Teaching 12 year olds: Scratch or Python first?
I've somehow become the coding person at school now. Have about 25 kids, an hour a week, one term. Half have used Scratch. Any experience with this?
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Do they want to make something or learn to program? For an hour a week I'd want them to have made a thing that moves by the end of week one.
Python with the turtle module, or pygame zero if you're brave. Typing's the real barrier at that age, not the concepts.
I ran a club for this age group some years back. Scratch for the ones who haven't, Python for the ones who are bored by Scratch, and let them see each other's work. Micro:bits went down extremely well, because a physical thing lights up.
Thonny as the editor, turtle for the first few weeks, micro:bits at the end if the budget allows. Thanks everyone. I'll report back.
Report after the first two lessons: going well. Two kids are already ahead of me, which I'm told is the goal. "Draw your name" with the turtle was the best bit. Typing is exactly the problem teo said it'd be.