Functional programming crash course (AQA)
CP508 Live remote training course
A crash course on the world of functional programming. Gain confidence in looking at functions as first-class objects to help your students in this topic. This course covers all the key operations needed for students' exams.
Skip to course bookingLearn about a new topic from GCSE, the world of functional programming. You will learn about the paradigm that is very different from other programming paradigms. This course covers part of the A Level AQA specification and isn’t a required element for OCR teachers. However, you may wish to upskill your programming skills further and it does contain a session on recursion which is part of the OCR specification.
This course equips you with essential functional programming concepts, focusing on first-class functions, higher-order functions, function composition, recursion, and stack frames.
Who is it for?
This course is aimed at teachers delivering A Level computer science. Since this content is not covered in most GCSE specifications we will take you right from the very basics to the more advanced topics.
During this course you’ll access the Isaac Computer Science platform, it is advised you sign up for a free, teachers account ahead of the course.
Topics covered
- 01 | Understanding First-Class Functions: Learn about functions as first-class objects, including their use as arguments, return values, and variable assignments.
- 02 | Exploring Higher-Order and Function Composition: Implement and use functions that take other functions as parameters or return them as results and master the composition of functions.
- 03 | Recursion and Head-Tail Operations: Master recursion techniques, understand the use of stack frames in function calls, and explore head and tail operations in list processing.
How long is this course?
This course will last 6 hours and is delivered in 5 sessions, these sessions may be split across multiple days.
How will you learn?
Scheduled live, interactive online sessions led by an experienced practitioner. Flexible Professional Development Leader-supported, participant-led tasks, involving deep exploration of the subject content.
Outcomes
By the end of this intensive CPD pathway, you will be able to:
- Understand the concept of first-class functions and their characteristics.
- Implement higher-order functions and appreciate their benefits in code modularity and reusability.
- Design and implement recursive functions, understanding their use in problem-solving.
- Apply head and tail operations to manipulate and process lists efficiently.
- Differentiate between pure and impure functions, focusing on the avoidance of side effects.
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.
Book this course
You need to be logged in to start the course.
Adapted teaching and effective learning interventions in secondary computing
Develop an evidence-informed approach to education recovery over a sustained period, securing the computing education of young people following a period of great disruption.
Adapting the Teach Computing Curriculum for mixed-year classes - short course
Explore progression within Teach Computing Curriculum and how to use this to adapt it for your own mixed-age setting.
AI and Ethics in GCSE computer science
Artificial intelligence, what is it? How does it work? What are the ethical considerations for GCSE students. How could you teach it to your students?