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5 of 6
Babbage University
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5 of 6
Babbage University
Metapolis' famed university. Named for the inventor of the computer, Charles Babbage: the first programmer.
Story Table of Contents
6 of 6
6 of 6Chapter 3: The Science behind Storytelling
Back at Babbage University, you head to the Department of Neuroscience. In this building, there is no painting of Charles Babbage. But there is a scale model of a portion of the Analytical Engine -- that computer he is famous for designing:
There is also, next to the model, a glass case containing what the plaque calls "programs":
You're not here for the art, though. You're here to meet with Professor Istoria, whose office is on the third floor of the Department of Neuroscience. You take the stairs.
Outside the office, a paper with a proverb is taped to the door. It looks like it has been there for several decades:
Tell me the facts and I'll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever. ~ Native American Proverb
You knock on the door, and enter when you hear a "Come In!" Bookshelves line the walls of Professor Istoria's office. You start to introduce yourself, but he just waves you in from behind stacks of books on his desk. You skirt several stacks of books lying on the floor to take a seat at the chair near the desk.
He moves a stack of books aside to clear the line of sight. "So," he says. "You're with MetaCoders."
"Well, I'm training," you say. "I'm supposed to learn about Story Mode?"
"When do you think the first story was told?"
"Um. I don't know. I..."
"Humor me," he says. "Take a guess."
"I guess we've been telling stories for thousands of years, like --"
"What do you mean by 'we'? You and me?"
"Um, no," you say. "You and I haven't been telling stories for thousands of years."
"Who has been telling stories for thousands of years?"
"Humans. Like... the human race."
"How many thousands?"
"I'm not exactly a history expert --"
Professor Istoria makes a grimace of pain, which causes you to stop speaking. He says, "This will be less painful if you start taking guesses instead of making apologies."
"Right, okay." you say, his slightly exasperated tone bringing up memories of your own teachers and professors from school. You nearly apologize for frustrating him, before you catch yourself.
He takes a deep breath. "At MetaCoders I believe you get trained in something you call Game Mode, yes?"
"That's right," you say.
"So let's play a game. The rules are: I ask you questions. And you try your best to answer them."
"Like the Socratic method?" you say.
He ignores you. "Who has been telling stories for thousands of years?"
"The human race," you say.
"How many thousands?"
"Okay, well, two thousand years ago is like year 0. But there are stories older than that, like the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh. In fact, now I'm realizing that we -- "
"Who is we?"
"Humans have been telling stories since before there was writing -- which started, wait I know this -- in, about, 3000 BC?" You glance at Professor Istoria's expression to see if you are close, his face remains neutral. "So that's, like 5000 years. So more than that. I guess it might have been whenever we -- humans -- developed the ability to speak. Maybe... look, I really don't know. I'm just going to guess 20,000 years."
"Look it up," he says. "Do you have a smart phone?"
You take a moment to look up when human beings developed speech. He waits patiently, perfectly happy to leaf through a thin paperback written by Plato.
After skimming a Wikipedia article, you finally say, "Okay, it seems that there's some scientific debate on the issue. But... some scientists say 200,000 years ago."
"Do the math then: How much longer has our species been speaking than writing?"
"Um, 195,000 years, I guess."
"And do you think we were telling stories during that entire time?"
"Well, I guess we can never know..."
"Do you think storytelling conferred any kind of survival advantages on early humans?"
"Yeah, I guess so. Like, if someone in the tribe comes home and tells a story about how he saw a deer that went to drink from the lake and got eaten by a crocodile -- now everyone knows that we should be careful near the water -- because we all know how hard it is to sneak up on a deer. So if a crocodile can, then we'd better be extra vigilant."
Istoria gives a hint of a smile. "What is an oral tradition?"
"That's when stories get passed down through generations, spoken, from parent to child."
"And do you think oral traditions had any kind of survival advantages for early humans?"
"Sure. The good and valuable stories get passed down. So if the crocadile story helps people be careful around the water, and that leads to greater chances of survival, then people who know the story will be more likely to survive and pass that story on to the next generation. I suppose the more generations that go by, the more stories get added and changed -- which may lead to more survival value. Etcetera."
"Not bad. Next question. How many generations can fit into 195,000 years?"
"Oh... Um..."
"You can use your phone's calculator."
You decide to estimate that most early humans tended to reproduce within 20 years of being born. Dividing 195,000 by 20 gives you: "9,750 generations."
"So do we agree that it's plausible that for a period of about 9,750 generations, the humans who were more likely to survive were the ones that could understand, learn from, and retell stories?"
"I agree that it's plausible."
"Fast forward to today. At what age to people typically 'grow out' of stories?" he says, still leafing through his book.
"Well, uh..." You start to say an age somewhere in elementary school, but you sense that this might be a trick question. You change your answer: "You're literally reading a story, a book, right now. The kinds of stories we -- humans -- enjoy can change, I suppose. I haven't read The Very Hungry Caterpillar in a long time, but I listened to a podcast this morning. And I read the stories in the newspaper. And I like movies. So... I'm going to say never."
"Are there any cultures on Earth today that you know of which do not tell stories?" he asks.
"I certainly can't think of any."
He nods in approval. "One of the things my colleague down the hall studies is something that scientists call Narrative Transportation. It's the fancy word for what we all experience when we lose ourselves in a story, when we begin to actually experience the story as if we were there -- with all its positive and negative emotional texture. She puts people into fMRIs and watches what lights up in the brain when they are seeing or hearing stories. Why do you think that human brains from early childhood to old age have a capacity to be transported by stories?"
"I guess the brains that couldn't... well... died. To get the full value of a story, we have to hear it through to the end -- and we have to imagine at least some of the horror of being eaten by a crocodile, so that we sufficiently internalize the story."
"Would it surprise you to know that scientists have shown that reading information packaged as a narrative increases recall, ease of comprehension, and requires shorter time to read?"
"No, I suppose that's not really a surprise."
He hands you a piece of paper with some text on it. "Here, test the theory. This information is not packaged as a narrative. It's a quote from what I hyperlinked you to in my last line of dialog."
Narratives are often associated with increased recall, ease of comprehension, and shorter reading times. In a direct comparison with expository text, narrative text was read twice as fast and recalled twice as well, regardless of topic familiarity or interest in the content itself. Graesser and Ottati describe these and similar results as suggesting that narratives have a "privileged status" in human cognition. These benefits should not be assumed to come from simplicity, as coherent narratives demand a high level of complexity in both internal complexity and alignment to cultural and social expectancies. Instead, narratives seem to offer intrinsic benefits in each of the four main steps of processing information: motivation and interest, allocating cognitive resources, elaboration, and transfer into long-term memory.
As such, narrative cognition is thought to represent the default mode of human thought, providing structure to reality and serving as the underlying foundation for memory. This reliance on narratives is suggested to be the result of an evolutionary benefit because narratives provide their users with a format of comprehension to simulate possible realities, which would serve to better predict cause-and-effect relationships and model the thoughts of other humans in the complex social interactions that define our species.
When he notices that you've finished reading, he says, "That's a little contradictory, isn't it? A piece of expository writing that exposits to you that a more narrative style would have been read twice as fast and recalled twice as well. But that's science writing for you."
He plucks a book on his shelf. "The coaches-in-training that MetaCoders sends my way never seem to take me up on the offer, but here's a very dense book on the science of story that I highly recommend."
"Uh, maybe later," you say, handing it back after politely leafing through what does (indeed) look like a dense, academic, not-very-story-driven book.
"Yeah, I figured," he says, as he takes it back, wipes your fingerprints off of it and returns it to its place. "In that case, let me give you some more accessible material."
