Stop learning Python aimlessly. Master the four key points to make your programming journey solid and long-lasting! -AI4kids

AI medical prediction model learning process report from high school students

AI4kids and Taichung Girls' High School have collaborated on a multi-selective course - Artificial Intelligence Practice in the second semester of 2020. The main learning objectives are:

1. Have basic knowledge of Python programming language

2. Establishing artificial intelligence background knowledge

Learning Python or any programming language aimlessly will not only make the learning time very long, but also reduce your motivation to the lowest point. In addition, it is difficult to establish a complete program logic for yourself by piecing together the information you learn. This kind of learning will not really help you learn a programming language well! There are also many people who give up on learning programming languages ​​because they are frustrated because they have no direction in learning. Friends who read this article no longer have to worry about not being able to find a direction to study. Next, I will share with you four key points so that novice programmers can learn to program in a more targeted and systematic way!

Focus 1: In the early stage, focus on quality rather than quantity, lay a solid foundation, and learn systematically and step by step

In the early stages of learning to program, you must master the mentality of "quality over quantity", especially the learning and understanding of basic grammar, such as: strings, comments, loops, variables, parameters, etc. You must put in enough effort and build your own program logic step by step. Although you will make a lot of mistakes when you first try to program, you must learn from your mistakes and don't be afraid of mistakes. The principle of initial learning is "first seek to have, then seek to be good", slowly accumulate and lay a solid foundation, and start systematic learning from basic grammar!

Key point 2: Choose easy-to-use and systematic resources, and practice, practice, and practice again

There are many resources to choose from on the Internet. Choosing systematic resources can help you avoid many unnecessary mistakes. Next, I will introduce you to four resources that are suitable for beginners and easy to use. In systematic learning, you must also develop the habit of practicing and directly practice what you have learned. This will not only make you more familiar with the feeling of programming, but also repeatedly practice basic grammar to increase memory.

Microsoft Official Courses

Microsoft provides official Python basic teaching videos . Although the videos are in English, you can adjust them to Chinese subtitles, which will not be a problem in learning. While learning, you can also learn the English pronunciation of programming terms. Microsoft video teaching has a total of 44 lessons, which will take you from understanding Python, installing the program, basic grammar and usage teaching, such as: print, comments, strings, number usage, decorators, etc. Friends who are used to text learning can go to Microsoft's official Python Chinese teaching and build basic Python syntax step by step according to the unit progress.

Google Official Courses

Google for Education provides official Python teaching resources . Currently, only English content is available. The page can be translated into Chinese for easy reading. The teaching page includes basic Python teaching such as strings, lists, sorting, etc. The basic teaching will have corresponding examples so that you can more easily understand how to write it. There are also exercises for everyone to practice.

4 Hours of Python Tutorial for Beginners

There are also many Python tutorials on YouTube. I recommend the 4-hour Python tutorial for beginners by "GrandmaCan-My Grandma Can Do It". This tutorial uses the programming editor directly, and teaches while writing. It is a four-hour Python basic crash course. This learning method can allow everyone to better understand the situation when writing programs. In the video, you can learn basic data types and variables, strings, number usage, lists, if, for loops, modules, etc. Teacher Xiaobai will help everyone clarify the logic in the course, and there will be small homework in the course for everyone to practice. It is recommended that you can repeat the small exercises in the guest many times, which can not only increase the memory of grammar but also make you more familiar with the feeling of writing programs. This is recommended for programming teaching that is very suitable for novices.

CodeCombat

CodeCombat is a programming game designed specifically for programming learning. It was designed and created by a Harvard team and meets the CSTA standards. It provides a series of programming teaching courses. The official has designed a complete learning map, which is divided into three learning stages: entry, intermediate, and advanced. Different from the general learning method of reading or watching, CodeCombat allows programming novices to actually write programs while learning new grammar during the game course, and better understand the application of programming grammar in the writing process. In addition to the official CS1 free courses, you can also experience them online. AI4kids also provides professional online courses. The team’s instructors all come from information engineering and information management backgrounds and have passed the CodeCombat official training certification!

