P.A.N. IN THE CLASSROOM: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO MORE SUCCESSFUL PYTHON PROGRAMMING EDUCATION IN 8th GRADE

Source abstract

This article examines the challenges of teaching a text-based programming language (Python) at the beginning of the secondary school stage, when students enter with uneven prior preparation and varying levels of confidence in writing program code. The focus is on overcoming this imbalance by transferring principles from foreign language teaching and applying the P.A.N. (Planning, Active Learning, Non-stop Practice) methodological framework within a project-based environment. A pedagogical scenario is proposed for working with the list and dictionary data structures in the context of a student project titled “Nutrition Calculator”. Through a sequential “linguistic” introduction of concepts (lexicon, syntax, and semantics of code), controlled practices, and spiral learning exercises, the article demonstrates how the transition to associative structures facilitates the modeling of real-world data, enhances code readability, and supports the formation of sustainable programming habits. Indicators of progress are discussed, including solution accuracy, code quality, and self-assessment of competencies.