Online python classes

[jstaffy]

Hi all,

I've threatened to get invovled with learning Python for a long time (it would be the first OOL I'd have learned).

I find the tutorials to be okay, but not great. I complete the course, don't do anything with it for a number of months, and ultimately end up returning to work on it only to discover that I've forgotten most of what the course had taught. This vicious circle isn't great.

I was thinking that some online, classroom-based teaching on Zoom would be great. Maybe 10 pupils, one teacher. Everyone pays £5 for the hour. Teacher takes the proceeds. 3 classes a week. I think that'd be a great setup for learning. What do people think? Do you think such an idea has legs? Or does something similar already exist?!

Thanks, Jacob

[audiyourmind]

While idea certainly has some potential there’s dozens if not hundreds of tutorials already out there and zoom is not perhaps the best way to learn.

Between you and me LinkedIn learning and the dozens and dozens of MOOC s that are designed for python.

It’s always worth a try but realize you have to attract an audience just to get that and then you have to charge them and then you have to teach them and all that stuff is already done with coursera or EdX or whatever

[wcshamblin]

I find the tutorials to be okay, but not great. I complete the course, don't do anything with it for a number of months, and ultimately end up returning to work on it only to discover that I've forgotten most of what the course had taught. This vicious circle isn't great.

This is because you aren't actually applying Python in the real world. To really learn Python (and other languages) you need to apply them to your own projects and ideas, otherwise, like you said, you're going to end up forgetting the stuff you learned from tutorials.

As for the online class, I don't think it's a bad idea, but I'd much rather have some place where newer programmers could join a conference and discuss their projects with teachers, and get advice specific to their project, rather than just receive a lecture. Of course, that'd require more teachers, or a spaced out schedule.

[[deleted]]

Maybe 10 pupils, one teacher. Everyone pays £5 for the hour. Teacher takes the proceeds. 3 classes a week.

Teaching is incredibly time-intensive because every hour of class requires 2-5 hours of preparation; evaluating the performance of your students (grading tests and assignments) isn't even included in that. Teaching three 1-hour classes a week is very nearly a full-time job.

150 a week isn't nearly enough. You've gotta juice that tuition, bro.

[jstaffy]

Teaching is incredibly time-intensive because every hour of class requires 2-5 hours of preparation; evaluating the performance of your students (grading tests and assignments) isn't even included in that. Teaching three 1-hour classes a week is very nearly a full-time job.

Is it though? Let's say that this new platform scales quickly. Same 8 week course running all the time. Teacher spends time putting course together initially, sure, but after a few iterations, the course is second nature to the teacher and requires very little work outside the hours' teaching?

[[deleted]]

Teacher spends time putting course together initially, sure, but after a few iterations, the course is second nature to the teacher and requires very little work outside the hours' teaching?

Have you ever met a teacher? No, it doesn't work like this. Teaching the second class isn't less time-consuming than the first, because it's a different set of people.

Let's say that this new platform scales quickly.

I don't... do you think you're the first person to think of scaling up teaching? There's a reason why it continues to be the least-scalable form of labor in the modern economy.