[plt-scheme] drscheme

On Feb 23, 2009, at 3:25 PM, Larry Richards wrote:

> Our vocational director would like for me to teach Programming and  
> Logic next year, Our state wants the class taught using drscheme as  
> our environment.

Whoa!  What enlightened state do you live in? :-)

Seriously, the DrScheme environment is a good one for teaching  
beginners, but much more important than the environment is the  
pedagogy and curriculum.  You don't have to tell the state that; just  
say "Yes, I'm using DrScheme."

> I have never written any type of programming before.  ? Will I be  
> able to teach this without background in programming? Is there  
> workshops?

Teaching programming without ever having written a program is a tough  
assignment.

As it happens, there are four one-week workshops this summer, in four  
different parts of the country, on how to teach beginning programming  
using DrScheme and (more importantly) the pedagogical and curricular  
innovations that the PLT team have come up with over the last fifteen  
years or so.  See http://www.teach-scheme.org/Workshops .

You might also be interested in the textbook I've been writing for a  
first programming class at the high school or beginning college  
level.  Contact me off-list if you want a PDF of the latest draft.


Stephen Bloch
sbloch at adelphi.edu