Take a minute to reflect on how you introduce debugging strategies in your Python lessons.
Consider the challenges your students might face, how you can encourage persistence, and ways to create a supportive learning environment where debugging is seen as a valuable skill rather than a frustration.
What common errors or misconceptions might beginners face when learning Python, and how can I prepare to address them?
How can I create a classroom environment where making mistakes is seen as a normal and valuable part of learning?
What signs might indicate that a student is frustrated or stuck, and how can I intervene in a way that supports their learning without giving them the answer too quickly?
These questions are just starting points for reflection and discussion — there is no need to answer all of them. Focus on the ones that resonate most with your teaching experience and goals.
Validation testing will be important for students to check as they are looking at their code and make small adjustments because they can see what works and what doesn’t and start fixing the first thing that comes up as an error and then move to the next.
It was nice to have the comments that explained what was expected to happen and then I could compare it with what actually happened.
I can see students feeling frustrated that their code doesn’t work, but doing code alongs and showing them validation testing as I find errors and code tracing, can help them see how I might approach a program with an error and it is ok to find errors and then work through some debugging strategies as a class.
A few signs I can imagine noticing among students who are frustrated are students who disengage from working, students who give up and go to their phones to play a game, students wanting to leave class to use the bathroom when things get hard and to mitigate this I would have ask 3 before me so they can find 3 other people in class to ask questions to. I might be moving around the class and notice they are struggling and ask them about their code and what their code is doing vs what it should do. I also might have rubber ducks in the room to have the students utilize them to talk with the duck about their code.
What common errors or misconceptions might beginners face when learning Python, and how can I prepare to address them?
Things I notice are spaces for grouping code and colons.
How can I create a classroom environment where making mistakes is seen as a normal and valuable part of learning?
I make mistakes on purpose (and I dub them “teacher techniques”)
What signs might indicate that a student is frustrated or stuck, and how can I intervene in a way that supports their learning without giving them the answer too quickly?
Usually a facial expression is what I notice first. Maybe help a student move the painter 1 block instead of 3.