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june 2009 editor john woollard school of education university of southampton contributors liz crane head of ict oaklands roman catholic school waterlooville hampshire claire johnson head of ict westgate school winchester hampshire emma wright head of ict computer science harvey grammar school folkestone kent contributors from the cas working group roger broadie roger boyle luke church paul curzon roger davies nick efford mandy honeyman simon humphreys michael kölling jack lang thomas ng simon peyton-jones aaron sloman john woollard and emma wright.

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sample teaching unit ­ computer programming pgce secondary information technology school of education university of southampton this course prepares you to teach ict it and computing to all ages and abilities in secondary school key stages 3 and 4 with planned opportunities for enrichment in post-16 contexts there is an emphasis placed upon internet-mediated learning the development and use of web based-materials and the increasing development of computing in key stage 3 and 4 the course is open to graduates of a computer related degree or those with substantial teaching/training in the computer field the course aims to prepare you for the ever-changing world of school based computing and the use of ict across the curriculum all trainees must start with a good knowledge and understanding of the functions of word processing spreadsheets database management systems presentation software and web page authoring the course relies upon proficient usage the course itself focuses upon the role of ict and computing in the classroom teaching and learning theory moral and social issues arising from the widespread use of computers and of course the teaching of the ict national curriculum and examination gcse gnvq gce dida avce 14-19 diploma in related subjects for the pgce in information technology go to http www.pgce.soton.ac.uk/it for personal contact email your request to pgce@soton.ac.uk for all other subjects including english mathematics science geography history modern foreign languages music re and pe email educate@soton.ac.uk train to teach 2/40

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sample teaching unit ­ computer programming introduction this document illustrates how the yearly objectives from the framework for teaching ict capability years 7 8 and 9 can be grouped together and taught in a way that promotes and utilises knowledge and understanding of computing programming is a core activity of computing because it enables the user to access and release the potential of the computer they are using computer programming can be likened to playing chess although there is a relatively small set of simple rules it is the strategic and sustained application of those rules that can create interesting games between children or intellectual fights between grand masters the same with programming the first applications of the rules can produce the interesting results fun play on graphics numbers or words but there is no boundary preventing the learner moving all the way to being the grand master of computer programs once you can do it the sky s the limit over what you can make computers do the following texts are direct quotes from the 2008 revision of the national curriculum for ict and they relate directly to programming activities capability using a range of ict tools in a purposeful way to tackle questions solve problems and create ideas and solutions of value developing ideas pupils should be able to test predictions and discover patterns and relationships exploring evaluating and developing models by changing their rules and values use ict to make things happen by planning testing and modifying a sequence of instructions recognising where a group of instructions needs repeating and automating frequently used processes by constructing efficient procedures that are fit for purpose pupils should be able to review modify and evaluate work as it progresses reflecting critically and using feedback scope the information flow represent a system and identify all its parts including inputs outputs and the processes used processes could include manipulating data or information developing an ict-based model to meet particular needs this should involve testing predictions and discovering relationships exploring evaluating and developing models by changing their rules and values the aim of the group computing at school http www.computingatschool.org.uk and this document is to promote the principles of computing into the key stage 3 curriculum this document also celebrates through using them as example scenarios the work of teachers currently engaged in teaching programming to pupils particular thanks go to the staff and pupils of harvey grammar school oaklands rc school and westgate school contents rationale for computer programming in the key stage 3 curriculum 4 aspects of programming 6 ict sample teaching units ­ some scenarios 9 scenario 1 computer programming using alice 12 scenario 2 greenfoot and game design 18 scenario 3 programming with visual basic 26 scenario 4 a game business using game maker 34 scenario 5 a thinking machine 37 scenario 6 developing a key stage 3 computing curriculum 38 references 39 appendix 1 level descriptors for the national curriculum ict 2008 40 3/40

