Teaching GCSE Computer Science: improving student engagement
CO240 Online course
Improve student engagement in your GCSE Computer Science lessons by developing your classroom pedagogy.
Skip to course bookingEffective teaching of Computer Science relies on strong subject knowledge and a solid understanding of effective pedagogy. This evidence-based CPD will help you enhance your classroom practice by broadening and deepening your pedagogical approach, ensuring you get the best from your students.
During this course, you’ll explore teaching and learning in depth. You’ll discover proven strategies for encouraging girls in GCSE Computer Science, learn how to enrich your curriculum, implement effective homework approaches, and apply hands-on learning within the classroom.
Based on solid evidence and experience, this course will help you develop an understanding of what works best for your school context.
Who is it for?
This course is for those currently teaching or aspiring to teach GCSE Computer Science.
Topics covered
01 | Encouraging girls into Computer Science – Explore the challenges surrounding the uptake of GCSE Computer Science by girls and discover strategies to increase recruitment at Key Stage 4.
02 | Enriching the GCSE Curriculum – Develop an understanding of how to enrich your computing curriculum to engage a diverse range of students. In this section, you’ll explore various enrichment activities and create a personalised action plan to integrate them into your teaching.
03 | Effective Homework Strategies – Explore how digital technologies can support homework and how to embed them into your teaching practice.
04 | Hands-on Learning – Explore a range of hands-on activities to engage Computer Science students in the classroom. Covering topics across the curriculum, you’ll have the opportunity to practice using these easily accessible activities and incorporate them into your lesson planning.
How long is this course?
This course is approximately 6 hours of self directed learning.
How will you learn?
This online, self-paced course can be completed flexibly. You can join and start this course at any time after the advertised date, and keep access for a year after booking.
Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will:
- Layer excellent pedagogy on top of your subject knowledge, helping you support improved student outcomes
- Consider the many ways in which computer science teaching can be improved, and plan to overcome barriers to improvement
- Learn how to make your GCSE offer more accessible to a wider group of students, including how to attract more girls to the subject
- Understand how digital technologies can be embedded within your teaching practice to support homework strategies
This course is part of Teach secondary computing
Teach secondary computing
Our nationally recognised qualification will give you confidence to take your computing teaching to the next level and to apply those skills in the classroom.
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