Education
In this episode, Claire meets with Jonathan Chippindall: a part-time teacher and computing specialist. During the episode, Jonathan talks about his passion for computing and technology as well as giving teachers tips and advice on how to deliver the computing curriculum. He explains how the new curriculum opened doors in terms of his interest in coding and engineering allowing him to get involved in developing resources for Barefoot Computing and pursuing his specialism. Jonathan reassures teachers that it is okay to have concerns and worries about the computing curriculum; it is a challenge. However, he explains that help and support is out there noting Barefoot and the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) as starting points. He suggests that schools should be committed to staff development to ensure they are skilled and confident in teaching this subject area. He also offers advice on how computing should be taught with a focus on computational thinking and creativity. Jonathan reinforces the idea that these skills can be taught through unplugged computing and can be delivered with limited technology and a small budget. The conversation also covers Jonathan’s favoured kit and tech where he explains that the best companies also offer resources to teachers as well as listening to the primary community. The most valuable companies are ones which evolve over time so that the technology doesn’t become irrelevant or redundant. Jonathan also suggests creative ways of getting technology into school such as teaming up with schools to create a ‘kit loan library’, researching computing hubs and empowering the strongest pupils to upskill other children and staff. KEY TAKEAWAYS Computing is a challenge. Teachers have the right to be worried about coding as they are being asked to teach something that they may not necessarily have experience of. However, there are free resources out there such as Barefoot Computing and the NCCE to provide support and empower teachers. Barefoot provide free workshops for staff and NCCE provide online primary pedagogy courses. Schools could dedicate staff meetings to upskilling staff in these areas. Unplugged computing is just as important. Computing doesn’t just mean using the technology. The Barefoot model involves six skills that make up computational thinking which can all be taught through unplugged activities. Computational thinking should be at the root of all IT teaching. The opening line of the new computing curriculum doesn’t mention programming or coding - it mentions computational thinking. This means developing problem solving skills: what are the steps to solve it? How can I break this problem down? These skills should be the main focus in all computing teaching. Teachers should allow for creativity in computing lessons. Jonathan mentions the importance of trying not to have lessons that are too scaffolded. Copying code that children might have seen in a resource means that the children are just recreating. In these cases, programming is not being taught: the children themselves are being programmed. Creativity in lessons encourages children to be innovative and to be designers. The pupils themselves can support you. Get pupils supporting you. Some pupils are very confident with technology. These children could be ‘Computing Ambassadors’, supporting other pupils and yourself. Invest in high quality kit and training for teachers. Jonathan suggests that the best use of funding is ensuring that new kit bought is used and used well. In addition to this, taking the top 10-20% of any budget and putting it towards staff training can see greater returns in teachers’ knowledge and confidence. He explains to look for the companies that aren’t just providing the kit, but are also providing the support. Chip’s favourite tech. Jonathan recommends the ‘Crumble Controller’ for key stage 2 as it is an inexpensive tool which allows physical computing. The company behind this technology listens to teachers and is constantly evolving so the equipment doesn’t become outdated. He also recommends Sphero for programming in key stage 2. For key stage 1, he suggests Beebots which are ideal for teaching basic programming skills. BEST MOMENTS “It is a fairly significant ask. We are asking teachers to teach something they haven’t had experience of themselves in their own education although that is going to change through time as people come up through the system. And then I think that it is then realising that there is a lot of support out there. “ “Computing and computer science is not all about going straight to the coding. There’s a lot of work you can do with unplugged activities where you’re teaching these concepts without technology.” “For people that are worrying, you’re not on your own. It is acknowledged that this is an area we need to offer support and there is support out there” “In my school, I use Sphero, Crumble for key stage 2 and Beebots in key stage 1 and that’s our main focus.” “I just think hobbies are really important. Particularly for teachers as well, we’re working with kids and the idea is we are inspiring them because we like doing stuff and learning stuff. So it’s nice to have hobbies that you can talk to them about” “I think sometimes we fall into the trap of trying to do a one-size-fits-all. If you are working longer hours but you are loving it and you are happy, you’re going to be less happy if I tell you ‘you can’t’. It’s about just empowering people to know what they are comfortable with and helping them to work towards that.” “It’s these problem-solving skills which are really valuable that we want to develop in pupils because technology changes … What we want to do is make great problem solvers. So computational thinking needs to be at the heart of what we’re doing.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Barefoot Computing: https://www.barefootcomputing.org/ NCCE National Centre for Computing Education: https://teachcomputing.org/ Microbit Website: https://microbit.org/ Sphero Website: https://www.sphero.com/ The Teachers’ Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheTeachersPodcast/ Classroom Secrets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClassroomSecretsLimited/ Classroom Secrets website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/ LIFE/work balance campaign: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/lifeworkbalance-and-wellbeing-in-education-campaign-2019/ ABOUT THE HOST Claire Riley Claire, alongside her husband Ed, is one of the directors of Classroom Secrets, a company she founded in 2013 and which provides outstanding differentiated resources for teachers, schools, parents and tutors worldwide. Having worked for a number of years as a teacher in both Primary and Secondary education, and experiencing first-hand the difficulties teachers were facing finding appropriate high-quality resources for their lessons, Claire created Classroom Secrets with the aim of helping reduce the workload for all school staff. Claire is a passionate believer in a LIFE/work balance for those who work in education citing the high percentage of teachers who leave or plan to leave their jobs each year. Since February 2019, Classroom Secrets has been running their LIFE/work balance campaign to highlight this concerning trend. The Teachers’ Podcast is a series of interviews where Claire meets with a wide range of guests involved in the field of education. These podcasts provide exciting discussions and different perspectives and thoughts on a variety of themes which are both engaging and informative for anyone involved in education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.