-
-
...
What industry said....
What the teachers said.....It is just four years since two leading figures in the games and visual effects industries produced a document calling for a transformation in the way computing was taught in the UK. Ian Livingstone and Alex Hope's Next Gen report was sparked by concerns that their industries were not succeeding in finding the skills they needed to prosper.
But, aside from their practical business needs, their vision of a much more creative and in-depth computing education chimed with the concerns of many pupils - and some teachers - about ICT teaching. This subject had fallen into disrepute in many schools, seen as a fairly undemanding course in office - or rather Microsoft Office - skills, which would not help you get into a good university or a decent job.
Spot the contradiction?Some ICT teachers believe that criticism was overdone and that what happened next - the sweeping away of the existing curriculum - was too hasty and pushed the entire subject of computing even further down the pecking order.
The new curriculum is not just about programming - indeed one frustrated secondary school teacher told me on Twitter "coding/programming/whatever you call it is ONE THIRD of the new Computing Curric- & 7/8ths of the fuss!!" He insisted that there would be no revolution in most secondary schools as they were already doing much of the work, but it would be far more daunting for primary schools. -
I love this whole "everyone should code" topic... surely we could apply the same logic to everyone being a mechanic, an accountant or a lawyer. Unfortunately some people have the aptitude to do it and some don't.
I'm all for giving people the opportunity but this should be more about firing the imagination and enthusiasm in children about learning to problem solve (and code) than anything else. I can see this being poorly implemented with unenthusiastic teachers being expected to take on coding in addition to other existing responsibilities. For a subject like this you need people passionate about the subject rather than taking it as just another job.Comment
-
...
IMV they should be finding more engaging ways of teaching the 3 r's at primary level. Even today, it is still a problem. What's the point of trying to teach algebra or binary logic before they can read and count properly?Originally posted by ShandyDrinker View PostComment
-
There are plenty of coding resources for schools to use which meet the curriculum aims without being a "traditional" coding language - for example Blockly or Scratch. There are some interesting programs that schools can use for Reception children as well, which meet the goals without needing to be a code monkey.
One of the important things that all children can learn from coding is that if you have a large complex problem, breaking it down into small, manageable chunks and then putting those together, will solve the problem. That's a skill which is relevant whether they want to be an accountant, a mechanic, a brain surgeon, a code monkey, a project manager, or any other walk of life.Comment
-
what about ice-cream van driversOriginally posted by TheFaQQer View Post(\__/)
(>'.'<)
("")("") Born to Drink. Forced to WorkComment
-
Agreed.Originally posted by TheFaQQer View Post
I accept that it may have changed since I was at school but the people teaching anything to do with computing just weren't interested in it. As with any subject to be able to teach it well you need someone that is passionate about the subject that can communicate that passion while they're teaching...Comment
-
you are excluding them. and we all know where that leads, dont weOriginally posted by TheFaQQer View Post(\__/)
(>'.'<)
("")("") Born to Drink. Forced to WorkComment
-
Comment