Computing…Where Do I Begin?

Good morning, One and All,

I’ll keep it brief (because that’s what I do best) but I’m excited to share this new edition of the ‘Hey! What You Reading For?’ newsletter.

Each week, we’ll dive into the broader curriculum and sources of inspiration which can help us to develop our knowledge, understanding and pedagogy.

Inspired by a paper which suggested many of our Swedish counterparts feel our collective pain (with respect to the teaching of computer science), we’re going to begin with an exploration of computing.

Read

The paper that inspired a thousand posts (well, at least one). In this paper, the authors outline 8 different pedagogical approaches to the teaching of computing in clear and accessible language, gather the thoughts of teachers and explain where they think research into the teaching of computing needs to go next. If you, like me, haven’t considered your pedagogy with regards to the teaching of computing then this is a good place to start.

Computer programming in primary schools: Swedish Technology Teachers’ pedagogical strategies - Eva Bjursten, To Nilsson & Lena Gumaelius

Watch

Effective explanations are an essential part of teaching and it is extremely interesting to watch how this professor alters how they describe algorithms and choose examples based on the needs and prior knowledge of their audience.

Harvard Professor Explains Algorithms in 5 Levels of Difficulty - WIRED

Listen

Rachel Walker and James Radburn took some time to explore how we can get the most from technology in the classroom and some of this will spill over into the teaching of computing. Hopefully some food for thought and certainly a clear starting point for anyone interested in upping their computing/tech game in the classroom.

5 ways to get the most from "Technology" in the classroom... - Thinking Deeply about Primary Education

If you’re enjoying the Thinking Deeply about Primary Education podcast, it would mean the world to us if you left a review, wherever you listen. Every review helps spread the word to a few more of our colleagues at a time when visibility on social media is becoming increasingly difficult.

There we have it. Three sources of inspiration which I hope you enjoyed as much as I did. If you get a chance, it would be great if you could share this newsletter with others. I’ll see you on Saturday for another Episode of TDaPE

*exclusive insight - I sit down to interview Sarah Larsen and Tom Brassington about three vital aspects of geography teaching.

Until next time, thanks for listening.