[IAEP] Wiki tutorial translation (was Re: Material for XO math+literacy project in Kenya)

[mokurai at earthtreasury.org]

On Thu, July 21, 2011 12:52 am, ana.cichero wrote:
[praise of Abacus activity snipped]
> Count me in for translating the wiki or for making some class
> planification
> that fits with schooling structure, it can be for 1st year of secondary as
> I worked with in 2010 for example.

Would you take a look at
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Activities/Turtle_Art/Tutorials, and talk
with us, the Spanish translators, and the teachers about

a) translating these pages into Spanish
b) what is needed so that teachers can use these ideas in class

My tutorials combine a high-level look at a topic, ideas for introducing
some part of it to children as early as possible, and a Turtle Art
demonstration of some part of the idea. Each idea needs expansion to
lesson plans, with feedback from classrooms and individual tutoring on how
they work and how they need to be improved. Each idea also needs
implementation in Logo (which we can get by automatic translation from
TA), Python, Smalltalk/Etoys, GeoGebra, and other software.

On top of all that, we need to create a usable sequence of ideas and
examples leading from no computer (You Be the Turtle tutorial), through
introducing TA (Mathematics and Art tutorial), through the essential
concepts and techniques of programming and Computer Science, to competence
in Python, Logo, Smalltalk, and any other language of interest.

> Ana.
>
> ps.
> Working among early grades students is harder and it less payed-- because
> traditionally upper grade studying needed society stimulation.
> In uruguay 2ndary teachers is a strictly ordered set ( 19 lists, one for
> each region) , and in that order is invited to choose --every year--- the
> grade and the school to work. Nobody wants to work with early years of
> public highschool having other choice...
> (system could help education a lot with some really little changes, but as
> little changes don t make political issues, nobody promotes them)

In computer programming, making many little improvements is known as
refactoring.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44936.Refactoring

"Each refactoring step is simple-seemingly too simple to be worth doing.
Refactoring may involve moving a field from one class to another, or
pulling some code out of a method to turn it into its own method, or even
pushing some code up or down a hierarchy. While these individual steps may
seem elementary, the cumulative effect of such small changes can radically
improve the design. Refactoring is a proven way to prevent software
decay."

The payoff is huge. We must find incentives to work on it. Perhaps for
some teachers, being able to affect the design of the teaching may be a
useful incentive. I know that in the profession generally, the biggest
incentive available is the possibility of teaching effectively.

> _______________________________________________
> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep


-- 
Edward Mokurai
(默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر
ج) Cherlin
Silent Thunder is my name, and Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, the Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Replacing_Textbooks