On Wednesday evening, we have a pedagogy session. Here is an agenda, some notes, and a few warnings. PURPOSE: To address specific problems and concerns that individuals have. Do not get bogged down in general discussions of schools, students, society, etc. It's exhausting and utterly unproductive, and in the end can block out meaningful conversation about concrete problems that you *can* solve. Topics to Cover --------------- - places to introduce into the curriculum - pre-AP - post-AP - independent study - fields in which to introduce - computer science - math, especially algebra - Web mastering and related technology courses - natural sciences - broad accessibility - level the playing field - address broader learning styles - provide a tool for various disciplines - gender equity issues - report(s) from (a) past teacher(s) - materials we provide get latest list off Web page - operating environments - relate DrScheme's resource usage to Netscape's discuss the available options on low-resource machines - explain the position wrt DrScheme Jr increasingly, schools are using Linux and showing their students Emacs for C++ editing - status of textbook copyright waiver, etc - comparison to Java I asked them to consider a linked-list example; they blanched I also explicitly walked them through the differences between (+ 1 2) and the Java equivalent [Zinger: I left the keyword "static" to the last, then filled it in and said, "The only thing that's static about this is the shock you feel when you first encouter this code." Use colors, bring up the ketchup-and-caviar comment.] Notes (and Warnings) -------------------- Teachers seem to find it very reassuring to hear that we are not in this for the money. Some, on the other hand, are surprised, even suspicious, and may bring up the topic explicitly. ---------- You will waste inordinate amounts of time discussing the AP exam. Experience suggests two things: - there is simply nothing you can say in advance to fend off the repeated mention of this problem - it's probably therapeutic for people to vent about it, so grin and bear it and try to use it to your advantage ---------- You will similarly face questioning about the practicality. There are two responses to this: - see what we do Thursday night - the first language should be no more practical in CS than the first anything in in any other subject WARNING: Some of these teachers have students who get "real" jobs for their knowledge of Java or VB. You will neither be able to convince them that Scheme is practical (and, in their context, it isn't), nor that these jobs aren't real (at least one teacher has claimed that these jobs are the only ways out for her inner-city kids). Argue these points too much and you stand to lose credibility with the teachers as someone who doesn't know the reality of (a) jobs, (b) schools, (c) students, (d) all of the above, etc. Many teachers seem to derive their self-esteem out of their deep knowledge of such situations. Irrespective of the validity of this belief, accounting for it will get you farther than trying to gainsay it. ---------- Be aware that many (public) school districts require schools to standardize curricula district-wide (ostensibly so that students can easily transfer between schools). Be aware of this problem. Explain how we could help ameliorate it. One benefit we have is that we can accommodate other teachers from the district at little or no cost to the district. Another is that if there is a critical mass, one of us can fly out to offer a mini-course. ---------- A related concern is the typical problem of standards vs innovation: if a school district adopts a course, then the only qualified teacher leaves, who will teach it? I always find these arguments about as persuasive as Owlnet's claim that we should give Rice students the most minimal shell and windowing interface possible so that they will be prepared for the hypothetical spartan environment they may encouter when they leave Rice. But the other side of this argument is not so absurd: at the school level, unlike at some levels of some colleges, creating a new course takes a lot of effort. Either way, make it clear that you know about this problem. ---------- Some of your teachers may be from other disciplines, such as algebra. Try to engage them into building a bridge with their CS teachers. The algebra teachers, somewhat paradoxically, usually have more curricular freedom, so they can sneak TeachScheme! into their algebra courses. ---------- You will inevitably also encounter the phenomenon of the teacher who feels compelled to tell you about *all* the possible problems *any* teacher might face toward implementation. In reality, this teacher might be founding a charter school and may have complete control over the curriculum. It's very important to rein in this kind of runaway conversation. One possible approach is to appeal to the teachers who don't have such constraints, and point out that discussing hypotheticals is an unoptimal use of the limited time available. ---------- In general, beware that teachers sometimes misinterpret this session as an opportunity to advise you, rather than merely to discuss their specific problems. Once the conversation takes this turn, there is no return. Cut it off at all costs. ---------- One other danger is that the discussion can dwell too long on your own school. This is fine, even good, up to a point, but it's easy to get lost in answering questions you have good, detailed answers to, while forgetting the purpose of the meeting. I think I was guilty of spending a few more minutes on this than was appropriate. ---------- Bottom line: I believe firmly that where there is a will, there is a way. Teachers who really want to implement this figure out ways to do so. I conjecture that some teachers find themselves overwhelmed by the material, and may be looking for excuses for not offering this when the real problem is just their insecurity with the approach.