I have received my Computing blog assessment and feedback from my university tutors, and I am delighted to have achieved the highest mark of 'Outstanding - 1'. I have enjoyed keeping up-to-date with developments in Computing and tech, but most of all, this blog has helped me to develop my own knowledge and understanding of the teaching of Computing as a vital part of the National Curriculum.
My tutor noted that my posts are reflective and cover a wide range of content. They have especially singled out my interviews with schools, and the comparative project comparing Computing across different primary schools in my School Direct alliance. This latter project was perhaps the most interesting part of developing this blog, as it has introduced me to different practices and ideas which have ultimately benefitted my own teaching. I hope to continue my professional development in this regard as I move into my NQT year and beyond. I will continue to update as I move into the latter stage of my final placement. I have exciting plans for a new spreadsheet-based unit, and will post more about this soon.
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I was interested to learn about the SEND Project, a group of teachers and special education experts who gathered in 2014 to discuss how the new curriculum subject could be implemented for learners with additional needs. This document outlines their conclusions. Computing objectives are broken down and split into p-scales (targets for children with special educational needs who cannot access the mainstream curriculum). For example, at P3 (ii), children should be interacting with touch screen interfaces and may respond to on-screen choices. At P8, children should use ICT to present information, record sounds and should communicate about their use of technology. I have not got a great deal of experience teaching children with more complex SEND, and so it was very interesting to see how the curriculum can be adapted to allow students to access a subject. I was pleased to see that this project was created through work with different schools, both primary and secondary. My favourite document produced by the project is the computational thinking map, similar to the CAS map I have previously posted. I anticipate how I could use this resource to support SEND learners in my own classroom, even if they are considered able to access the National Curriculum. Attitudes such as 'willing to have a go at new things' and 'reacting appropriately to things going wrong and returning to the same task' are important for all children, but could be a good way to recognise computational thinking in children who may not display its usual characteristics. However, as Warnock (2005) argues, children with SEND should not be grouped in a single category. Every child has different needs and must be treated as an individual. I will use this approach to teach every child on placement and as a qualified teacher. I must be careful to tailor my teaching of Computing - as with every subject - to the needs of the individual child. Conversations with parents, colleagues, the school SENCO and any professional associated with other agencies should help me to provide the best teaching and learning experience for these children. Purdy, in Cremin and Arthur (2014) argues that this is the best approach for trainee and newly qualified teachers to take when teaching a child with SEND. I am looking forward to becoming a more experienced and knowledgeable practitioner through these means. Links and Bibliography
The SEND Project - www.slp.somerset.org.uk/sites/edtech/SitePages/Primary%20Computing/SEND%20Computing.aspx P-Scales for Computing - www.slp.somerset.org.uk/sites/edtech/Primary%20Computing/SEND%20Computing/P_Scales_for_Computing.pdf Warnock, M. (2005) Special Educational Needs: A New Look, London: Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain. Purdy, N., Providing for Special Educational Needs, in Cremin, T. and Arthur, J. (2014) Learning to Teach in the Primary School, London: Routledge. Today, I have taught a very successful Science lesson using the school Chromebooks.
The children have been learning about food chains and habitats, and I have discovered a great simulation site which helps to demonstrate the effect of increasing and decreasing populations on the rest of the food chain. The children shared a Chromebook between pairs, and after an initial teacher input, used the website to develop their own learning and understanding. We discussed the e-safety issues related to using the internet, and the children shared their 'top safety tips' with the rest of the class. The class do not normally using computers beyond iPads in Accelerated Reading sessions, or during discrete Computing lessons, and so it was lovely to see their excitement. There are still some teething problems - forgotten passwords or email addresses, getting the Chromebooks in and out of their secure storage units, and simply navigating the touchpad and keyboard. However, I can see that their use of technology is developing, and really benefitted their learning in this lesson. I will look to be booking the Chromebooks again in future! The Food Chain Game: www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame |
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