Episode 157: Episode # 157 Philip Guo: The Code Runs. But Do You Understand It?
From Teaching Python by Sean Tibor and Kelly Paredes
May 30, 2026 · 54 min · Episode 157
About this episode
Kelly talks with Philip Guo about Python Tutor and its role in helping students understand programming amidst the challenges posed by AI-generated code.
Kelly talks with Philip Guo, creator of Python Tutor, about how the tool helps students trace code and understand programming basics. They also discuss the challenges AI-generated code creates in the classroom and possible ways to support student learning. * Wins of the Week * Philip: Hiring a second undergraduate student for Python Tutor, including one focused on user experience research with K-12 teachers Kelly: Finishing a year of in-person teacher trainings and reflecting on how far the teachers have come * AI, Coding, and Classroom Understanding * Much of the conversation focuses on how AI-generated code affects student learning. Kelly describes using AI code with eighth graders and how difficult it can be for them to understand functions, parameters, returns, and other fundamentals when the code is generated all at once. Philip suggests that tools like Python Tutor may be useful for helping students trace code and understand what is happening behind the scenes. Python Tutor and Possible AI Features Philip explains that Python Tutor currently visualizes execution and has an AI chat feature that can answer questions about code and errors. They discuss possible future…
People in this episode
Host: Kelly Paredes
Guest: Philip Guo
Topics covered
- AI in education
- Python Tutor
- student learning
- code understanding
- programming basics
- classroom challenges
Keywords
- Python Tutor
- AI-generated code
- student learning
- programming basics
- code tracing
- classroom challenges
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Python Tutor
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