From memory, he writes down you the URLs for the following YouTube videos. "That third one has some adult jokes in it," he warns.
"So," he continues, tugging his beard absentmindedly. "You're here to be a teacher, right?"
"We call it 'coaching.'"
"Ah, yes, I forgot. You're here to be a coach, right?"
"Yes."
"And you want your students to be interested in what you're saying?"
"Defininitely."
"And you want them to remember what you're saying?"
"Of course."
"Do you want to tap into what scientists are calling 'the default mode of human thought' and the 'underlying structure of memory'?"
"I suppose so."
"From what I understand, MetaCoders wants all of that too. It was founded by scientists. I've met them, actually. They're smart people. I've been trying to get them to come work for me as postdocs, but they keep saying no."
"So are we done with the Socratic method Game Mode thing?" you ask.
"Unless you have questions for me..."
You stand up to offer a handshake and leave. "Actually, there is one thing," you realize. "I'm supposed to write and eventually record a video of my own coach story. In fact, I just came from Lovelace Elementary where I saw Bruce give his. And the kids loved it. How do I..."
"You want story tips?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Taken aback, you say, "I just said --"
"That's the tip. You generate stories by asking: Why? For example, a man walked down the street. Boring, story, right? Okay, why is he walk down the street? Let's say he is trying to get to the store. Still boring right? Okay, why is he getting to the store? Let's say he needs to get to the pharmacy to get penicillin. Okay, that's getting more interesting. Why? Maybe his wife is sick. Bam. A few whys later, and you have a character with a backstory and a mission. That's a lot more story than before."
He scrunches up his face, as if to activate his memory. "I remember Bruce. He was standing right where you are now, asking me the same question. And I told him the same thing. I said, MetaCoders wants people to teach not simply coding, but how to learn coding. So I asked him, why are you qualified to teach people how to learn things?"
"What did he say?"
"At the time he was a bit self-conscious about teaching coding, since he's a carpenter by trade, so at first he got nervous and tried to say 'nevermind' and leave. But I said to him: Bruce, you're qualified to be coaching or MetaCoders wouldn't have hired you. The by getting you to say that in story form MetaCoders just wants you to start believing it. It's a chance for you to announce to the world that you believe it. It's a chance to practice connecting your non-coding backstory to your present-tense story of training to be a coding coach."
"So you helped him with his story?"
"I asked him Why? and after a bit of nudging, he said, that he's been doing carpentry for the last 20 years. He wasn't sure how to make a story about being a coding coach -- because he wasn't one yet. And I told him: you've been learning the skill of carpentry for more than double the lifespan of most of the students you'll be teaching. I told him: you know a lot about what it takes to become a master of something. Twenty years worth of educational stories! Bruce just had to start seeing their value."
"Did he?"
"You're the one who just saw him," Professor Istoria says. "You tell me."
This is the last stop in this chapter (make sure you also stopped at Lovelace Elementary!). It's now time to make your coach story video! The chapter's assessment will ask you to show your video.
Feeling stuck? Here are some prompts to inspire your Coach Story:
- Why do you think learning to code is important? How has it been important to you?
- What is something you've spent years learning? What has taught you about learning, hard work, dedication...?
- How did you become a Coding Coach? What have you learned so far?
- What is a personal coding project you have undertaken? What did it teach you?
Here are some additional tips:
Chapter 3: The Science behind Storytelling
Sat, March 27 10:00 AM
Read the full story to the right:
Dijsktra Elementary
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Dijsktra Elementary
Named for a cool dude.Story Table of Contents
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3 of 6
Lovelace Elementary
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3 of 6
Lovelace Elementary
Named for Ada Lovelace, one of the world's first programmers. Her life was tragically short, but her legacy shall live forever.
Story Table of Contents
4 of 6
4 of 6Chapter 3: A Story about Stories
1:45pm -- 15 minutes before class
The parking lot of Lovelace Elementary is full and a bit crowded at the end of the school day. Kids are hopping aboard yellow buses and getting into their parents cars. You walk into the school, swimming upstream of the kids, parents, and teachers escaping out of the gates.
Because of the flow of children and end-of-day excitement, you can't really get a good look at the plaque below the painting of Ada Lovelace as a four-year-old child hanging on the wall:
You decide to press on and ask at the office where the MetaCoders after school program meets. The woman at the front desk asks if you're the MetaCoders coach. You tell her that you're training to be a coach, and that you're here to observe class.
She checks her computer screen. "Ah, yes," she says, tilting her computer toward you. "Is this your name? MetaCoders called last week to arrange your visit."
"That's me," you say.
She shows you where to sign in, then answers your original question: "You're in room 19 -- just down the hall and to the right."
1:50pm
You arrive in the room about 10 minutes before the class is supposed to start. You recognize the coach immediately because he is wearing a MetaCoders hoodie. His nametag says "Bruce."
Bruce placing small laptops out on desks. "Hello again!" He says.
"Again-?" You start to ask, but he continues:
"Can you help me out? The kids will be coming soon. There is a bag of mice over there -- if you could plug one in to each of these computers, that'd be great."
As you dole out mice, you ask, "Do these computers belong to the school?"
"Oh, no," he says. "These are MetaCoders computers. Coaches pick up all equipment from the local Technology Coordinator before each class and return it after. I got this stuff from Kate; she lives down the street. The TCs take care of all the equipment, including computers, and make sure they have all the tech we need -- including whatever programming languages we'll be teaching. Ahem, sorry: 'Coaching' not 'teaching.'"
"Have you been coaching long?"
"Nope!" Bruce says, grinning. "This is my first day. Can you tell I'm super nervous? I always talk a lot when I'm nervous."
"That should come in handy for Story Mode," you say.
"That's exactly what I keep telling myself!"
Bruce does a lap of the room, setting out a few more things before stepping back and breathing a sigh of relief. "Still five minutes before class starts. Let's step outside to help students find us." But at that exact moment, a student who looks to be about eight years old walks in the room.
"Ummm," she says. "Is this..." She gulps, a bit shy. "Uh... the... coding class?"
"It sure is," says Bruce, with a huge smile. "My name is Coach Bruce, what's your name?"
"I'm Ava."
"Nice to meet you, Ava!" Bruce pulls out his phone. "I am going to tell MetaCoders HQ that you are in class. My new friend and I were about to wait outside for the rest of your classmates; you can drop off you bag by the rug over there and join us!"
While you step just outside the classroom, Bruce says to her and to you, "At MetaCoders we always say: Class starts the moment you see the first student. So let's start with Game Mode while we wait for everyone."
"What's Game Mode?" Ava asks.
"It's when we play games," he says.
"I play Fortnite with my dad."
"Cool!" says Bruce. "This game is a memory game. We'll each say something we like about computers or coding. For example, you just said 'Fortnite' -- that's a computer game built with code! Now it's my turn, so I have to remember what you said, 'Fortnite,' and then add my own thing that I like about computers or coding. I like..." He thinks for a moment. "DrRacket -- which is the program we'll be using in class to write programs in." He looks at you. "You're up!"
"Umm, Fortnite, DrRacket." You say. "And I like..." The first thing that pops into your head is: "Github."
"What's Github?" says Ava.
"It's a website," says Bruce, "where coders put their code so that they can work with other coders on the same code."
You're impressed at how easily Bruce managed to explain Github and decide to mentally file that description away in case you ever need to do the same.
"Okay, Ava," says Bruce. "Now you have to remember all three things and then add another."
Ava says, "Fortnite, DrRacket, Github, and..." But just as she is about to add something, another student walks up.
