[Edu-sig] A tale of two hand puppets

[Kirby Urner]

So I have this vision of a puppet show, which I tested out on a high school
computer teacher today.  He said it made sense.  

Arm 1 (left or right, I don't care) is the traditional math arm, and its
puppet tends to talk one into a precalculus course of study, culminating in
calculus, then pointing off into other subjects in college, its job largely
done by this point.

Arm 2 is a younger CS track, likewise reaching into the K-12 classroom, but
so far weaker than arm 1.  The problem of what language to use has been
bothersome.  But as the kinks get worked out, more muscles get added and the
arm grows in strength.  Part of its food source is again mathematics, but in
a different mix than we find in precalc/calc; more group and number theory
for example.

So what's happening is arm 2 is gaining in strength by leaps and bounds, and
shortly what we'll see are two trajectories through the K-12 namespace that
have equal legitimacy in terms of offering a strong set of mathematical
concepts.  The CS arm will grow from a discrete math basis, whereas arm 1 is
more wired into real analysis and like that.

At the end of each arm is a puppet, talking up a storm, doing a lot of
interacting with the K-12 audience (teachers included).  Bag puppets if you
like -- I prefer something more elaborate (spoiled by Muppets I guess).  The
two puppets are starting to get more equal, more comparable in terms of
character development and recruiting appeal.

Pretty soon, kids will be seeing new career tracks, still mostly through
colleges and universities, along this alternative arm 2 trajectory.  That's
for the better I think, as the competition and positive synergies involved
will make both arms stronger in the long run ('stronger arms = a better
puppet show' is how I'm structuring this analogy).  The contrasts become
sharper, concepts get thrown into deeper relief, clarity is added, the range
of options is broadened, we accommodate more individual profiles and
preferences.

I feel the momentum towards something like this is pretty strong, with or
without my specific input.  However, I think my appreciation for Python,
shared with others here on edu-sig, gives me a front row seat and at least
some steering capabilities.  

In particular, I'm seeing how the stronger math muscles might develop with
Python's support.  I won't reiterate the details here however, as my ideas
along these lines are already defined and circulating via the Internet, as
part of the ongoing conversation.

Kirby