Novosibirsk Young Programmers' School: A Way to Success and Future Development

When in comes to school informatics, one certainly recalls the name of Andrei Ershov, whose energy and charm guided the first steps in the movement for computer literacy. In the mid-70’s Ershov resolutely supported the founders of the Summer Schools of Young Programmers in Novosibirsk. Within the structure of the SB AS Computing Center’s Experimental Informatics Department there was founded the first research subdivision with the purpose of formulating the conceptions and developing school informatics software – the Elementary Informatics Group. The guidance seminar “PC and the study process” was started in the Computing Center for the purpose of unification of education with the scientific potential. The ShYuP system, Shkolnitsa, the first textbook in informatics, the first computer study room in School N 166 in Akademgorodok made up of the Soviet-built Agat PCs were parts of a whole – the emerging and rapidly developing school informatics. The Summer School has a lot to be proud of. The Summer School raised and gave a start in life to a great number of programming specialists, who successfully work in the leading research institutes of the SB RAS, and computer and software companies such as Microsoft, Intel, and Excelsior. The early education in informatics, which showed its best in the intensive period of the Summer Schools, illustrates the multiple advantages of this approach. One cannot but mention the skill of naturally and softly use the human factor of working in a team while interacting with the outer world (what later became workshops), concentrating on teamwork under external orders. Another advantage was the chance to communicate with the whole world thanks to the many participants from other cities and countries (Summer Schools with international membership: Czech SSR, Bulgaria, Poland, DDR, France, Hungary). Summer Schools hosted people whose presence and company was a dream; John McCarthy’s visit is an example. The pedagogical conception of the Summer School proved its opulence with an almost 35-year history. SB RAS Institute of Informatics Systems cherishes the traditions of Andrei Ershov’s school and develops the successful experience of pre-professional programming education of talented youths.