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tjleone.com

A resource for math and computer science education

What I do

I help students with math and computer science. There are three different ways you can learn from me. I can tutor you, you can take a course, or you can use the material on this site to learn on your own.

Tutoring

I provide tutoring for grade 4-16 students in math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus.

I also teach programming one on one. I have slots available for private lessons in Scratch, MicroWorlds, Alice, Python or Java.

Contact TJ Leone at tj@tjleone.com or call 847-951-0127.

Take a Course

My studios are available to students at Chiaravalle Montessori School in Evanston. I also teach classes through the Center for Talent Development on the campus of Northwestern University and online.

Studio: Messin' with MicroWorlds

  • For children in upper elementary at Chiaravalle Montessori School
  • Course Description: In Messin' with Microworlds, upper elementary students can learn to use tutorials, help screens and the programming environment of the latest version of Microworlds to develop their programming skills. This studio is taught by TJ Leone, who worked as a professional computer programmer for many years and taught lots of Microworlds classes to 4th, 5th and 6th graders at Northwestern.
  • Requirements: If you are using a laptop for this course, you must fill out the form provided by Frankie.
  • Course Dates: Tuesdays, April 17, 2012 - May 22, 2012, 3pm - 4pm
  • Location: Chiaravalle Montessori School library
  • Notes: Colton asked me about getting the scenery to scroll. Here's a MicroWorlds skiing game that I modeled after Warren Sande's Python version in his book, Hello World!

DELE11-2-199A - Python II (Independent Study)

  • For students in grades 7-8
  • Course Description: Python is the perfect course for students who are fascinated by computers, want to understand how they work and begin programming. Students learn to write programs using the same language utilized by NASA, Google and George Lucas' Industrial Lights and Magic. Python is a powerful programming language that allows programmers to learn imperative and functional programming concepts using extensive libraries. It can also be used as a scripting language for writing web applications. Python uses a dynamic, object-oriented, open-source language that is easily accessed by students with no prior experience. It opens the door to future computer courses. Prerequisite: Python I or equivalent.
  • Course Dates: April 15, 2012 - June 17, 2012
  • Location: online

DELE11-2-224 - Mathematical Puzzling in Python

  • For students in grades 7-8
  • Course Description: Inspired by online puzzle collections like Project Euler, this course will examine solving mathematical puzzles through computer programming. There are tons of questions, which though easy to frame mathematically, aren't especially amenable to traditional, pencil-and-paper methods of solution. Computers and high-level programming languages have a lot to offer here. We're going to be exploring a wide range of exciting mathematics—ranging from geometry to combinatorics to graph theory—using Python, a prominent, high-level programming language. This course requires no background in computer science and a basic comfort with algebra.

    To learn more about Python: http://www.python.org/

  • High school credit: 1 semester
  • Requirements:
    6th: EXPLORE, Math > 18
    6th - 9th: SAT, Math > 540
    6th - 9th: ACT, Math > 20
    10th - 12th: Admission Portfolio
  • Course Dates: May 15, 2012 - September 18, 2012
  • Location: online (courses.northwestern.edu)

Bits and Blocks

  • For students completing grades 4-6
  • Course Description: Have you wondered how you control every movement on the screen while playing video games? Programmers design the coordination of each and every possible move. Students unlock the mysteries behind the computer screen as they investigate fundamental concepts in computer programming. Using MicroWorlds software, students explore and test their ideas and develop their own 2-D multimedia projects and computer games, complete with animation, sound effects, movie clips, and music. This course encourages students to use their imagination and math skills, solve problems, and think creatively while developing simple computer programs. Students receive a copy of MicroWorlds at the conclusion of the course.
    Note: Additional $150 lab fee required.
  • Course number 38
  • Requirements: Admission Criteria: ≥ 95% national percentile rank in math on standardized achievement test; EXPLORE test; or Admission Portfolio.
  • Course Dates: June 24, 2012 — July 13, 2012
  • Location: Evanston Campus
  • view syllabus