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sample teaching unit ­ computer programming rationale for computer programming in the key stage 3 curriculum in this basic example pupils are introduced to the concept of sequencing instructions that will be followed by the computer to control the lights at a pedestrian/cyclist crossing toucan if input 1 on then switch off 3 [traffic green light switch on 2 [traffic amber light wait 3 switch off 2 [traffic amber light switch on 1 [traffic red light wait 2 switch off 4 [pedestrian/cyclist red light switch on 5 [pedestrian/cyclist green light wait 20 switch off 5 [pedestrian/cyclist green light switch on 4 [pedestrian/cyclist red light wait 5 switch on 2 [traffic amber light wait 5 switch off 1 [traffic red light switch off 2 [traffic amber light switch on 3 [traffic green light endif http www.direct.gov.uk/en travelandtransport/highwaycode this type of program is just a plan-of-action a machine can follow and everything the computer does is based upon the plan-of-action there are different ways in which computer programming can be approached there are different forms that computer programs can take and there are different resources/software available to create programs in particular forms the program procedure above is called whenever the button input 1 is pressed whenever a pedestrian walks up to the crossing and presses the button even a simple sequence of events such as this can introduce the pupils to the vocabulary of programming such as sequence algorithm input output command operator operand condition the first example is an imperative high level third generation approach to programming common in schools in the form of flowol logo basic etc and is being replaced in commercial computing by object orientated programming oop exemplified by java greenfoot scratch etc and declarative languages exemplified in schools by prologue why teach programming we believe that teaching programming is important for two core reasons firstly it is a form of digital literacy that is of growing importance within society and secondly it promotes intellectual development and the development of generic skills in a way that is applicable to many other subjects and in many other areas of life programming as digital literacy computers are now instrumental to our society and the need for pupils to attain a form of `digital literacy is now generally accepted this is currently interpreted as the need to be able to use standard applications such as office-type software within a windows environment interface proficiently we agree that this is important 4/40

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sample teaching unit ­ computer programming however the use of computers is changing rapidly they are now as much mechanisms for social communication as they are office tools as this connectivity expands to every aspect of our lives the ability to exercise control over the information becomes crucial controlling information is one of the fundamental skills of programming if students master this skill they will be able to engage successfully not just with today s applications but also with uses of technology that have yet to be devised academic support for this comes from church and whitten 2009 and blackwell s attention investment 1999 programming offers the ability to create new uses for computers whereas a competence in office-type software allows the production of new documents programming allows the creation of new behaviours rather than just the consumption of behaviours provided for us by others wing 2006 argues really what is involved is the act of `computational thinking which is fundamental to many branches of both art and science computer programming is carried out by many people and is a hobby pastime leisure pursuit interest diversion relaxation for our pupils it could be a way of enabling them to enjoy and achieve an aim of the every child matters agenda http www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/aims in some senses computer programming itself is one of the best computer games of all in the `computer programming game there are obvious goals and it s easy to generate more the `player gets frequent performance feedback that is in fact often tantalizingly misleading about the nearness of the goal the game can be played at many different difficulty levels and there are many levels of goals available both in terms of the finished product whether it works how fast it works how much space it requires etc and in terms of the process of reaching it how long it takes to program etc self-esteem is crucially involved in the game and there is probably the occasional emotional or fantasy aspects involved in controlling so completely yet often so ineffectively the behaviour of this responsive entity finally the process of debugging a program is perhaps unmatched in its ability to raise expectations about how the program will work only to have the expectations surprisingly disappointed in ways that reveal the true underlying structure of the program malone 1980 computer programming is also a vocational pursuit and may enable our pupils to achieve economic wellbeing another aim of every child matters pupils discovering their proficiency in handling syntax algorithm logic and analysis may find they can enter an industry in which those skills are highly valued this teaching resource is designed to bring computer programming to every pupils experience because it contributes in a powerful way to their ability to learn conceptualise and understand computer programming is a subset of the computing curriculum and together with other knowledge experience skills and understanding of computing it exercises skills that are valuable in other aspects of learning work and leisure it also gives an insight into why computers behave as they do and therefore puts an understanding into the ict curriculum hence programming enables pupils to enjoy and achieve develop a useful skill and experience a powerful way to learn conceptualise and understand the next section identifies six aspects of programming that bring wider benefits to the way pupils think and learn commentary i d add that programming is a tremendous motivator for students because it makes computers `come alive and `dance to their tune maybe the language of computational thinking belongs here one way to put it is this is `programming makes abstraction concrete `abstraction is a tremendously powerful idea that we use again and again but it is by definition abstract programming gives tangible concrete form to the act of abstraction and repeatedly shows how useful it is you don t have to say `we re going to learn about abstraction you just do it repeatedly and then afterwards say `look at the common pattern that we have used over and over simon peyton-jones teaching programming for cognitive benefits teaching this key skill of computational thinking through teaching programming allows pupils to develop a new cognitive tool 5/40

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sample teaching unit ­ computer programming aspects of programming this analysis of the pedagogic value of programming identifies 6 important areas accuracy of expression understanding algorithm visual representation of concepts and procedures the analysis of situations and structure and the use of logic accuracy of expression through computer programming we can insist upon and importantly demonstrate the need for accuracy and precision in what we do at the character level it is akin to spelling in the english curriculum color and colour are significantly different to change the colour of text to red use

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