COMPUTING AT SCHOOL SCOTLAND NEWSLETTER JUNE 2013 On the 12th of June in Holyrood Dr Allan announced an additional £200,000 worth of annual funding for the next two years to support us in delivering computing science in our schools. During his speech he made several important points that CAS Scotland members feel haven’t always been understood by some of our other teaching colleagues, school leadership teams and parents. In particular, “CfE recognises computing science as both science and technology” and that “For our society and our economy, young people need to be as aware of this new science as they are enthusiastic about using the technologies based upon it.”. With the help of the BCS Academy of Computing, CAS Scotland and members of industry and further and higher education, we now have an unique opportunity to explore the most up to date thinking on CS pedagogy in the Broad General Education and the new National Qualifications in Computing Science. We also have the chance to create some time and space for us all to think about important issues such as broadening participation, developing computational thinking and improving progression so that our learners don’t end up stuck in the shallow end. At the heart of the proposal CAS Scotland put to the government are three key ideas:- 1. the creation of local teacher communities where a lead teacher can work with others to investigate new practices and techniques in a supportive environment. 2. working in partnership with a range of organisations in HE, FE and industry in a coordinated way and linking them with lead teachers across the country. 3. a flexible professional learning programme primarily focused on the pedagogy of teaching Computing, directly linked to the new qualifications, that teachers can quickly apply in their own classrooms. Teachers’ professional development needs are being surveyed at the moment at http://bit.ly/CSSurvey13 to provide a detailed picture for the project officers carrying out planning work over the summer. At this early stage, several one day events are being considered to address teacher’s immediate needs early in the autumn term along with the training of the first group of lead teachers focused around the Broad General Education and National 4 and 5 Computing Science qualifications. During the first phase of the programme CAS Scotland aims to have developed 20 lead teachers linked with FE or HE institutions in their area, a customisable programme of professional learning for developing The “Computing At School” working group (CAS) is a membership association in partnership with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and supported by Microsoft, Google and others. It aims to support and promote the teaching of computing in UK schools. GOVERNMENT FUND £400K CPD PROGRAMME In collaboration with BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT If you’d like to find out more about the CPD programme, how your institution can get involved or contribute to its development there is a working group meeting on the 18th of July which you can register for at http://bit.ly/ CASSjun01 CAS Scotland is also conducting a survey of computing teachers (see main article). You can access the survey at: http://bit.ly/CSSurvey13 WORKING GROUP CAS SCOTLAND NEEDS YOU! computational thinking in the BGE and National 4/5 Computing Science and deliver this to over 220 teachers across the country. With your help and support, we can ensure that we give all learners the opportunity to truly understand our digital world and give them the tools to decide for themselves when and how this technology can be used for their own benefit. Peter Donaldson
Transcript
COMPUTING AT SCHOOL SCOTLAND NEWSLETTER JUNE 2013
On the 12th of June in Holyrood Dr Allan announced an additional £200,000 worth of annual funding for the next two years to support us in delivering computing science in our schools.
During his speech he made several important points that CAS Scotland members feel haven’t always been understood by some of our other teaching colleagues, school leadership teams and parents. In particular, “CfE recognises computing science as both science and technology” and that “For our society and our economy, young people need to be as aware of this new science as they are enthusiastic about using the technologies based upon it.”.
With the help of the BCS Academy of Computing, CAS Scotland and members of industry and further and higher education, we now have an unique opportunity to explore the most up to date thinking on CS pedagogy in the Broad General Education and the new National Qualifications in Computing Science. We also have the chance to create some time and space for us all to think about important issues such as broadening participation, developing computational thinking and improving progression so that our learners don’t end up stuck in the shallow end.
At the heart of the proposal CAS Scotland put to the government are three key ideas:-
1. the creation of local teacher communities where a lead teacher can work with others to investigate new practices and techniques in a supportive environment.
2. working in partnership with a range of organisations in HE, FE and industry in a coordinated way and linking them with lead teachers across the country.
3. a flexible professional learning programme primarily focused on the pedagogy of teaching Computing, directly linked to the new qualifications, that teachers can quickly apply in their own classrooms.
