Cool Computing
What We Intend To Do
“Computers and incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination.”
- Albert Einstein – theoretical physicist
Research from educational psychology suggests that teaching and learning are subject-specific activities: learning Computing has a different set of challenges and techniques than learning Maths or learning to read and write. Computing is a younger discipline than art, music, or science, and while there have been correspondingly fewer studies of how best to teach it, there is a growing body of evidence about what works and what does not.
A high-quality Computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with mathematics, science and design and technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. The core of computing is computer science, in which pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, pupils are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.
We aim for all our children to make substantial progress in Computing through ensuring that teaching:
• enables pupils to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
• provides opportunities for analysing problems in computational terms, and gives repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
• provides opportunities for pupils to apply information technology, including using new or unfamiliar technologies to analytically solve problems
• ensures pupils are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology
How We Teach Computing
At Sherborne we teach Computing both as a discrete subject and also through integration with other curriculum areas wherever possible.
Children are taught to:
• use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content
• use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
• understand what algorithms are and use logical reasoning to explain how some simple
algorithms work
• to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs
• design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals
• use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs and how to work with variables and
various forms of input and output
• understand computer networks including the internet and how to use search technologies
effectively
• select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital
devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given
goals
• collect, analyse, evaluate and present data and information
• recognise common uses of information technology beyond school and use this technology
safely, respectfully and responsibly
• how to recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour and identifying a range of ways to report
any concerns
How Computing is Taught at Sherborne
1. We use 'Teach Computing' modules to structure the teaching of computing in line with the NC
2. Through peer instruction and working collaboratively so that students may share their ideas,
support each other and challenge each other’s understanding
3. Through using live coding rather than slides so that teachers may pose ‘What if…?’ questions.
4. Through encouraging children to make predictions
5. Through using a range of hardware devices and operating systems
6. Through using authentic tasks
7. Through teaching more than just coding.
How We Know Children Are Learning Well
The impact of teaching and learning Computing is shown through confident children who enjoy all aspects of Computing and who demonstrate excellence in their attitudes to programming, problem solving and use of ICT to support other areas of learning.
We recognise and assess how successfully the school's aims are met through every day monitoring carried out by class teachers and teaching assistants. This is done through observation, marking and feedback and discussions with the child.
The Computing subject leader monitors standards through lesson observations, pupil conferences, and planning audits.
Three times a year (Autumn Term, Spring Term and Summer Term), teachers make formal judgements of the children's attainment and progress in Computing. This is submitted to the Subject Leader for review.