Bruce tells her to wait so that they can all play. He goes through the same process of welcoming and ontroducing himself, checking the student -- Colin -- in through his phone and explaining what they are doing.
"Fortnite," says Ava.
"Fortnite, DrRacket," says Bruce.
"Fortnite, DrRacket, Github," you say.
"Fortnite, DrRacket, Github. And... I like YouTube."
The game continues. A few minutes later, Bruce moves them inside to the rug and continues to play inside. He restarts the game whenever new students arrive. Occasionally, he switches topics; for example, after a few rounds of "things you like about coding and computers", he does the "name game" where everyone takes turns saying their names and remembering the names of the people who went earlier. Then he chooses the topic to "things that have computers inside of them" -- like air planes, thermostats, cell phones. It's all the same game -- a memory game -- but the change of topic keeps it interesting both for the students and for you over the next 10 minutes while Bruce ducks in and out of the game, occasionally checking his phone and poking his head out the door as he collects students.
2:03pm
When the final student arrives, Bruce pauses the game and gets everyone's attention on him. "Okay! What we were just doing was Game Mode. But now, we're going to switch to Story Mode. But first, I want to ask, has anyone here taken a MetaCoders class before?"
Three students, Aurelia, Colin and Bai, raise their hands.
"Cool! Who were your coaches? Aurelia?"
"Ummm... Coach Joseph," she says.
"Yeah, it was Coach Joseph last time," Bai says. "But the time before that it was Coach Ruby. She was also our coach--"
"That's really cool, Bai, but can you raise your hand next time?" Bruce asks. Bai nods.
"Thank you, Bai. Colin, can you tell everyone what the first thing we do on the first day of a MetaCoders class?" Bruce asks.
"The coach tells a story?" says Bai.
"Right, we tell our own story. A story about us." says Bruce. "Every MetaCoders class, on the first day, the coach tells a story about themselves -- when and why they became a Coding Coach, a story about their own experience as a coder, or something like that. Ready to learn a little more about me?" Bruce asks. The students nod, a few say "yeah!"
"Alright! Hello my name is Bruce." He says it like the shark in Finding Nemo.
Everyone laughs.
"Thanks," says Bruce. "I've worked on that impression for a long time."
"So, I am brand new to being a Coding Coach." Bruce continues. "I bet some of you have been coding longer than I have -- like Bai and Aurelia. Has anyone else done some coding before?"
A few of the students raise their hands. "I coded in Scratch with my mom," says Efan, one of the new students.
"Well that means you, too, have probably been a coder longer than I have! But at MetaCoders, we don't just teach you how to code. We teach you how to... Aurelia, do you know?"
Aurelia shakes her head.
"That's alright," says Bruce. "Bai? Colin?"
"Uhh, I forgot," says Bai as Colin shrugs.
"It's okay! We teach you how to learn how to code --"
"Oh, yeah!" exclaims Bai; then he covers his mouth when he realizes he has interrupted.
"At MetaCoders we code computers and we code our own brains. Coding our own brains is what we usually call 'learning.' And even though I haven't been coding computers for very long, I have been coding my own brain for a very, very long time. A lot of my work is with my hands -- I do carpentry, painting, fixing for people around their house. I had to learn what kind of wood or paint is best for each project, what tools to use, how to use those tools. All of that information is stored in my brain now. I made a lot of mistakes when I first started, and I had to learn how to learn from my mistakes. I had to learn how to not get frustrated with myself. And I had to learn how to make myself stick with something long enough to get really, really good at it. It takes a lot of strength to keep learning something day after day, month after month, and year after year. But I have been learning that stuff for a long time. And because of everything stored in my brain, I can literally build an entire house with my hands."
Some of the kids murmur in awe.
"Yep. Seriously. I built my mom a guest house in my own backyard. It has a bottom floor and a loft. It even has running water, electricity, and air conditioning. I would never have been able to do that if I hadn't spent so many years learning. With all that practice, I'm really good at learning and I want to help you all learn how to learn too," Bruce says.
"Anyway, I always thought coding was cool because I love to play video games with my kids -- like Fortnite and Minecraft. I had always dreamed of making my own video game. When my friend Ruby told me about how she became a coding coach and learned how to code with students like you, I decided to do it too. Now, just in the last month, I've worked with Github, a coders website for hosting code, coded websites, and games just like the ones we are going to make in class together.
"I'm excited to code more with you all, as I coach you along your own journey to become a coder. And, along the way, I'm going to share what I know about learning, and help you become SUPER STUDENTS who can learn anything!"
Bruce strikes a dramatic superhero pose and the students giggle. Bai claps, which causes the rest to join in applause.
"Thank you, thank you," Bruce says. "But enough about me; I want to get to know you! Let's flip into Game Mode to play a quick getting-to-know-you game..."
Bruce goes on to lead the game, but we are going to skip over this for now. Since the focus of this chapter is Story Mode, we are just going to check those out. Don't worry! We'll revisit the first day games later on, in Chapter 5.
2:15pm
After a fairly quick, fun game, Bruce gathers the students back on the classroom rug. As they settle down, you see Bruce pick up a laptop that was set off to the side. You peak over his shoulder to see what you assume is a classmap. You see a section labeled "Coach Story", followed by a section labeled "Name Game." Bruce clicks on the following section, labeled "Class Frame Story & Code of Awesomeness Stories". It is comforting to know that coaches do not have to have the classmaps memorized.
The classmap looks like this:
Class Launch Map ~60 minutes
Start your session with introductions, the first Code of Awesomeness, and writing the Hello World code!
Coach Story
~5min
Coach Story
A chance to introduce yourself and some values of MetaCoders.
[Coach fills in: Your coach story][Coach fills in: Any discussion questions you wish to ask about your story]
Name Memory Game
~5min
Name Memory Game
Players share about themselves and test their memory by repeating what Players before them have said.
Need:
- no required supplies
How to Play:
Coach(es) should participate in the game as a Player as well as a Coach.
- Players (and Coach) sit in a circle
- Coach sets a prompt (see suggestions below)
- Player A states their name and an answer to the prompt
- Player B, the next Player in the circle, repeats Player A's name and answer
- Player B shares their own name and answer
- Player C repeats A and B's names and answers before adding their own
- Play continues around the circle until all Players have gone
Prompt Examples:
- Continue the conversation from your Coach Story by using a relevant discussion question as the prompt
- Any previous coding experience
- Favorite computer activity
- Dream pet/vacation/job/etc
- Favorite food/color/video game/book/movie/etc
- What you did over summer break/the weekend/etc
Course Introduction
~5min
Course Introduction
Introduce the course concepts and goals: including language, gamification, and learning how to learn!
Tips & Tricks:
- You may also want to summarize the day's schedule so students know what to expect. This can be especially helpful if you have a few more things to do before getting on computers, since students can get stuck "waiting" for this and get impatient rather than focusing on the important stories/games in the meantime.
- In this class we will learn about:
- Coding
- Learning
- Code is a language, like English. The language we are learning is _______.
- (Include features of the language/what you will be learning)
- Like learning anything, there will be easy and hard parts. As we learn coding remember it’s like learning language - easy and hard but with lots of practice, we can become fluent and code like we speak -- effortlessly!
- You will earn badges as you learn in this class!
- (Introduce other gamification elements such as: game jam, dollars, market, etc.)
As with all MetaCoders classes, we're here to get better at two things:
In order to practice either one of those, we need a language to learn. That way, we can learn that language -- and (more importantly) we can learn how to learn languages.
In this class, we're going to be using a language named [Coach fills in: #lang _______]. I've been learning this language myself, and I want to tell you about a few of its interesting features.
[Coach fills in: Mention one or two features of the language.]