Teachers’ professional development needs are being surveyed at the moment at http://bit.ly/CSSurvey13 to provide a detailed picture for the project officers carrying out planning work over the summer. At this early stage, several one day events are being considered to address teacher’s immediate needs early in the autumn term along with the training of the first group of lead teachers focused around the Broad General Education and National 4 and 5 Computing Science qualifications.
During the first phase of the programme CAS Scotland aims to have developed 20 lead teachers linked with FE or HE institutions in their area, a customisable programme of professional learning for developing
The “Computing At School” working group (CAS) is a membership association in partnership with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and supported by Microsoft, Google and others. It aims to support and promote the teaching of computing in UK schools.
GOVERNMENT FUND £400K CPD PROGRAMME
In collaboration with BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT
If you’d like to find out more about the CPD programme, how your institution can get involved or contribute to its development there is a working group meeting on the 18th of July which you can register for at http://bit.ly/CASSjun01
CAS Scotland is also conducting a survey of computing teachers (see main article). You can access the survey at: http://bit.ly/CSSurvey13
WORKING GROUP
CAS SCOTLAND NEEDS
YOU!
computational thinking in the BGE and National 4/5 Computing Science and deliver this to over 220 teachers across the country.
With your help and support, we can ensure that we give all learners the opportunity to truly understand our digital world and give them the tools to decide for themselves when and how this technology can be used for their own benefit.
Peter Donaldson
In a major development at
the end of January, Google announced it would fund 15,000 Raspberry Pi computers to give UK kids enthusiastic about computer science a Raspberry Pi for free.
To ensure no Pi is wasted, devices are being handed out with the help of six educational partners, of which Computing At School is one. As an added bonus, each device handed out comes with a teaching and learning pack, created by OCR, and designed to help kids dig in right away and get the most out of their Pi’s.
Announcing the funding, Google’s UK Public Policy Manager Theo Bertram said:
“There’s no magic solution to the UK’s computer science education woes, but real progress is being made thanks to the combined efforts of many. Google is proud to lend our support and, we hope, a little Pi will go a long way.”
At the time of writing the first sets of CAS’s Raspberry Pis were arriving with hub leaders. They should in turn be arranging the distribution with their hub; the aim to use the Pis to support class activities, after-school clubs and individual students where appropriate.
I heard recently about a university applicant who asked the admissions tutor if she could perhaps skip introductory programming. Had she taken an advanced level course in school, or programmed extensively as a hobby? “No, no”, she said, “I took a quick tutorial on-line. I’ve done all that stuff.” Similarly, the CS educator Mark Guzdial blogged recent concerns that on-line courses essentially stepping through the elements of a programming language left the learner believing that they could program, when in fact they understood little of the subtlety of complex code or real problem solving.
Mark’s post compares the individualist on-line world with an aspect of programming that I’ve written and spoken about recently – the culture of programming. It’s a complex skill, and just like any apprentice, a programming novice is best served by being immersed in a world of programs – reading them, talking about them, changing them, explaining them – and, eventually, writing them. This is best done with others – hard in the on-line setting. We, however, with our physical classrooms full of learners, have a chance to immerse our students in that culture.
I offer up the outline of three exercises that you could try out in your classes, two that I use, and one that Mark suggested in an earlier blog post:
Use the Peer Instruction methodology: present a multiple-choice question in class asking about some aspect of a code fragment. Get the pupils to write down their answer option. Then get them to discuss in groups of 3 why they believe their answer is correct. Using a polling mechanism, (show hands, voting pads?) to find out how well the class are doing. Invite students to explain the right answer, as well as why the wrong answers are wrong. Add in your own viewpoint if necessary. Ask many, many questions this way.
Create a number of small programs (one for every 2 pupils) at the level they’ve reached. It is beneficial if they are not all completely different, but in groups of 3 or 4 related programs. Hand one to each pair in the class, who type it in and work to explain it to themselves – what does it do? How does it do it? The pair then explain it to at least one other pair, who should ask questions until they are sure they too understand the program. An extension, (homework?) activity is to have give each pupil a program they haven’t seen before and get them to type in and explain the program to themselves and then write up this explanation. Run a competition for the best explanation.
