Python is a high-level multipurpose programming language created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. Python is open source and managed by the nonprofit Python Software Foundation (https://www.python.org/psf/) since 2001. Python is taught in secondary schools in many countries and is the most popular introductory programming language at top US universities (Gua 2014).
Python supports multiple programming paradigms, including object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming. There exist two versions of Python, which differ only in a few details but are not compatible, the original Python 2 and (since 2008) Python 3. All source code mentioned in this contribution is written in Python 3.
This contribution presents Python from an educational perspective, focusing on these two questions:
In which way does Python support individual learning by experimenting and exploring?
How can programming with Python help to develop high school student’s computational thinking skills?
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Weigend, M. (2020). Programming Languages for Secondary Schools, Python. In: Tatnall, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Education and Information Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10576-1_11
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