Teaching Computing

Carl Simmons, Claire Hawkins

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781473926783
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Secondary Education

Previously known as Teaching ICT, this second edition has been carefully revised to meet the new demands of computer science as a curriculum subject.

With a clear focus on the theory and practice that supports high quality teaching, this textbook provides pragmatic guidance on how to plan, teach, manage and assess computer science teaching.

Key coverage includes:

· An awareness of the requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum for England
· Developing computational thinking and digital literacy in your classroom
· Pedagogy for teaching computer programming
· Computer science in primary schools and the transition to secondary

This is essential reading for secondary computer science student teachers and for those on primary initial teacher education courses seeking a greater understanding of the subject, including school-based (SCITT, School Direct, Teach First), university-based (PGCE, PGDE, BEd, BA QTS) and employment-based routes into teaching, and current teachers updating their practice.

Carl Simmons and Claire Hawkins are Senior Lecturers at Edge Hill University.

Chapter 1 So You Want to Teach Computing

This chapter explores:

• how the book can help you
• a philosophy of education and the development of your own philosophy of education
• the meaning of education, teaching and learning today
• the purpose of the curriculum in schools and how this is changing
• how computing fits into the curriculum
• what it means to be a reflective professional and how research can help
• key people you will be working with in school computing departments
• the future prospects of computing in the school curriculum.

Teaching is an exciting and rewarding career. You will be working with people who have innate curiosity and love learning though creative and exciting approaches. While we know the rewards of the teaching profession, we also recognize the challenges you will face. We hope that this book will be of practical use to you when taking your first steps as a new computing teacher.

We are both teachers, teaching across the secondary age range and in further education. We are strong believers in peer support and have gained much from our own network of peers over the years – none of us is perfect and we believe in sharing ideas and approaches to help us all become better teachers. Our own career paths have now led us to higher education where we train people who want to become computing teachers. The principle of sharing ideas is evident in our work with our colleagues and in how we encourage our students to engage with (their own and their pupils’) teaching and learning. We hope that this book will allow us to share ideas with you to help you become an excellent computing teacher.

We teach people from many different backgrounds who enter the profession through a variety of routes: undergraduate degrees with recommendation for qualified teacher status (QTS) or Professional/Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCEs) with the possibility of gaining Master’s-level credits. We recognize the unique talents, skills and personalities that each beginning computing teacher brings to the profession, and we hope we meet the needs of such a diverse audience. However, whichever route you are taking into teaching, your end goal remains the same: to be a successful teacher of computing. We have tried to make this book useful for all of you.

How this book can help you

This book is essentially practical in its nature. We aim to give you pointers to relevant research, but we do not intend to become over-involved in exploring this (there are many books and journals that will allow you to explore relevant research in more detail). The ‘What the research says’ sections explore an aspect of education and some of the associated research in more depth – you can use these as starting points for your own research. The approaches we explore are based on our own experience, that of our colleagues, our students and from research. This book can be used by those who are studying on undergraduate, PGCE or school-based routes into teaching who want practical support, or by those who have just completed their studies, or it can provide a framework for those supporting beginning teachers. There is a companion website which offers additional materials (weblinks, video clips exemplifying issues explored in the book, additional commentary, pro formas and so on), but this book can be used as a stand-alone resource too.

I am thinking of becoming a teacher

Those who are considering becoming a teacher can use this book to gain an insight into teaching and learning approaches and the role of the computing teacher. You will gain an insight into current issues in computing education, what you are expected to teach, as well as the fundamentals of planning, differentiation and classroom management strategies. These areas are usually explored during interviews for teaching courses. It will also give you an overview of computing teaching allowing you to make a more informed decision about your career path (see companion website study.sagepub.com/simmonshawkins2e video clip, Rewarding career, to hear Richard talking about his teaching experience). You can use the points for reflection and further reading texts to help explore your own thoughts on teaching and learning.

I am studying on an undergraduate route into teaching

The book will give you practical help and support in the core responsibilities of a computing teacher. It will help you to identify appropriate teaching and learning approaches for your pupils and the topics you are teaching, exploring differentiation, assessment and how to plan effectively. Throughout the book, you are asked to reflect on or investigate topics to help you to identify your own beliefs, style and the most appropriate approaches for you as an individual, developing teacher. The book also identifies relevant research that you should explore further using the weblinks and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter and on the companion website. The transcripts and scenarios in the chapters and the video clips on the companion website (study.sagepub.com/simmonshawkins2e) exemplify points in the text. You should look for further examples during observations on placement and in your own practice. The points for reflection and research links (see companion website) can help you to identify a suitable topic for your dissertation for your final year.

