[IAEP] Another article on evaluation and learning to code

[Walter Bender]

I should have pointed out that the lead author of the paper Sebastian
references is a former student of Seymour Papert. Also, for anyone who
is  interested in pursuing this line of inquiry within Sugar, please
note that Turtle Blocks (Python version) keeps track of what the users
do and aggregates the errors that they make. The Analyze Journal
activity visualizes these data for the user (based upon a rubric
developed by Paraguay Educa). Not all the pieces that Paulo describes
in the Stanford study are in place, but many of them are. The
opportunity to make learning "visible" to the learner is a core
principle of Sugar.

regards.

-walter

On Mon, Mar 16, 2015 at 9:32 AM, Walter Bender <walter.bender at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 16, 2015 at 9:16 AM, Sebastian Silva
> <sebastian at fuentelibre.org> wrote:
>> Hi iaep,
>> Was reading an interesting article today:
>> https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-study-shows-success-different-learning-styles-computer-science-class
>>
>> With all the reflection data in our Journals, perhaps these machine learning
>> algorithms can tall us something about ourselves?
>>
>> I found it very interesting how there are clearly many paths to acquiring
>> mastery in programming.
>>
>> It makes sense that the computer be assessing and feeding back to the
>> learner.
>>
>> Rather interesting I found as well were the sink-holes (so called "walls" of
>> learning, where student's bump and find it hard to continue without undoing
>> some steps). I definitively know the feeling. "They open the door for
>> developing systems to encourage students to go down more fruitful paths
>> before they become lost in the programming weeds."
>>
>> If I may comment one more thing.
>>
>> Perhaps one area often left out in this kind of discussion, is the
>> importance of social values, pointed out by the Free Software movement of
>> which we are a part, and many volunteers such as Flavio. What is the purpose
>> of learning to program? What is the responsibility of one who knows these
>> techniques?
>>
>> I venture that having a bunch more of proprietary startups with crappy apps
>> and (especially) abusive business models, is *definitively*, not the way to
>> go forward as humanity.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
>> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>
> Good observations, Sebastian.
>
> As we continue to debate the future of Sugar, I posit that the culture
> of software freedom has to stay at the core of our activities (what we
> do as a community and what the users of our software do). Writing
> vanilla Apps for Android might be a good business model, but it is not
> going to have any lasting impact. We need to aim higher and, while it
> maybe a slower path of growth, not compromise on the values that make
> us relevant to learning.
>
> -walter
>
> --
> Walter Bender
> Sugar Labs
> http://www.sugarlabs.org



-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org