As with any language, there are easy things about it. And there are hard things about it. But we're going to work together as a class to find things that are just right -- not to easy, and not too hard. That way we can increase our brains' abilities to read and write in that new language.
Lastly, this class is going to involve challenging ourselves with various games. For some of those games, I'll be giving out rewards and prizes!
[Coach fills in: Any additional information about your intended gamification in this class.]
Also, the class as a whole is a kind of like a game -- because you'll be getting badges every few weeks just for showing up and working hard. Remember that 100% of winning is showing up.
- Coding
- Learning
In order to practice either one of those, we need a language to learn. That way, we can learn that language -- and (more importantly) we can learn how to learn languages.
In this class, we're going to be using a language named [Coach fills in: #lang _______]. I've been learning this language myself, and I want to tell you about a few of its interesting features.
[Coach fills in: Mention one or two features of the language.]
As with any language, there are easy things about it. And there are hard things about it. But we're going to work together as a class to find things that are just right -- not to easy, and not too hard. That way we can increase our brains' abilities to read and write in that new language.
- Who has learned a foreign language before?
- Who can tell me some good strategies for learning a new language?
Which part of our brain do we need to grow to increase our ability to understand new languages?
Left hemisphere (for most people) -- specifically areas like Broca's area and Wernike's area.
Lastly, this class is going to involve challenging ourselves with various games. For some of those games, I'll be giving out rewards and prizes!
[Coach fills in: Any additional information about your intended gamification in this class.]
Also, the class as a whole is a kind of like a game -- because you'll be getting badges every few weeks just for showing up and working hard. Remember that 100% of winning is showing up.
- Getting prizes is cool -- but what is the larger purpose of those prizes?
- Why is it important to stay motivated over a long period of time when learning new languages?
- If you train your brain to learn languages, how will that help you as a coder?
- Who has learned a foreign language before?
- Who can tell me some good strategies for learning a new language?
Which part of our brain do we need to grow to increase our ability to understand new languages?
Left hemisphere (for most people) -- specifically areas like Broca's area and Wernike's area.
- Getting prizes is cool -- but what is the larger purpose of those prizes?
- Why is it important to stay motivated over a long period of time when learning new languages?
- If you train your brain to learn languages, how will that help you as a coder?
Overcome the Unknown Fable
~15min
Overcome the Unknown Fable
A Code of Awesomeness fable about two fish who looked the same on the outside, but whose minds were very different on the inside.
Mode Summary & Goals
Summary: Introduce the OVERCOME THE UNKNOWN Code to the Code of Awesomeness. Explore the values and ideas that this Code encompasses.
Goals and Gains:- Add a new Code to the Code of Awesomeness: Overcome the Unknown!
- Discuss the benefits of taking on new challenges.
- Learn about mindsets, world-views, attitudes and how they can change our life and behavior.
- Set up a classroom norm: sometimes we will do stuff we haven't done before!
- Relate the abstract concept (Overcome the Unknown) to tangable actions and experiences through story.
- Prepare for the Code Of Awesomeness Motto Creation Game Mode
- There are two fish, Trout and Catfish, who are the same except for the way they think and talk. For example:
- While Trout says: "I hate when the bigger fish laugh at me when I do coding. One day, I’ll be the best around."
- Catfish says: “I think I got better at coding today. If I keep it up, I’ll be the best around.”
- While Trout says: "I lost the coding competition, so I'm switching to jewelry-making. I hate losing."
- Catfish says: "I lost the coding competition, so I'm going to practice even harder for the next one."
- Both fish enter coding tournaments.
- Trout wins and laughs at all the smaller fish who lost.
- Catfish doesn't win, but talks to the other fish and learns what they did better than her.
- Both fish grow up and become the biggest fish in their pond
- Catfish decides to travel and learn more.
- Catfish competes with even bigger fish in bigger ponds. When she gets to be the biggest in the pond, she moves to an even bigger pond.
- Catfish grows into a gigantic fish.
- Meanwhile, Trout stays home and wins the same competition year after year. She laughs at the smaller fish.
- When Catfish comes home to see everyone, she is the biggest fish they have ever seen!
- Trout is upset, and she refuses to talk to Catfish at all.
- Trout stays in the small pond her whole life, one day losing to young fish. She retires from coding after that.
- Catfish travels the big ponds of the world, a medium-sized fish and one of the best fish coders ever.
Once upon a time, there were two small fish; Trout and Catfish. They both lived in one big pond -- at least it was a big pond for the two very small fish. Both Trout and Catfish were young and neither one of them was very good at things that all fishes do -- like coding, and skiing, and martial arts, and creative writing, and parachuting, and making jewelry, and eating smaller fish.
Although Trout and Catfish were best friends, there was one big difference between them. It wasn't their color. (Both were rainbow-colored.) It wasn't their dreams. (Both dreamed of becoming the biggest fishes in the pond.)
No, the difference was actually in the minds of the fish. You wouldn't be able to see the difference from the outside. But if you listened carefully to them talk, you might be able to hear it.
Trout would often say things like: "I hate when the bigger fish laugh at me when I do coding. One day, I'm going to be the best coder in the pond."
Catfish would often say things like: "I feel like I'm a tiny bit better at coding today than I was yesterday. If I keep this up, one day, I'll be the best coder in the pond."
Did you catch the difference? Let's listen again.
Trout once said: "I lost the coding competition, so I'm switching to jewelry-making because I'm better at that. I hate losing." (She did not, in fact, switch to jewelry-making.)
Catfish once said: "I lost the coding competition, so I'm going to practice even harder for the next one."
Did you catch the difference that time?
Time passed and both fish grew from tiny to medium-sized. The difference between their minds grew, too. One day at their weekly brunch, Trout and Catfish discussed the coding tournaments they had competed in over the last week:
"Yesterday, I beat a bunch of little minnows in the coding competition and laughed at them." Said Trout. "Small fish are so basic."
"Hmm." Catfish said. "Well, today, I lost my coding tournament. But it was a tough competition -- against some of the best coders in the entire pond."
"How many trophies do you have?" Trout asked. "I have six trophies!"
"I don't remember," Catfish said. "Not many. I don't go to tournaments for trophies."
Trout sighed -- sometimes Catfish was very odd.
More time passed and now both Trout and Catfish had grown to be the biggest in the whole pond -- even bigger than the turtles! That difference inside of them had also grown so large that anyone who knew them could hear it in the way they talked:
One day, after comparing herself to every other fish in the pond, Trout annouced: "We finally made it! We're officially the biggest fish in the whole pond. No one can beat me at coding."
Catfish said, "No one?"
"I could beat you if I wanted to," Trout said, "but I don't want to make you look bad."
"I don't mind if you make me look bad." Catfish said.
"Look -- I'm just too busy to compete with you right now," said Trout. "Maybe tomorrow."
Catfish said, "Actually, I'm leaving today."
"Leaving? You're leaving the pond?" Trout said, surprised. "But what about our dream of becoming the biggest fish in the whole pond? We finally did it!"
"It's just..." said Catfish, "don't you ever wonder if there are bigger ponds out there?"
"No!" said Trout. "I've spent my entire life becoming the biggest fish here. If the next pond is even bigger, there might be even bigger fish!"
"That's kind of what I'm hoping for," said Catfish.
"What if they laugh at you?" asked Trout.
"I suppose that might happen," said Catfish. "I'll take the risk."
"What if they are better at coding than you?" said Trout.
"Exactly!" said Catfish. "I can become even better out there than I can in here."
Trout humphed and swished away in a swarm of bubbles, saying over her shoulder, "Fine! With you gone, I'll finally be the biggest fish of all!"
