Pedagogy
Alternate conceptions (often referred to as misconceptions) are learners’ beliefs about a concept that are overly simplified or inaccurate.
24 FEBRUARY 2022
Culturally relevant pedagogy is a framework that emphasises valuing all learners' knowledge, heritage and ways of learning. By drawing on students' own experiences and cultural knowledge you can ensure that the computing curriculum is relevant, engaging and accessible to all.
25 NOVEMBER 2021
Computing is a discipline rooted in three main traditions: engineering, maths and science. Depending on our own experience, we’re each likely to favour one or more of these perspectives, which can have an impact on how we present computing to our learners.
04 NOVEMBER 2021
The Computer Science Student-Centred Instructional Continuum (CS-SCIC) was created for professional development to help teachers understand their choices when designing learning activities for teaching programming (Waite & Liebe, 2021). As shown in Figure 1, CS-SCIC presents teaching approaches ranging from copy code to tinkering in a simple linear form. The continuum is not meant to be followed in a particular sequence, nor does it recommend any particular approach above another. Rather, it
30 SEPTEMBER 2021
Support learners to develop and apply programming skills and comprehension by applying them to a real-world, tangible project.
16 SEPTEMBER 2021
Support learners to consolidate their programming knowledge by applying it to real-world, tangible projects. This approach to teaching computing focuses on structuring the learning activities around the design, creation and evaluation of a digital artefact.
07 MAY 2021
Code Tracing supports the development of program comprehension by encouraging learners to read, understand and record the behaviour of a program at different stages of it's execution.
31 MARCH 2021
Through this report, we seek to better define digital literacy, highlight its presence and importance in the computing curriculum, and outline a progression for digital literacy modelled by the Teach Computing Curriculum.
23 FEBRUARY 2021
One tool that can help learners develop program comprehension is Parson’s Problems, which are exercises that require learners to rearrange lines of code into the correct sequence.
12 FEBRUARY 2021
Program comprehension has become recognised as an important step in learning to program. What exactly is program comprehension, why is it so important, and how can educators develop these skills with their learners?
30 OCTOBER 2020
Computing is rich with abstract concepts to understand and technical skills to master. In order to flourish, students need a wide variety of learning experiences. Most of the time, this experience involves the use of computing devices and specialist software, but not always.
29 SEPTEMBER 2020
PRIMM is an approach that can support teachers in structuring lessons in programming. In this quick read we explore the five stages of PRIMM and some of the research behind the approach.
24 SEPTEMBER 2020
Surveys and interviews are powerful tools for collecting data (usually qualitative) from participants. In this 2 page read we compare these similar approaches and highlight when each might be more appropriate.
25 JUNE 2020
In many research projects observing and recording student behaviour is a useful way to measure the impact of new ideas and approaches. In this quick read we explore structured and unstructured observation techniques as well a verbal observation approaches.
25 JUNE 2020
This approach is a popular way of making topics real for students, and can include analogies, similes, metaphors, role play, games, puzzles, magic tricks, and storytelling.
23 JUNE 2020
Today see the launch of our brand new program focused on supporting educators to develop their practice through action research in the classroom. In this episode I spoke to Lynda Chinaka about her experience of action research in the computing classroom
09 JUNE 2020
Just over 15 months ago, we were in the process of planning for the delivery of the NCCE. We began to think about the significant challenge we’d face in organising and talking about our subject. We reviewed many of these and eventually decided upon three principles for our organisational structure.
25 FEBRUARY 2020
Throughout computing, and in particular programming, there are many technical terms with precise technical meanings. This can frame expert knowledge as inaccessible to novice learners. Using semantic waves is one way to support novice learners in computing.
13 FEBRUARY 2020
A learner's first experience of a solution to a programming problem may in fact be the final program, polished, complete and error free. Live Coding is one approach to exposing learners to the full process of programming.