If your pupils are solving problems and getting programs working, be sure to get them to explain to you verbally how their code works. Learners the world over know they can get at least some code running by trial and error. We don’t want this! We want them to know why it is working. You can keep this short by pointing at just one part of the code and asking them about its role in solving the problem.
The first two tasks need lots of questions and lots of small programs, respectively. If you’d like to contribute to collections of such resources, please let us know!
Quintin Cutts
HUBS RECEIVE GOOGLE RASPBERRY PI SETS
SWITCHED ON Scottish Edition 3
YOU CAN’T LEARN TO PROGRAM IN A VACUUMLearning to program is not an isolated experience conducted through online tutorials; rather, it is a culture of learning a complex and subtle skill. Quintin Cutts explains his thoughts on effective pedagogies for delivering this important area of CS education.
ScotlandIS are hosting a discussion with Dr Vint Cerf, one of the “Fathers of the Internet” on 29th August at the Sheraton Grand Hotel. Schools are being offered one teacher and two student places at the event. For more details check the CompEdNet post: http://bit.ly/CASSjun05 or email [email protected]
VINT CERF SPEAKING AT EDINBURGH EVENT
The Cyber Security Challenge competition will give young people and teachers an idea of the kinds of problems modern Security professionals face and some of the skills young people need to join them and help to protect the UK from Cyber threats.
There are five ciphers in the competition. Students can try as many as you like, but to win you must complete all five. You can download each of the ciphers (and the all-important answer sheet!) from http://bit.ly/CASSjun04.
If you do crack all five you can send your answers to [email protected].
Closing date for entries is midnight on August 31st 2013 and the winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries.
COMPETITION: CYBER SECURITY CHALLENGE UK
SWITCHED ON Scottish Edition 3
FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM IN COMPUTING SCIENCEHow can we make use of technology to provide more support for learners while also increasing the opportunities for active learning and project based learning during class contact? Charlie Love explains the Flipped Classroom model in more detail.
Preparations are well underway for the next CAS Scotland Conference.
Last year’s event in Edinburgh proved to be a huge success, selling out in days. This year we’re moving to a bigger venue - Glasgow University - so that we can accommodate up to 300 delegates.
Speakers are still being decided, but the format will be roughly the same as last year with a mix of keynotes and breakout sessions covering a mix of theory and practical work.
Full details will be announced on CompEdNet in the near future.
CAS SCOTLAND CONFERENCE 2013
OCT 26
The flipped model of learning reverses the traditional approach that we have had to learning for the last 400+ years. The usually teacher-led “lecture” or research instead becomes the focus of homework, often through short video lectures, while in-class time is devoted to projects, discussions, short written exercises or other active based learning approaches. The video lecture is often seen as the key ingredient in the flipped approach. These videos might be created by the teacher or selected from the growing number of video resources in Youtube, KhanAcademy, TedEX and many others.
The value of flipped learning is that it provides learners with more one-to-one time with the teacher in class because more of the teacher’s time is available to assist learners who need more help.
Learners can progress at their own pace. Rather than gaining a single exposure in class to the teacher-led content, the learner can stop and rewind the video, spending more time to grasp the concepts, while learners who are already confident with the concepts don’t have to spend time in class reviewing and revising material they are already familiar with.
In a traditional classroom approach learners are constantly pushed and pulled along to the next set of learning intentions even when they have not understood the previous lesson. Learners who cannot understand the foundations will find it increasingly difficult to move on with their studies. Using a flipped model encourages “mastery learning” so that learners do not move forward until they have demonstrated understanding of the requisite skills and knowledge.
And using online formative assessment, after learners have watched a video, can quickly identify areas where learners are doing well and areas where they are struggling. This same data can be used by the teacher to target support and interventions during class time.
Another great advantage is that if a learner is off school, the lesson content is available online and they don’t miss out or have to copy another learner’s jotter.
I’ve been developing resources to “flip” my National 4/National 5 Computing Science class and these resources are posted on CompEdNet.com and on my YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/charlielove101). The early indications from my class are positive but the challenges are clear. I need to have complete sections of work ready very much in advance and as a teacher I’ve had to really step up my game in terms of designing meaningful active learning in my classroom. I’ve found that I make use of short timed discussions, short written responses and peer assessment and support much more than I have before and I’m using online tools (Google Docs) for students to share and discuss in class and at home. I also need to have some kind of online formative assessment to check that I know learners have watched the videos before class. This is still on my list of things to do!
