Teaching Python

We're two middle school teachers learning and teaching Python

About the show

Welcome to "Teaching Python Podcast,” the go-to podcast for anyone interested in the intersection of education and coding. Hosted by Kelly Paredes and Sean Tibor, this podcast dives into the thrills and challenges of teaching middle school computer science through the engaging and versatile Python programming language.

About the Hosts:

  • Kelly Paredes brings a wealth of global experience in curriculum design and currently inspires sixth and eighth graders at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Celebrating her seventh year of integrating Python into her teaching, Kelly has a knack for making complex concepts accessible and exciting.
  • Sean Tibor, a Senior Cloud Engineer at Mondelez International, draws from a rich background that spans marketing, database design, and digital agency leadership. Having taught Python to seventh and eighth graders at Pine Crest School, Sean now extends his expertise by supporting interns and tutoring students in Python.

Explore with Us:

  • Engaging Lessons: Discover how we make Python programming both fun and accessible for young learners, equipping them with the skills to tackle real-world problems.
  • Classroom Insights: Experience our journey through both triumphs and trials in the classroom, and learn what it takes to foster a vibrant learning environment.
  • Expert Interviews: Gain valuable perspectives from interviews with fellow educators and industry experts, who share their top strategies and success stories in coding education.

Teaching Python on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 72: Catching Up

    July 6th, 2021  |  1 hr 5 mins
    learning, machine learning, python, teaching

    It's been a few weeks since we recorded, so this week's episode is all about catching up on listener questions and mail. Highlights include the new AWS machine learning course we're taking, whether we'd rather be teachers or coders, and the new Adafruit hardware we're trying.

  • Episode 71: Summer Professional Development with John Mikton

    June 21st, 2021  |  1 hr 16 mins
    learning, professional development, python, summer, teaching

    With summer finally here in the northern hemisphere, Kelly and Sean meet with John Mikton from the Principals Training Center to talk about professional development resources for teachers during these long summer days. From technical resources to pedagogical research to classroom layout ideas, we'll talk about some of the things we're excited to learn this summer.

  • Episode 70: Teaching with Visual Studio Code

    June 8th, 2021  |  42 mins 20 secs

    Continuing our Education IDE series, Kelly and Sean meet with Brigit Murtaugh and Sana Ajani from the VS Code team for education. We'll talk about everything from remote teaching to accelerating the setup of a learning environment with VS Code and development containers.

  • Episode 69: Teaching with PyCharm Edu

    May 26th, 2021  |  59 mins 16 secs
    ide, pycharm, python

    Continuing our Education IDE series, Kelly and Sean talk with Valentina Kiryushkina, a developer on the PyCharm Edu team to learn all about how JetBrains supports teaching and learning Python. With everything from online courses to creating classroom assignments, we're sure you'll find something to like about PyCharm Edu.

  • Episode 68: Learning How To Learn with Barbara Oakley

    May 18th, 2021  |  1 hr 4 mins
    coding, cognitive psychology, learning, pedagogy

    This week, Kelly & Sean chat with Barbara Oakley, author of the upcoming books Uncommon Sense Teaching and Learn Like a Pro. Together, we talk about everything from learning Russian to the ways that the brain processes information and how teachers can best help students learn.

  • Episode 67: Mu Editor: Part 1 of the Education IDE Series

    May 11th, 2021  |  56 mins 59 secs
    editors, mu, programming, python

    Kelly and Sean kick off part 1 of their Education IDE series with Nick Tollervey and the Mu Editor, a Python editor for beginners with modes for "pure Python," MicroPython, CircuitPython, PyGame, Flask web apps, and more.

  • Episode 66: Designing Projects with Python Libraries

    May 4th, 2021  |  46 mins 55 secs
    computer science, images, pillow, projects, teaching

    In this episode, Sean and Kelly, share a brainstorming activity on designing projects with Python libraries. We have a special guest Mike Driscoll, author of several books and the blog "The Mouse vs The Python". In this episode we will use the Python Library Pillow to brainstorm some creative ways that Pillow can and has been used to teach students about Python Libraries.

  • Episode 65: Our Favorite Python Libraries

    April 14th, 2021  |  30 mins 4 secs
    libraries, python, teaching

    In this episode, Sean and Kelly discuss their top 5 favorite Python libraries, and how they use these libraries in the classroom to reinforce student learning. From the standard library to teaching how to use pip, learn more about our favorite libraries to share with our students.

  • 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.