[Edu-sig] Python as a first language for computer sciencist

[Laura Creighton]

I've had the opposite problem that you mention teaching the grade school
aged.  That is to say they greatly prefer a language which does not
raise syntax errors when they mistype variable names to one that does.
They are interested in a language that 'always does something'.

The notion that you have to fix your syntax errors before you can get
around to thinking about your problem is enough of a frustration that
many children quit and find something else to do.  They'd rather watch
their program doing something poorly than fix another syntax error,
which is why they never were able to learn any languages with type
declarations.  Given that their programs typically have lots of errors,
they want to fix them in the order that makes sense for the way they
are modelling the problem in their brains, rather than the order the
compiler demands you to solve them before 'the stupid compiler will
do anything'.

A syntax aware editor that colours the first usage of a variable a
different colour than subsequent usages cuts down on this sort of error
a lot.  

Laura