Teaching Python

Episode 64: Rubrics & Assessments

March 31st, 2021 | 52 mins 37 secs

assessments, grading, pedagogy, python, rubrics

That's right: we're digging deep into assessments using rubrics. We know what you're thinking, rubrics are BORING and teacher-y. But rubrics are POWERFUL for learning and you can use them outside of the classroom too!

Episode 63: Community Teaching With Discord

March 12th, 2021 | 53 mins 34 secs

asynchronous, discord, python, teaching

In this episode, Sean and Kelly speak with Leon Sandøy, one of the owners of Python Discord about making connections and community teaching. With the dynamics of teaching changing, how can Python Discord become a space to further educate the Python community?

Episode 62: The New Normal

March 3rd, 2021 | 49 mins 10 secs

covid, python, teaching, zoom

Kelly and Sean take some time to reflect on what has worked well over the past year of teaching, what could be better, and what we hope stays with us once things go back to "The New Normal."

Episode 61: Object-Oriented Thinking

February 15th, 2021 | 40 mins 15 secs

object-oriented, python, teaching

Kelly and Sean try to figure out the role of object-oriented programming in teaching. From how much to focus on objects and methods, to whether it makes sense to teach classes, this is a journey through the opinionated topic of object-oriented thinking.

Episode 60: Shooting the "Stuff"

January 29th, 2021 | 41 mins 27 secs

learning, programming, python, teaching

A grab bag of topics this week with Kelly and Sean. From using NLTK to summarize speeches by civil rights leader Martin Luther King to plotting Parler data from the Capitol incident on Jan 6 to WiFi-enabled washing machines.

Episode 59: Crossover with PyBites!

January 22nd, 2021 | 45 mins 19 secs

computerscience, learning, programming, python, teaching

Kelly and Sean team up with Bob Belderbos and Julian Sequeira from @PyBites to answer questions about how our students learn Python using the PyBites platform with small code challenges.

Episode 58: Figure It Out

January 12th, 2021 | 41 mins 40 secs

learning, metacognition, teaching

In this episode, Kelly and Sean dive into the topic of teaching kids to “Figure it out,” a phrase we love to use in class. This year, we seek specific skills that help us teach reluctant learners, techniques for figuring things out, and understanding how different teachers support this skill in their classrooms. In this episode, we ask some of our colleagues to share their experiences on how they as adults solve problems and how they teach their students this critical life long skill.

Episode 57: Holiday Gift Guide for Techy Kids

December 10th, 2020 | 31 mins 55 secs

holidays, shopping, technology

We get a lot of questions about what parents should buy for their children for the holidays. In this episode, Kelly and Sean list out some of their favorite gifts for the holidays. Kelly wins with a student that demonstrates year over year improvement in Computer Science. Sean builds a FastAPI and gets a steep learning curve.

Episode 56: AI and Machine Learning for Kids with Dale Lane (@dalelane)

December 1st, 2020 | 39 mins 24 secs

ai, artificial intelligence, machine learning, python, scratch

In this episode, Kelly and Sean talk with Dale Lane an IBM Event Streams Lead Developer. - IBM awarded Dale, the 2018 IBM Volunteer Excellence Award—the highest form of volunteer recognition given by the company—which also earned a USD 10,000 grant from IBM for Solent Youth Action.

Episode 55: Unfiltered Friday Conversations

November 13th, 2020 | 16 mins 14 secs

computer science, pedagogy, teaching, unplanned

Kelly and Sean flip on the voice recording app and record a random Friday afternoon conversation about teaching approaches for computer science. What makes student learning the most effective?

Episode 54: Making Projects Happen with Eric Matthes (@ehmatthes)

November 10th, 2020 | 1 hr 14 mins

computer science, learning, projects, python

Sean and Kelly invite Eric Matthes, teacher and author of Python Crash Course to discuss student projects in computer science. We talk about starting and completing projects and programming with purpose as a way to help the learning stick with students longer.

Episode 53: Developing for Mobile, the Web, and Desktop with Russell Keith-Magee ( @freakboy3742 )

October 27th, 2020 | 57 mins 47 secs

android, beeware, ios, mobile development, python, web development

This week's guest is Russell Keith-Magee from the Beeware project. Our conversation this week is about teaching students Python with native desktop applications, mobile, and the web.

Episode Archive