[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: (Pardon my being off-topic, if ever. Think of it this way: improved computer education in the Philippines will probably lead to more Linux geeks, which is a good thing for us. ;) And... I... don't... really... go off-topic that often? <batting eyelashes> )
> some of them. A good curriculum is a must-have for a good education > but the student's attitude is the most influential factor (imho). To > provide a little example, intellectually speaking I dont think Sacha > will come out any different if she enrolled in AMA. She would not have > the luxury of a good curriculum but her determination and thirst for > knowledge would overcome that little stumbling block. (Wow, flattered. ;) ) Two part e-mail: - On how (I think) I got the most out of college - On how I think computer science education can be improved (I tend to write long messages, so I'm making it a habit to outline.) (Once again, this is a rough draft, but I'll send it out anyway because your comments are more important to me than my striving for the perfect way to phrase the ideas. ;) ) (... so please comment - probably on plug-misc if this gets too off topic.) * On how (I think) I got the most out of college Looking back at my college experience, I don't think I could've learned as much or had as much fun without the people around me. I had been into programming competitions since high school, and college contests did not disappointment me. I got to meet a lot of other people who were as passionate about computing as I was. They and my teachers challenged me to solve problems I would never have done on my own. It was also in Ateneo that I really, really, really got into Linux. I'd been curious about it before and I had played around with it a little in high school. However, it was really the dorm network group - ACENT! =) - that got hooked. Suddenly I was around a lot of people who were into Linux and doing cool things with it. Suddenly I had people to swap ideas with. I volunteered (or was volunteered) to work on extracurricular projects and I learned things we wouldn't have taken up in class. I got to work with some of the best and brightest computer geeks in my school. That was tons of fun. Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. Talent develops talent. We're seeing that now with the freshmen and sophomores who train with the upperclassmen for programming contests, with the students in our classes... It's amazing. What they say is true - people are your best resource. In my introductory course, students are learning far more than what we can possibly cover in the classroom. They're really amazing. My job as a teacher seems to involve pointing students in the right direction, suggesting things they might try, encouraging them to excel, gently correcting their mistakes, cheering, and getting out of their way as much as I can. =) Every now and then, I still wonder about other schools and other resources. Wouldn't it have been so nice to be able to walk down the corridor and ask Dr. Knuth for help or study at the feet of the teachers whose names are immortalized in the algorithms we study? Wouldn't it be great to be part of an ultrafunky research lab? Wouldn't it be fun to be around an even greater number of geeks, within easy reach of the popular computer conferences and exhibits? Would I have been able to do much more if pushed harder? What about the holes in our education - the things we haven't taken up but are taken for granted by foreign schools? Will my self-studying be enough? Well, we're here, and we do the best we can with the resources we have. Comparing my experience with those in other schools, I'm still a little wistful - I'd love to have access to those resources! - but my friends there observe that attitude can more than make up for those things (and in fact they end up feeling quite guilty when they have to ask for help on regular expressions and whatnot). I think we can do quite well. I definitely plan to pursue further studies and I think that's something I'll need to pursue abroad as computer science education research is not that active here, but I see a lot of potential in the Philippines. I feel that we need to help people make the most of what we already have. * On how I think computer science education can be improved I've been talking to a number of people, and the picture is rather bleak. It seems that most students struggle through a number of years of college or technical school. They graduate with rudimentary programming skills and problem-solving skills. When they join a company, they need to be given training in communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and the particular tools and techniques used by the company. I know that can change - should change, in fact, if we want graduates who can think independently, who can learn on their own, who can adeptly use technology to solve real problems. I teach because I want people to get hooked on computer science. I want them to enjoy it, be curious about it, _want_ to learn it. I work on their attitude first and foremost. I try to help them develop problem-solving skills that can be applied to any field or any programming language. The students who are already interested in computer science are easy to teach - give them a nudge and they're off. The people who aren't quite sure yet - the people who are a little afraid and uncertain, the people who don't feel that they've quite gotten the hang of it - _those_ are the ones I want to reach. I want them to learn how to ask questions, seek challenges, and love what they're doing. I want them to feel that they _can_ do computing and that they want to. =) I know I am essentially no different from the thousands and thousands of students who take computing courses. Spark their interest and they will do far more than I can. Help them build a community and they will infect other people with their enthusiasm. It can be done. We can start with just a few people, just a few schools. I'm starting with experimenting with different ways of teaching. I'm always on the lookout for vivid, concrete, real-world examples of computer science concepts. I hardly ever lecture in class. I prefer to have them experiment, discuss, collaborate, explore. I don't know if this works or how well it works. That's one of the reasons why I need training in computer science education research - I need to be able to know whether or not this is effective instead of just relying on gut feel. I want to know if other people think this is a good idea. I want to get in touch with them, refine the concepts, brainstorm, experiment... (Please e-mail me! Let's get together this sem break and swap ideas.) I don't plan to change computer science education from the top down or to dictate to people how to teach it. Heck, I'm a fresh graduate - I have much, much more to learn from the teachers and students around me than vice versa! Besides, people have their own styles and techniques, and that's a pretty cool thing. I want to listen, ask questions, and share thoughts. We'll do it the open source way. ;) If my way of dealing with my personal itch appeals to you, go ahead. Adapt it. Send me patches. Help grow the community. We'll get something done yet. =) Graduates are not mass-produced like some product on an assembly line of courses and examinations. They should be crafted, paying attention to each individual's strengths and weaknesses. The wonderful thing about the process is that if you fan that tiny spark within them and give them room to grow, they will shape themselves into amazing people. I don't think this should be "special treatment" reserved for the one or two in a batch who show promise. I believe we should make an effort to reach everyone. I believe that our work demands creative passion - we cannot be mindless automata blindly applying a set procedure. We need to help people discover their passions or at least make the knowledge they gained in college _their own_ instead of just something their teachers gave them. This is a daunting task, of course - and an unbelievable amount of work! - but we can try to do it one student at a time. (You are free to take my beliefs with a grain of salt; after all, I'm new at this and young, so my idealism is excusable. But who knows? In a number of decades I may yet feel the same way, and who knows what we might be able to accomplish working one teacher, one student, one classroom, one school at a time... =) ) -- Sacha Chua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> - Ateneo CS faculty geekette interests: emacs, gnu/linux, wearables, teaching compsci http://sacha.free.net.ph/ -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [EMAIL PROTECTED] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