CodeCombat Online Course

>>Extended reading: Beginner's Guide to Python: Get ahead of the competition in future jobs! Python self-study book resources are shared without reservation

Key point 3: Set goals in stages to make yourself more motivated to study

Accumulating programming skills is a long journey. It is easy to become tired and numb halfway through learning, and lose the passion for programming and the initial motivation to learn. At this time, everyone can participate in assessments and competitions in stages to make the learning journey more directed and motivated because of short-term goals!

Participate in program certification

Taking the test can test your learning level. Through the test, you can also find out your weak points. After the test, you can improve your weak points according to the test results. Passing the test can not only add points to your learning process, but also be an indicator of your ability in future employment. Sign up for the test in advance and arrange your study plan well to make your learning more fulfilling and goal-oriented! There are many types of certifications available, such as the most common APCS, TQC+ and IT Expert Certification, which are all indicative of programming technical proficiency.

Participate in programming competitions

Different from certification, participating in programming competitions will focus more on practical applications. In addition to being able to apply what you have learned in programming in the competition, you can also have more team communication experience or cross-field learning. Communicating with other programming experts can also inspire your different understanding of programming. You will want to learn programming languages ​​more deeply and become a leader in the programming field! There are many programming competitions available for you to participate in, such as the National Cat Cup - SCRATCH, the Maker Cup, the sensor-related Wenwen Cup, the IEYI World Youth Maker Invention Exhibition hosted by the Japan Association, the Internet Programming National Competition, the CSF National Youth Programming Competition, and the CodeQuest competition included in the International Informatics Olympiad Competition. These are all well-known programming competitions that I recommend to you!

>>Learn more about programming certification and competition information: What programming competitions and certifications are there for junior high and high school students? Can it be incorporated into the learning process?

Focus 4: Maintain a good learning attitude - lifelong learning

It is inevitable to encounter difficulties during the learning process, so you must maintain a correct learning attitude on the road of learning programming. "Live and learn" and learn and grow in every programming and debugging. In addition, it is recommended that partners who are learning programming can try to jump out of their comfort zone after the foundation is established, and raise the level to get in touch with more different applications and development, so that they have more flexible room to play. I recommend you to visit more official Python resources!

Python official resources

https://www.python.org/

Python provides a lot of resources in the Python standard library . In addition to the standard library, there are also thousands of ever-increasing components. Whether it is individual programs, modules, packages or complete application development frameworks, they can be obtained from the Python Package Index . There are a lot of official resources available. When learning development, you don’t have to spend unnecessary time developing the required functions. Instead, you can focus more on development optimization!

>>Extended reading: How to teach yourself programming? Understanding 3 methods to learn programming + maintaining 3 learning mindsets = the first step to successfully learning programming!

Learning programming resources - Programming language course recommendations - AI4kids

AI4kids specializes in programming education, providing Python programming language and AI introductory classes , Python programming language data science , advanced Python artificial intelligence applications, machine learning , deep learning , etc. Every year, it also holds a youth AI special practice camp to guide young people to use the Python programs they have learned to create AI modeling and apply it to various fields such as medicine, sports, music, etc., to understand the practical application of programs in different fields and expand new horizons for programming learning. This kind of learning that is not limited to textbooks and classrooms can experience more different programming learning experiences!

Summarize

When learning to write Python, as long as you grasp the initial emphasis on quality rather than quantity, choose systematic resources or courses, lay a solid foundation for your programming, develop a good habit of continuous practice while learning, and then further set short-term goals to participate in assessments or competitions, so that you can learn more goals and directions, maintain a lifelong learning mentality at different stages, break out of your comfort zone, raise your level and get in touch with different official resources, and experience more different applications or the fun of development in flexible use!

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