I am studying a PGCE which includes Master’s-level credits

Many of your requirements will be the same as an undergraduate, although the condensed nature of your course will see you wanting immediate answers to problems. This book can be used either as a textbook to provide the overall picture for teaching and learning in computing, or you can dip into it to find answers to particular problems or issues you are facing at that moment in time. The transcripts and the video clips (see companion website, study.sagepub.com/simmonshawkins2e) will help you to quickly identify how the theory discussed in the text will apply in practice. You should supplement this through your own observations and reflections during your school placements. The points for reflection, research identified in each chapter and the sample research questions on the companion website will help you to identify suitable topics for Master’s-level research. We would strongly recommend that you follow up the research identified in the book and the further reading and weblinks at the end of each chapter and on the companion website.

I am on a school-based route into teaching

This intensive, employment-based route into teaching will need immediate answers to classroom situations. Before you start on the programme, you may want to read the book as a textbook to give you an insight into the issues you will face over the next year of your training. You will then be able to dip into the book as and when you need to address particular issues. You should use the transcripts and video clips on the companion website to help you identify how theory translates to practice. You will need to develop reflective practice to help you identify how you are applying theory in your own classroom. You can use the points for reflection to help stimulate discussion on relevant issues with your mentor. It may also be helpful to revisit the points for reflection and research identified in the book and on the companion website if you pursue a Master’s qualification at a later date.

I am a NQT

This is a busy and demanding year when it can be difficult to balance your continuing professional development with adapting to a new career. The latter chapters provide guidance on your newly qualified teacher (NQT) year, possible routes for developing and extending your professional role and for building further on the standards for qualified teacher status which you met through your training. This year should enable you to experiment with different approaches and to find your own style. The book will help you to reflect on these areas and may suggest different ways of discharging your professional role. In the future, you may opt to study for a Master’s qualification. The points for reflection in the chapters, research methods and research ideas on the companion website could be revisited to guide you and provide ideas for your dissertation.

I am a mentor for beginning teachers

This book will provide you with an overview of what beginning teachers learn and some of the requirements of Master’s-level courses. The book identifies points for reflection in each chapter which could be used to stimulate discussions or research ideas that you could use to help the student teacher identify and develop their thoughts for assignment work. Some student teachers will seek support from you for their assignment work. We know that many computing teachers who studied IT or computer science at university may not have engaged in dissertation-type research before (instead, completing practical projects). There are two different models for research provided on the companion website (study.sagepub.com/simmonshawkins2e, Chapter 1 and 10 resources) which will provide you with an insight into and framework for supporting students with this type of work. Discussion of theory in the book is supported by transcripts of classroom practice and video clips on the companion website. You could use these to help beginning teachers identify and reflect on the practice they are observing and to analyse their own practice.

Philosophy of education

You have decided that teaching is a potential career path for you. You may be just starting on this journey or you may already be some way along the path. It is worthwhile pausing to reflect on the beliefs and values you are bringing to the profession and the broader context of education which may inform your own philosophy of education.

Every day we all use words and concepts that we presume convey the same perceptions and ideas to the people around us. Only very infrequently do we analyse the words we are using and what we actually mean by them.

In this section, we do not aim to provide answers to these questions (as there are not necessarily any right answers to give), rather what we want is to cause you to think about them and start to examine your own views and beliefs.

Education

Our view is that education is a holistic approach to the development of an individual. It should develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them and provide them with the skills to function in society (which includes, but not exclusively, economic contribution). This, then, is more than just teaching facts and how to apply them; rather it is to do with how an individual relates to and engages with others, the contribution th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Acknowledgements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 So You Want to Teach Computing
• Chapter 2 The Computing Education Landscape
• Chapter 3 Planning to Teach a Computing Lesson
• Chapter 4 Planning a Sequence of Lessons
• Chapter 5 Managing a Computing Lesson
• Chapter 6 Assessment in Computing
• Chapter 7 Learning for All
• Chapter 8 Teaching Different Age Ranges
• Chapter 9 Teaching Outside the Classroom
• Chapter 10 What Next?
• References
• Index