Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language

[Neil Cerutti]

On 2013-12-11, Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 10 Dec 2013 18:25:48 +1300, Gregory Ewing
><greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz> declaimed the following:
>>> On Monday, December 9, 2013 5:53:41 PM UTC+5:30, Oscar Benjamin wrote:
>>>>5) Learning to program "should be painful" and we should
>>>>expect the students to complain about it (someone actually
>>>>said that!) but the pain makes them better programmers in the
>>>>end.
>>
>>That's like saying that when teaching woodwork we shouldn't let
>>people use hammers, we should make them use rocks to bang nails
>>in, because it will make them better carpenters in the long
>>run.
>
> 	NAILS????
>
> 	Nails were verboten in my high school wood working class... 
>
> 	We used dowels and glue; chisels to carve dove-tails; etc.

...

You lucky BASTARD!

We had to build bookcases out of banana leaves held together with
our own spittle.

-- 
Neil Cerutti