Bits and Blocks Level 2: Logo to Python

  • For students completing grades 4-6. Middle school students may also apply.
  • Course Description:
  • In this course, students build computer games with a programming language that is used daily to drive the Google search engine, YouTube and applications at NASA and the New York Stock Exchange. This course builds on programming experience that students have already developed by building games in MicroWorlds with the Logo programming language. In the previous Bits and Blocks course, students built games using the predefined classes and simplified framework of the MicroWorlds development environment. In this course, students will learn to build classes from scratch as they develop their own game engine. This understanding of object-oriented programming will serve them in further Python development and can readily be applied to other object-oriented languages like Java and Objective-C.
  • Note: Additional $120 lab fee is required.
  • Course number 39
  • Requirements:
    Prerequisite: Successful completion of Bits & Blocks course or equivalent
    Admission Criteria: ≥ 95% national percentile rank in math on standardized achievement test; EXPLORE test; or Admission Portfolio.
  • Course Dates: July 15, 2012 — August 3, 2012
  • Location: Evanston Campus
  • view syllabus

Past CTD Courses

I've taught a number of CTD Courses over the years. This page describes some of those courses and has links to some of the course material.

    Other CTD Courses in Technology

    Saturday Enrichment Program (morning or afternoon courses offered for 8 Saturdays in fall and winter, 6 Saturdays in spring)

    Computer Gaming Academy I (offered in Evanston for students in grades 5 and 6. I recommend this one for students who have completed the first Bits and Blocks course. Might also be a nice review of Greenfoot for students who have taken Bits and Blocks Level 2)
    Robotics I (for students in grades 5-7. Offered in Chicago, Evanston, Naperville, and Palatine)

    Accelerated Weekend Experience (AWE) runs two day workshops on a range of topics for children in grades 5-8

    Courses have not been posted yet. I'll probably do a Python course some time in the fall, and maybe a Scheme course. Either or both of these would be good for former Bits and Blocks student who will be in 7th or 8th grade in the fall. I'll post details on my web site (tjleone.com) when available.

    Gifted Learning Links (nine week online courses)

    Computer Gaming Academy (for students in grades 4-6. Game Academy II is available as an Independent Study)
    Python I: Introduction to Computer Programming (for students in grades 6-8. Python II is available as an Independent Study)

    Learn on Your Own

    My Bits and Blocks classes (Levels 1 and 2) run each summer on the Northwestern campus. They are two of the many courses available for gifted and talented children through the Center for Talent Development.

    Level 1 students will find course material on the Bits and Blocks page and at mywork.tjleone.com.

    Level 2 course material is on the Bits and Blocks 2 page and the Bits and Block 2 Announcements page.

    My favorite sites for MicroWorlds Logo are:

    Microworlds.com, the website of the publishers of MicroWorlds Logo.
    Logo Projects, a site by Cynthia Solomon, one of the founding mothers of Logo.
    Rupert Russell's MicroWorlds Logo Links & Examples. This site has cool projects from kindergarten to university level.
    Gary Stager's Logo Page. Gary Stager has been an author of documentation for MicroWorlds Logo for many years, is a former editor-in-chief of the Logo Exchange Journal and a Collaborator with the MIT Media Lab Future of Learning Group.

    Advanced readers might enjoy the free, online three volume series by Brian Harvey called Computer Science Logo Style available at Brian Harvey's website. The text was based on a different version of Logo that can be downloaded from the web site. This text will be tough going for most students without help, but there are some interesting examples that your child might like to try out.

    Bits and Blocks students might also enjoy the following sites, which include free, downloadable software and support: Scratch, Alice, and Greenfoot.

    The standard text for Greenfoot is:

    Michael Kolling, Introduction to Programming with Greenfoot: Object-Oriented Programming in Java with Games and Simulations. (Prentice Hall, 2009).

    A cool book for Alice and Java is:

    Wanda P. Dann, Stephen P. Cooper, and Barbara Ericson, Exploring Wonderland: Java Programming Using Alice and Media Computation. (Prentice Hall, 2009).

    Site Map

    Students

    Parents

    Teachers

    New information on my upcoming talks at NCTM conferences and a new article on introducing turtle geometry in the Montessori classroom.

    Curriculum and educational software designers

    Researchers

    Leone Learning Systems, Inc. (LLS) is a North Shore company that provides online courses for kids anywhere and local teaching and tutoring services for students in Chicago and the Northern Suburbs of Chicagoland. LLS also provides a free geometry software package for children age 6 and up, and free resources for teachers and parents. This site includes information about tutoring and classes provided, learning activities for kids, lesson plans, and ongoing software and curriculum research and development efforts.