Later that day, Catfish bought plane tickets to a larger pond -- it was ten times larger, filled with gigantic fish. When Catfish arrived in the new pond -- those gigantic fish did sometimes laugh at her. And the gigantic fish did code faster and better than her -- at least at first.
But slowly, Catfish grew, and kept entering coding tournaments, and the day that she became the biggest fish in that pond -- can you guess what she did? She bought plane tickets to a new pond -- one twenty times bigger than her home pond, filled with enormous fish!
Once again, Catfish was just one of the smaller fish, and at first Catfish lost every coding tournament. But Catfish knew what she was doing. For years, she moved from pond to pond, always knowing when to go -- once she had become the biggest in the old pond.
Many years later, Catfish decided to visit her home pond again. When she swam off the plane into that tiny pond, all of the other fishes' mouths dropped open. They had never in their entire lives dreamed that a fish could ever get that big.
Trout pushed her way through the shocked crowd to the front, until she was nose to (much larger) nose with Catfish.
"What are you doing back here?" Trout snapped.
"That's no way to treat an old friend," said Catfish.
Trout humphed and swam away, saying over her shoulder, "Go back to your big ponds and leave me alone."
It's always sad when two former friends' have such different mindsets that they cannot get along. Trout stuck to her small pond, entering the same small tournaments and winning the small trophies over and over again. She retired from tournaments early, the first time a young minnow beat her at a coding tournament.
Catfish, on the other hand, grew to be a medium-sized fish in some of the biggest ponds in the whole world. She went on to become one of the most famous fish coders of all time! She traveled all over, competing in the biggest coding tournaments -- sometimes winning and sometimes losing, but always learning.
Although Trout and Catfish were best friends, there was one big difference between them. It wasn't their color. (Both were rainbow-colored.) It wasn't their dreams. (Both dreamed of becoming the biggest fishes in the pond.)
No, the difference was actually in the minds of the fish. You wouldn't be able to see the difference from the outside. But if you listened carefully to them talk, you might be able to hear it.
Trout would often say things like: "I hate when the bigger fish laugh at me when I do coding. One day, I'm going to be the best coder in the pond."
Catfish would often say things like: "I feel like I'm a tiny bit better at coding today than I was yesterday. If I keep this up, one day, I'll be the best coder in the pond."
Did you catch the difference? Let's listen again.
Trout once said: "I lost the coding competition, so I'm switching to jewelry-making because I'm better at that. I hate losing." (She did not, in fact, switch to jewelry-making.)
Catfish once said: "I lost the coding competition, so I'm going to practice even harder for the next one."
Did you catch the difference that time?
Time passed and both fish grew from tiny to medium-sized. The difference between their minds grew, too. One day at their weekly brunch, Trout and Catfish discussed the coding tournaments they had competed in over the last week:
"Yesterday, I beat a bunch of little minnows in the coding competition and laughed at them." Said Trout. "Small fish are so basic."
"Hmm." Catfish said. "Well, today, I lost my coding tournament. But it was a tough competition -- against some of the best coders in the entire pond."
"How many trophies do you have?" Trout asked. "I have six trophies!"
"I don't remember," Catfish said. "Not many. I don't go to tournaments for trophies."
Trout sighed -- sometimes Catfish was very odd.
More time passed and now both Trout and Catfish had grown to be the biggest in the whole pond -- even bigger than the turtles! That difference inside of them had also grown so large that anyone who knew them could hear it in the way they talked:
One day, after comparing herself to every other fish in the pond, Trout annouced: "We finally made it! We're officially the biggest fish in the whole pond. No one can beat me at coding."
Catfish said, "No one?"
"I could beat you if I wanted to," Trout said, "but I don't want to make you look bad."
"I don't mind if you make me look bad." Catfish said.
"Look -- I'm just too busy to compete with you right now," said Trout. "Maybe tomorrow."
Catfish said, "Actually, I'm leaving today."
"Leaving? You're leaving the pond?" Trout said, surprised. "But what about our dream of becoming the biggest fish in the whole pond? We finally did it!"
"It's just..." said Catfish, "don't you ever wonder if there are bigger ponds out there?"
"No!" said Trout. "I've spent my entire life becoming the biggest fish here. If the next pond is even bigger, there might be even bigger fish!"
"That's kind of what I'm hoping for," said Catfish.
"What if they laugh at you?" asked Trout.
"I suppose that might happen," said Catfish. "I'll take the risk."
"What if they are better at coding than you?" said Trout.
"Exactly!" said Catfish. "I can become even better out there than I can in here."
Trout humphed and swished away in a swarm of bubbles, saying over her shoulder, "Fine! With you gone, I'll finally be the biggest fish of all!"
Later that day, Catfish bought plane tickets to a larger pond -- it was ten times larger, filled with gigantic fish. When Catfish arrived in the new pond -- those gigantic fish did sometimes laugh at her. And the gigantic fish did code faster and better than her -- at least at first.
But slowly, Catfish grew, and kept entering coding tournaments, and the day that she became the biggest fish in that pond -- can you guess what she did? She bought plane tickets to a new pond -- one twenty times bigger than her home pond, filled with enormous fish!
Once again, Catfish was just one of the smaller fish, and at first Catfish lost every coding tournament. But Catfish knew what she was doing. For years, she moved from pond to pond, always knowing when to go -- once she had become the biggest in the old pond.
Many years later, Catfish decided to visit her home pond again. When she swam off the plane into that tiny pond, all of the other fishes' mouths dropped open. They had never in their entire lives dreamed that a fish could ever get that big.
Trout pushed her way through the shocked crowd to the front, until she was nose to (much larger) nose with Catfish.
"What are you doing back here?" Trout snapped.
"That's no way to treat an old friend," said Catfish.
Trout humphed and swam away, saying over her shoulder, "Go back to your big ponds and leave me alone."
It's always sad when two former friends' have such different mindsets that they cannot get along. Trout stuck to her small pond, entering the same small tournaments and winning the small trophies over and over again. She retired from tournaments early, the first time a young minnow beat her at a coding tournament.
Catfish, on the other hand, grew to be a medium-sized fish in some of the biggest ponds in the whole world. She went on to become one of the most famous fish coders of all time! She traveled all over, competing in the biggest coding tournaments -- sometimes winning and sometimes losing, but always learning.
- Which fish had a better mindset?
- What adjectives would you use to describe Trout's mindset versus Catfish?
- Which fish had a 'growth mindset' and which had a 'fixed mindset'?
- In what ways are you like Trout?
- In what ways are you like Catfish?
- How can we help each other be more like Catfish and less like Trout?
- What could Catfish have said to Trout to convince her to think differently?
- How can you tell when someone has a mindset that's more like Trout than Catfish?
Tips & Tricks:
- For younger audiences, use a whiteboard to track the size and journeys of the two fish.
- Yes, it is ridiculous that fish might code. The authors know it, you know it, the audience knows it. Use the ridiculousness to your advantage!
- Don't forget to engage with questions -- at the end and throughout!
Code of Awesomeness Mottos
~10min
Code of Awesomeness Mottos
Customize the Code of Awesomeness by creating a unique Motto for one or multiple Codes.
Mode Summary & Goals
Summary: Foster a personal connection to the Code of Awesomeness by creating a unique motto or callback for each code.
Goals and Gains:- Personalize the lessons in a Code
- Create a shorthand for those connections through a simple phrase
- Practice teamwork, communication and compromise
Need:
- Optional: Whiteboard or other writing materials for notes
How to Play:
Make sure you have introduced whatever Code(s) you plan to create a Motto for with a story and discussion PRIOR to this game!