14 JANUARY 2020
Like many other teachers, I regularly used multiple choice questions in quizzes and tests, and viewed them primarily as a means of assessment. Peer Instruction turns this view on its head and instead uses multiple choice questions for teaching.
19 DECEMBER 2019
Exploring Computer Science (ECS) has worked across the United States to increase opportunities for pupils from under-represented groups to access a Computer Science (CS) curriculum. How does it compare to the Computing national curriculum in England?
03 DECEMBER 2019
Ben Hall explores a short paper on 'Improving Scratch Programming with CRC-card design' presented at the 14th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Education (WiPSCE).
03 DECEMBER 2019
In this month's Teach Computing podcast we’ve decided to focus a whole episode on a single aspect of pedagogy and how it applies to teaching computing.
28 NOVEMBER 2019
Collaborative working is effective in many curriculum areas, but a structured pair programming approach can support learners to develop programs and problem solve more successfully.
14 NOVEMBER 2019
‘Data science’ is a term being used more frequently in academia and industry, but a Royal Society report, Dynamics of Data Science Skills, suggests that data science skills are an important area that should be discussed in education, and data skills need to be built into a school’s curriculum.
24 OCTOBER 2019
James Robinson explains why carefully designed multiple choice questions (MCQs) are a powerful and effective tool for assessing and addressing misconceptions held by learners.
24 OCTOBER 2019
We’re following up our inaugural episode’s exploration of the reasons for teaching computing with a discussion about what we mean when we talk about ‘computing’.
18 OCTOBER 2019
Worked examples are a tool commonly used in a range of subjects including Maths and Science to support novice learners. By studying worked examples alongside the completion of traditional practice problems, learners are exposed to the problem solving process as well as frequently applied techniques. A well constructed worked example: * Helps reduce extraneous cognitive load on learners * Aids learners in assimilating new knowledge into their existing understanding * Is especially useful for
10 OCTOBER 2019
To round off September, we’re completing a pedagogical hat trick by sharing the very first episode of our brand-new computing education-focused podcast: Teach Computing.
23 SEPTEMBER 2019
Jane Waite talks us through some of the many instructional approaches that are available to educators when teaching programming.
18 SEPTEMBER 2019
Sway Grantham, Primary Learning Manager at Raspberry Pi Foundation, summarises the research findings and evidence of using manipulatives to challenge learners' concept of a computer.
18 SEPTEMBER 2019
Every teacher understands that how you teach is as important as what you teach. Here, James Robinson describes the NCCE's plans to support teachers of Computing who are interested in pedagogical strategies and evidence-based teaching.
24 JULY 2019
George Boukeas, Learning Manager at Raspberry Pi Foundation, explains how Learning Objective Graphs can be used effectively in planning progression.
09 JULY 2019
Jane Waite, a teacher trainer and researcher at Queen Mary University of London, describes recent research on the teaching of programming in primary schools.
09 JULY 2019
James Robinson, Senior Learning Manager at Raspberry Pi Foundation, considers what common misconceptions learners exhibit and what techniques you can employ to mitigate them.
09 JULY 2019
Dr Elizabeth Hidson, Senior Lecturer in Education at University of Sunderland, describes her thesis on developing computing pedagogy within the 2014 curriculum.
02 MAY 2019
Katharine Childs, Programme Coordinator at Raspberry Pi Foundation, briefly explains some of the findings from her MSc Computing in Education dissertation about how teachers are using physical computing activities in Key Stage 2 lessons.
02 MAY 2019
James Robinson, Senior Learning Manager at Raspberry Pi Foundation, discusses the benefits of pair programming and how to integrate this in the classroom.
02 MAY 2019
James Robinson, Senior Learning Manager at Raspberry Pi, discusses the use of journal clubs as a valuable way to develop professional practice.
28 FEBRUARY 2019
A brief introduction to Energy in Schools, a government-funded initiative, investigating whether physical computing can be used to help engage young people in sustainability issues.
28 FEBRUARY 2019