8 занятий)
Понедельник-Четверг, 1 hour long class (19 -29 июля)
Python 2 - 12 pm EST (English) (10 лет и старше)
Python 2 - 8 pm EST (English) (10 лет и старше)
Python 3 - 1 pm EST (Russian) (10 лет и старше)
Scratch 2 - 12 pm EST (Russian) (7 лет и старше)
Scratch 2 - 8 pm EST (English) (7 лет и старше)

Сессия выходного дня
(1 hour long class July 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31, Aug 1)
Python 3 - 12 pm EST (English) (10 лет и старше)
Python 2 - 11 AM EST (English) (10 лет и старше)

Записаться можно здесь: https://www.thepythonclub.com/book-online
Мы принимаем Paypal и кредитные карты через наш вебсайт. Если вы хотите оплатить через Zelle, Venmo или Wise, свяжитесь с нами (oxana.litvine@thepythonclub.com)