GOALS of Motto Creation:- Students co-create a linguistic tool that you can employ throughout the class, whenever you need to nudge students to apply certain values -- i.e. tenacity (rather than fear) in debugging, eagerness (rather than avoidance) when it comes to unknown concepts, and so on. This is also a great customized attention-getter.
- Students create a personal attachment to the Code of Awesomeness by creating a callback that engages them and their particular interests/sense of humor/personal story.
- Coach chooses a specific Code to create a Motto for
- Coach explains what a Code Motto is -- your team's very own response to a Code, that is fun, personal, and clarifies what that Code means to the team
- Coach introduces three options for a Motto (see Example Mottos below)
- Team votes, winning Motto is chosen by majority
- Practice Code/Motto Call/Response several times
- Repeat for additional Code(s) as desired
- Coach chooses a specific Code to create a Motto for
- Coach explains what a Code Motto is -- your team's very own response to a Code, that is fun, personal, and clarifies what that Code means to the team
- Coach introduces a couple Motto options (see Example Mottos below)
- Coach sets timer for 3 minutes
- Players brainstorm additional Motto options
- Coach or designated Player notes options
- Team votes on all options, winning Motto is chosen by majority
- Practice Code/Motto Call/Response several times
- Repeat for additional Code(s) as desired
Follow the same steps as Version Two, but break the Team into smaller groups prior to the brainstorming stage. Each group must decide on ONE option to present to the group. Entire Team votes on all options.
- Overcome the Unknown
- CHARGE!
- To infinity and beyond!
- To bodly go where no one's gone before!
- Into the UNKNOOOWNNN! (ala Frozen 2)
- Be a Bug Hunter
- SMUSH!
- Gotta catch 'em all!
- Bug found? Don't frown!
- Teach the Team
- Coders Assemble!
- Teamwork makes the dream work!
- Be a BOSS!
Tips & Tricks:
- Some Players will have their heart set on a Motto that is not chosen. Prepare to reassure Players that are disappointed -- "There were lots of cool options, I'm sorry yours didn't win" "It's about the whole team, not just what you want, and this was the one the team chose." "It's okay! There are more Codes and Mottos to come!"
- When leading a brainstorm, you may want to combine options or narrow down the list prior to voting, to simplify the process.
"Hello, World!"
~5min
"Hello, World!"
Why do we call the first code we write our Hello World program?
- The first program a coder writes in a new language is traditionally a Hello World program.
- This tradition comes from computer science textbooks written in the 1970's.
- A literal Hello World program prints out the words "Hello, World!" in the terminal.
- If possible, show some sample Hello World programs in various languages: samples listed below.
- Nowadays, a Hello World program can be more complex and powerful than it used to be, sometimes with even simplier code.
- Sometimes a Hello World program doesn't have anything to do with the words "Hello, World!" but it is still called that as the starting program in a new language.
In a moment we will be writing our first lines of code in our language. We call these lines of code our Hello World program because of a tradition that started way back in the 1970's (that's 50 years ago!). This piece of computer science history continues to influence coders today -- coders like you.
A computer science textbook published in 1978 entitled "The C Programming Language" included the following coding exercise:
Even before that, a textbook on the B programming language published in 1972 contained this example:
These textbooks were so influential -- specifically "The C Programming Language" -- that these very coding execises started a computer science tradition that is still observed today: when learning a new language, the first program a coder writes outputs the words "Hello, World."
Now, that code might look completely different from one computer language to another (after all, "Hello, world" can look and sound very different in human languages, right?). For example:
[Coach fills in: Project or otherwise display some of the eaxmples listed below.]
This "Hello, World" tradition is so embedded in coder-culture that even when the first program a coder writes has nothing to do with the words "Hello World" (maybe the code outputs an image, webpage, game, or even blinking LEDs in "the real world" instead of text on the screen!), a coder still might refer to this first program as their Hello World Program.
So, as coders and members of this huge community and culture of other coders, we are also going to call our first program our Hello World Program.
Are you ready to try it?
A computer science textbook published in 1978 entitled "The C Programming Language" included the following coding exercise:
main() {
printf(\"hello, world\\n\");
}Even before that, a textbook on the B programming language published in 1972 contained this example:
main( ) {
extern a, b, c;
putchar(a); putchar(b); putchar(c); putchar('!*n');
}
a 'hell';
b 'o, w';
c 'orld';These textbooks were so influential -- specifically "The C Programming Language" -- that these very coding execises started a computer science tradition that is still observed today: when learning a new language, the first program a coder writes outputs the words "Hello, World."
Now, that code might look completely different from one computer language to another (after all, "Hello, world" can look and sound very different in human languages, right?). For example:
[Coach fills in: Project or otherwise display some of the eaxmples listed below.]
This "Hello, World" tradition is so embedded in coder-culture that even when the first program a coder writes has nothing to do with the words "Hello World" (maybe the code outputs an image, webpage, game, or even blinking LEDs in "the real world" instead of text on the screen!), a coder still might refer to this first program as their Hello World Program.
So, as coders and members of this huge community and culture of other coders, we are also going to call our first program our Hello World Program.
Are you ready to try it?
Here are example Hello World programs in a few different languages:
- C (from the aforementioned 1970's textbook)
main() { printf(\"hello, world\\n\"); } - Racket
#lang racket "Hello, World!"
- Python
print "Hello World"
- Javascript
console.log("Hello World"); - Java
class HelloWorld { static public void main( String args[] ) { System.out.println( "Hello World!" ); } } - Ruby
puts "Hello, world!"
- Typescript
alert('Hello world!'); - Find more in this online collection.
Hello World Game
~10min
Hello World Game
The first coding game of most courses
Need:
- no required supplies
How to Play:
Run the game below, using the Hello World code card in your #lang
Disintegrating Code
Write the code multiple times, but with fewer and fewer hints each time.
Need:
- computers - 1 per Player
- whiteboard and markers
- timer
- code & translation
How to Play:
- Coach writes the entire code & translation on the whiteboard
- Players type up code as Coach does so
- Players test their code
- Players erase their code
- Coach erases 1-4 words from the code on the whiteboard (leaving parens, hyphens, other symbols)
- Timer set for roughly 1 min per line of code
- Players type up code, remembering what goes into the blanks
- Round ends when timer goes off
- Repeat steps 4-9 until no words are left on the board, only symbols
- Last round, everything but the translation is erased from the board
Tips & Tricks:
- For Ratchet langs: create shorthand drawing for the symbols with the players. For example -- rather than trying to draw the knight icon as it looks in game, ask the players "What can I draw that means 'knight' to us?" Players suggest horse, sword, helmet, shield. You decide on a shield -- and draw that everytime you need a knight.
- Replace erased words with blanks (______) for extra clarity.
- For new coders, start by erasing one word that appears two or more times in the code.
- Tag in an advanced student to play the Coach role!
- For Ratchet code, draw symbols and erase those one at a time.
Meta Story: Reflection
~5min
Meta Story: Reflection
A chance to practice those metacognition skills.
We're going to reflect for a few minutes on:One UNKNOWN we OVERCAME today.
Raise your hand if you have a reflection you want to share...
Tips & Tricks:
- Call on a few students.
- Add words of wisdom and encouragement where necessary.
Bruce clears his throat. "Now we are back to Story Mode -- I'm going to start by telling you a bit more about this class and what we are going to be doing together over the next eight weeks! This may not feel like a story, but you will learn that Story Mode can look a lot of different ways."
Bruce goes on to tell the students a little bit about the language they will be coding in, as well as the end of session Game Jam, and a few other class mechanics. It isn't a story, but it still feels like Bruce is telling a story, and you can't quite figure out why.
