| First make it work, then make it pretty. Solve problems that matter to them. Get to useful, first. (Their definition, not yours.) Then dig and build further. I've experienced too much pedagogy that takes weeks or months to get to anything that really interests the student. There is also too much that is "plug and chug", where one never learns more than how to follow a list and assemble components, without understanding them nor the platform on which they run. My preference would be to engage them with something of interest, and then let that interest motivate the journey further into the details and the context. If this doesn't interest them, they are probably in the wrong class. (Even if they "need" this for their "career".) P.S. It's much more motivating to teach someone who is interested in and excited by what they are accomplishing. I mention this with respect to keeping "a few other students" -- as well as yourself -- engaged in your project. So... make it engaging for your audience, and thereby make it engaging for yourselves. Good luck. |