I’m enjoying the challenge and I’d really like to hear from anyone else who is trying this model or wants to get involved. I like the idea of crowdsourcing video lessons for National 4/5 and imaging how quickly we could do it with a little coordination and division of labour. Get in touch: @charlie_love on Twitter or message me through CompEdNet
Charlie Love
Computing At School are supported and endorsed by:
The purpose of a CAS hub is to support teachers in the promotion of Computing in schools. Most hubs meet once a term to discuss and share good practice. The meetings usually have a CPD element to them as well. Hub members can be a mix of experienced and more recently qualified teachers along with Academics and industry-based Computing Experts e.g. web designers or system developers.
Setting up a CAS hub is a simple process. Download the “Running a CAS hub” information pack from the National CAS website. (http://bit.ly/casssep5). Remember that although your hub will be in Scotland it will still be managed under the umbrella of the UK-wide CAS network (supported by BCS). They will provide your hub with a CAS contact email address and add your location to the CAS hub map. They can also provide some funding to help support activities and buy materials for your hub. In the first instance Claire Davenport @ BCS HQ needs to be contacted if you would like to set up a hub. Her contact details are in the information pack.
Finally register for CompEdNet and with the CAS’ National Site as a member. (N.B. You have to be a working member of CAS to run a hub.) There you can see what other hubs are doing. Apart from regular meetings some hubs organise raspberry jams, CPD courses, trips/visits and organised one-off events such as a Hackathon. There is a useful interview on the CAS website (http://bit.ly/CASSjun03) with Amanda Banks from the Manchester hub describing what she thinks the role of a hub is.
Let’s take our enthusiasm for Computing out into our schools!
Claire Griffiths
CAS Scotland North-East Hub Leader
RUNNING A CAS HUB: MY EXPERIENCE MORE CAS HUBS TAKE SHAPE
AROUND SCOTLANDWe now have three CAS hubs in Scotland, with a few others at the planning stage. Here’s a roundup of the latest news from the hubs. If you don’t yet have a hub in your area, why not consider setting one up?
The CAS Scotland North-East hub has continued its activities including sharing new resources and promoting local workshops. We are currently working with T-Exchange Moray Firth (http://www.t-exchange.net/index.asp) setting up meetings to share computing knowledge with local schools and colleges. T-Exchange Members have excellent working knowledge of Arduino, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Website Design, Coding, 3-D printing and regularly making their own machines, sensors and robots. This term we are having an informal meeting to discuss the arrival of a free set of Raspberry Pis from CAS UK and new Computing Resources for National 4 and 5 from Education Scotland.
CAS Aberdeen hub held their first meeting on 20th March at Robert Gordon’s College.
The meeting was held to share information about the new National 3/4/5/Higher and in-progress Advanced Higher courses with those outside of secondary education and to hear their expectations of students moving on to further and higher Computing Science courses. I found the discussion enthralling and as a result let the time run on a bit. We heard from Dr Matthew Collinson about the courses University of Aberdeen currently offer and what they expect students to be competent in at year 1, however we ran out of time to hear from Cameron Walker of Aberdeen College and Roger McDermott from Robert Gordon’s University; I will ensure that time is given over to Cameron
and Roger at the start of the next hub meeting, so you won’t miss out! I must also thank Mark Tennant for a very impromptu but well prepared introduction to the CAS movement.
The first hub meeting featured a presentation from Michael Walmsley, the creator of CodeAvengers.com. Code Avengers is a web-based system for learning HTML, CSS and Javascript. Michael created the site to support his antipodean brother’s school in teaching HTML and CSS. It was interesting to hear about the changes New Zealand has been undergoing in their Computing Science curriculum, where schools are into their final year of implementing new senior school courses.
There was a chance for a practical session which everyone enjoyed, and then we got to see the teacher interface where you can monitor every pupil’s progress and submissions. It was a great first meeting for Edinburgh, and many thanks to Microsoft for kindly hosting us.