"Now," Bruce continues, "on to a story that feels more like a Real Story. It's going to seem like it has nothing to do with coding... but it does. It has a hidden message that I will ask you to figure out after I finish. Bai, Aurelia and Colin: I know you have heard these stories before, so I am going to ask you to give us hints if we need them, okay?"
"Alright." Bruce says as he picks up the laptop with the classmap. "I am going to read you the story from this computer. Are you ready?" The students nod. Bruce charges ahead with the story:
"Once there were two very good friends -- Ostrich and Woodpecker. They decided to move to a new desert together and build their new homes side by side so they would always be the very first ones to wish each other good morning, and the very last ones to tell each other good night. They knew they had to finish their home for the hottest days of summer, so they would be able to relax in the shade through the toughest desert season. Ostrich and Woodpecker each gathered their materials -- mud from the far-away river, stones from the desert and wood from a nearby forest -- and started building their houses."
You notice right away, that even though Bruce is reading from the computer, he looks up at the students often, making eye contact and really telling them the story. He also is standing and moving around the room, laptop in arm.
"Now, Ostrich and Woodpecker were very good friends, but they also secretly wanted to build the biggest home in the whole desert."
"How amazed everyone will be, thought Woodpecker, when they see that a little bird like me made such a huge house!" The students giggle at the high-pitched voice Bruce uses to be the Woodpecker. He changes his voice to a different tone for the Ostrich:
"Everyone will know I am the best builder, thought Ostrich, when they see the size of my house!
"So they both worked very hard the first day, and by sunset, they both had a strong foundation this tall." Bruce holds both hands at knee level. "Ostrich and Woodpecker congratulated themselves for a hard day's work, wished each other a weary goodnight, and quickly fell asleep, curled up inside their homes-to-be."
"The next day, Ostrich and Woodpecker woke up very early, hollered a quick, polite "good morning," before starting to work again as soon as the sun rose. But at midday -- tragedy struck!" Bruce pauses for dramatic effect before continuing, "Ostrich grabbed a hearty branch for his wall but dropped it right again when a big termite came skittering from a hole in the branch!"
"'A bug!' Ostrich cried, as he watched the termite run into the house he was building. 'Oh no!'"
"'Is everything okay?' Ostrich heard Woodpecker holler from her house-in-progress next door."
"'Um... Yes! Everything fine here!' Ostrich called back. He couldn't tell Woodpecker about the bug; she would tell him that he needed to track it down!" Bruce started speaking faster. "It was going to take so long to track down the termite, and he would fall behind, and then he would never have the biggest house and, what if there were more in the house already--" Bruce takes a big gasping breath, which makes the students laugh again.
"Ostrich didn't even let himself finish thinking that thought. This was terrible! But if he just forgot about it, and pretended everything was fine, it would be fine. Right? Ostrich decided this was the best plan, put his head down and got back to work, building his home until sunset."
"Meanwhile, over at Woodpecker's house-in-progress, little did Ostrich know that she, too, had come across a termite! As she watched the termite scuttle away into her house, she asked herself what to do now."
"That one little termite could cause me a lot of problems! Woodpecker thought. If it eats through the wood in my house, my whole house will be unstable! I better take the time now to find that bug, and any others, and get rid of them. And that's what Woodpecker did."
"Woodpecker spent several hours tracking down and getting rid of any and all termites, and only had a couple hours left at the end of the day to build her house. By the time the sun set, Woodpecker's house was bigger than it was that morning," Bruce holds his left hand up to the height of his hip, "but not nearly as big as Ostrich's was." Bruce lifts his right hand up to his chest. "But at least the bugs are gone! Woodpecker reassured herself, before she and Ostrich said their 'goodnights' and went to bed."
"Over the following weeks, both houses grew bigger and bigger. Woodpecker's home was big," Bruce places his left hand at his shoulder, "but Ostrich's house was huge!" Bruce's left hand reaches nearly as high as it could go. "See, while Woodpecker stopped every so often to root out a termite here or there, Ostrich continued to build build build and ignore any sign of termites. Now, Ostrich's house had hundreds of bugs in it. His house was huge, but it shook every time the wind blew. The door kept falling off. There were holes in the walls. The kitchen had collapsed several times already. Ostrich found that he was spending less and less time making his house bigger and more and more time rebuilding the parts that had been eaten away during the night. Woodpecker's house, on the other hand, was still steadily growing. By the time the blazing hot summer had arrived, both houses were giganic, and larger than anything else in the entire desert!" Bruce gets up on his toes, attempting to reach as high as he can. This gets the biggest laugh yet from the students.
"Then the first big summer dust storm arrived. Woodpecker's home stood strong as the dusty wind railed against her walls. As for Ostrich's house --" Another pause for dramatic effect, "when the first gust blew, the entire building came crashing down around his ears!"
"Woodpecker immediately flew next door only to see her friend's home had collapsed into a pile of fractured wood and termites -- so many termites! Woodpecker helped Ostrich climb, unharmed, from the rubble, and brought him into her own home."
"'Of course your house is strong,' Ostrich moaned, 'you didn't have to deal with termites like I did!'"
"'That's not true,' said Woodpecker. 'I had plenty of termites in my home, sometimes I still get them, but every time I see one, I hunt it down before it can chew away at my walls. Sure, it took time away from building -- sometimes I would spend a whole day hunting a stubborn one, and not build anything new -- but it was worth it.'"
"Woodpecker offered Ostrich her own home through the hot summer, and her help rebuilding Ostrich's house come fall. Ostrich gratefully accepted."
"'And this time,' Ostrich said, 'if we see a termite, I will track that bug down like you did! There will always be termites, beetles, and bugs. But if you help me learn, I think I can be a bug hunter, and make a nice, strong home!'"
"Woodpecker agreed, as she offered her from some iced tea."
"'You know,' Ostrich hummed 'I was just thinking that I wanted to expand my kitchen...'" Bruce trails off and put down the computer, as the students laugh and a few of them clap.
Bruce then asks various students to explain the moral in their own words and to link the moral to their own life experiences. He asks them to explain in their own words what a computer bug is. Bai has a lot to say -- but Bruce makes sure that Aurelia and Colin chip in as well. Bruce asks all three to talk specifically about their experiences with coding and bugs. Bai says that "writing code is like building a house" and that "each line is like another piece of wood." Colin is able to share a story about how, one time, it took him a really long time to find a bug, but then when he found it, it felt really satisfying to fix it.
You enjoy seeing how Bruce is able to take the simple moral -- "Fix bugs" -- and turn it in to a rich and textured discussion about how that story and all it's morals relate to the lives and worldviews of the students. You can tell there are at least a few things the students bring up that Bruce is suprised by. Seeing how much Bai is benefitting from sharing his thoughts on the story, as the most experienced student, and how much the other students are benefitting from his insights is inspiring. You predict that in Bai's next class, he may be able to tell at least one of these stories himself.
2:30pm
Bruce transitions the class back into Game Mode, where students break into groups and come up with their own catchy mottos for the "Be a Bug Hunter" moral. Bruce calls this moral and motto all together their first Code in their "Code of Awesomeness."
2:45pm
The students are excitedly talking amongst themselves, discussing the particular mottos they like or dislike when Bruce gathers their attention again:
"If you can hear me clap once!" says Bruce.
Most of the students clap, but several are still talking.
"If you can hear me clap twice!" says Bruce.
This time, everyone claps twice. The talking quiets.
"Nicely done!" says Bruce. "Being able to switch from Mode to Mode quickly like that means we have more time for coding -- which we are about to do. Thank you all."
