[[:en:start|► Main page]]
====== Programming primer ======
===== The method description =====
* The method is intended for a teacher willing to prepare his or hers students for programming. The authors of these pages are Marina Čičin-Šain, who developed the method and Snježana Babić, who developed the Internet sites.
* The teacher using the method do not need to have a foreknowledge about computers or programming. Actually, even teacher without any previous knowledge can use this method
* The method is intended for those who are willing to study step by step, together with their students.
This pages should help to a teacher how to implement the method. Here he or she can find teaching material and instructions, lesson by lesson, how to work with children. Using this sites you can put as questions if you do not understand what to do in a situation, that we did not anticipate, or to inform us if we made some mistake. We will be happy and grateful for every suggestion, for the information how you implemented the method, for a picture of your students using the method, their drawings, questions, comments or solutions, that could improve the method. Even if you think about implementing this method is a reason to contact us and to express your attitude.
* You can see that the quality of this pages will not depend only on us. We made them usable, but only you can make them relay alive.
Some teachers asked us: “What should I do if a student ask something where I do not know the answer?”
Have not fear of questions like that, they are normal and natural. Students often put questions where adults have no answers. We think that interesting questions and students that put such questions are a real blessing; thanks to them we as teachers are stimulated to learn all the life long. Do not make-believe you know if you do not. Praise the question and try to find the answer till next lesson.
* If you can not find the answer yourselves forward the question to us]], we shall answer as soon as possible.
* If you found the answer, but think that the question could be interesting for other teachers, please share with us the question and answer]], it could be helpful for somebody of your colleges.
The method do not require any equipment.
- A toy called “Mema” made by children themselves will be used.
The material for making the toy is the usual material:
** paper, crayons, glue and matchboxes.**
There is no extra burden for students, they will learn what is usual to be learned in first class:
** counting, addition, color recognition, drawing, developing motor functions...**
By the way they shall hear about some terms about computer and programming,
//not using definition, but what these things are used for.//
The terms are:
- program, instruction, variable, sequence of instructions, user,
- input, processing, output, data, constants,
- compatibility, capacity of a variable, address and many others.
How? You will find very soon.
The benefit of the method is for students who will meet the real programming on real computers, regardless of the language they will use. They will better understand the basic terms, and it will be much easier to concentrate on specific language syntax. Some problems which small children solve without problems, adult students on faculty could not learn and understand, because it was not similar to problems they were used to solve. Or they did not develop the way of thinking, that is necessary to solve those problems.
Marina i Snježana
===== How to start? =====
**Using link: [[:en:kako_poceti|How to start? ]] ** **you can read the instructions how to organize the first two periods of the method. **