He checks his computer screen for a moment, then starts writing on the board, as he talks to the class:
"In a moment we will be writing our first lines of code in our language. We call these lines of code our Hello World program because of a tradition that started way back in the 1970's (that's 50 years ago!). This piece of computer science history continues to influence coders today -- coders like you!"
"A computer science textbook published in 1978 used this coding example."
Bruce steps back from the board, showing what he had written there:
main() {
printf(\"hello, world\\n\");
}"Even before that, a textbook on the B programming language published in 1972 contained this example."
Bruce points to another section on the whiteboard, where he had written:
main( ) {
extern a, b, c;
putchar(a); putchar(b); putchar(c); putchar('!*n');
}
a 'hell';
b 'o, w';
c 'orld';Bruce continues:
"These textbooks were so influential -- specifically "The C Programming Language" -- that these very coding execises started a computer science tradition that is still observed today: when learning a new language, the first program a coder writes outputs the words "Hello, World.""
Bruce picks up the marker and starts writing again, referencing his computer with the Classmap every once and a while
"Now, that code might look completely different from one computer language to another (after all, "Hello, world" can look and sound very different in human languages, right?). For example..."
Bruce shows the two new lines of code he wrote on the board, explaining that the first,is in a language called Python:
print "Hello World"And the other was in a language called JavaScript:
console.log("Hello World");Bruce goes on to say: "This "Hello, World" tradition is so embedded in coder-culture that even when the first program a coder writes has nothing to do with the words "Hello World" (maybe the code outputs an image, webpage, game, or even blinking LEDs in "the real world" instead of text on the screen!), a coder still might refer to this first program as their Hello World Program."
"So, as coders and members of this huge community and culture of other coders, we are also going to call our first program our Hello World Program!"
"Are you ready to try it?" Bruce asks.
The students' responces vary from tentatively positive to completely ecstatic. Bruce cheers with them.
Bruce goes on to run the Disintegrating Code Game Mode, which takes up the majority of the rest of the class. Although Bruce does gather everyone's attention when the timer beeps to make sure students to erase code and are ready to restart, it's never long enough to really feel like a Story Mode. Bruce uses the timer throughout, along with announcing things like: "1 minute left" and "This time I'm only giving you three minutes."
We'll look at Disitegrating Code and other Games more closely in that Game Mode chapter.
2:55pm
After several time warnings counting down to the end of Game Mode, Bruce begins a final Story Mode to wrap up.
You realize, as he goes on, that this story is meta: it's the story of what happened that day.
"You all did great today!" announces Bruce. "I'm really impressed. Not only did all of you learn some really important attitudes for being a coder -- like being bug hunters. You also learned how to code an adventure game. And not only that, you learned one of my favorite techniques for learning how to code. What was that Game Mode called again?"
Everyone's hands go up, but Ava is the fastest.
"Ava?"
"Disintegrating Code."
"Exactly! I'm really impressed with what all of you did with your brains today. Can anyone tell me a short story about a challenge you faced today while coding?"
Bruce calls on Efan to share.
Bruce checks his watch a couple times throughout this Story Mode, then wraps up at 3pm exactly. He keeps control of the strudents and dismisses them one by one to their parents outside, giving each of them a fist bump and a congratulations on the way out.
3:05pm
When only you and Bruce are left, he turns to you, grinning: "What do you think? How'd that go?"
You are about to answer that you thought it went really well, but Bruce doesn't wait.
"I thought it was great! Wow, it went so fast!" Bruce says. "MetaCoders has some first day traditions. We always run the same classmap on the first day of any class. It takes some of the pressure off the coaches, it gives returning students a chance to establish themselves as leaders, and it gives new students a chance to to get oriented."
"How much of it did you have memorized?" you ask.
"My own coach story," he says. "I had to write that and upload a video of me telling it back when I first started my MetaCoders coach training. I reviewed the classmap, and all the stories and games until I felt comfortable, but you probably saw I also checked the classmap a lot."
"Yeah," you say. "The kids didn't seem to mind."
"As long as you are confident and clear, the kids are good!" Bruce says. "That's something I learned from having kids of my own."
Bruce reminds you to head over to Babbage University, sending you off with a cheery wave.
Chapter 3: A Story about Stories
Thu, March 25 1:45 PM
Read the full story to the right:
Margaret Hamilton Elementary
There are no stories here for your current quest
Margaret Hamilton Elementary
Named for the an American computer scientist, systems engineer and business owner. She was director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo space program.Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Pascal Elementary
There are no stories here for your current quest
Pascal Elementary
Named for a cool dude.Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Bruce's House
There are no stories here for your current quest
Bruce's House
Bruce is MetaCoder's newest Coding Coach in Metapolis; he was hired at the beginning of March. He lives here with his family.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Jack's House
There are no stories here for your current quest
Jack's House
Jack's place has an extra room that is used as an office space, this is where he will keep all the equipment.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
John's House
There are no stories here for your current quest
John's House
John lives in a condo that has a side gate with easy access to his back door, inside he has a small room inside where he keeps all the equipment.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Joseph's House
There are no stories here for your current quest
Joseph's House
This is where Joseph lives. Or so he tells us.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Kate's House
There are no stories here for your current quest
Kate's House
Kate's house has a driveway and a garage where she keeps all the equipment.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Ruby's House
There are no stories here for your current quest
Ruby's House
This is where Ruby lives.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Coder Cafe
There are no stories here for your current quest
Coder Cafe
A quaint coffee shop frequented by coders of all sorts.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Hopper Library
There are no stories here for your current quest
Hopper Library
Named after Grace Hopper, who created the first computer language compiler, which led to the COBOL programming language.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
MetaCoders HQ
There are no stories here for your current quest
MetaCoders HQ
The mothership hovers benevolently over the city of Metapolis. The population thrives in the cool shade beneath.Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Kick Butt Martial Arts
There are no stories here for your current quest
Kick Butt Martial Arts
A local business owned by Johnny Lawrence.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
1 of 6
Metapolis Welcome Center
There are stories here for your current quest
1 of 6
Metapolis Welcome Center
Where all vistors to Metapolis are encouraged to begin their journey.Hint: Most quests will start here...
Story Table of Contents
2 of 6
2 of 6Chapter 3: Intro
Welcome back to Metapolis! This chapter brings us to early Spring -- late March -- in Metapolis. MetaCoders Spring Session programs are starting up now, so we will be able to see a first day in a MetaCoders Class!The theme of this chapter is the importance of Story in the MetaCoders classroom. By the end of it (if you complete the assessment), you will have created and uploaded your own Coach Story video to Youtube and pushed your coach webpage to Github.
You will see stories in action on the first day of a new class and we'll also stop by Babbage University to learn the science of how stories accelerate learning.
This is like the Hello, World! of being a MetaCoders coach. So, in advance: We officially welcome you to MetaCoders.
The schedule is:
- Lovelace Elementary Where we'll see how Story Mode works on day 1 of any MetaCoders class.
- Babbage University Where we'll learn about the science of storytelling.
Chapter 3: Intro
Thu, March 25 9:00 AM
Read the full story to the right:
TechSquared
There are no stories here for your current quest
TechSquared
A big business that does big, big things.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Turing Recreational Center
There are no stories here for your current quest
Turing Recreational Center
Named after Alan Turing -- considered the father of theoretical computer science and A.I.
Story Table of Contents
No stories here at this time. Look elsewhere!
Assess
#lang mc-coach-assess
(view-deck (chapter-3))
(test-with-deck (chapter-3))Hints
- Start at the Metapolis Welcome Center
- Find the green icons in order: 1 of 6
- There are 3 stories to find in this Chapter.
- Stories without these icons will not be on the test.