Pedagogy for programming in Primary Schools RH137 / A01

Participants attending the course from state funded schools are eligible to apply for £180.00 cover costs

During this whole day of CPD, which is suitable for Computing / IT co-ordinators and confident teachers of Computing, we’ll examine pedagogy and progression when teaching primary aged pupils to program. We’ll discuss a range of approaches to enable children to develop their programming ability, along with how to develop their skills and knowledge over time. Along with hands on activities, we’ll also examine opportunities to enhance your existing Computing planning and the support you provide for other staff.

The course will be led by Neil Rickus, Senior Lecturer in Computing Education at the University of Hertfordshire and Project Lead for the CAS East of England Regional Centre. He is also the Computing tutor on the Primary PGCE course at Brunel University, London. His work is increasingly recognised at an international level and, last year, Neil presented on behalf of the British Council in Belgrade, Serbia, as part of their “New Technologies in Education Conference” and at the Global Scratch conference in Bordeaux, France. Neil has also recently worked as a consultant for a range of organisations, including Rising Stars and Cambridge Assessment International Education, including in Astana, Kazakhstan, and was a lead contributor to European Schoolnet Academy’s (Brussels) “How to teach computing” MOOC. This summer, he will present at the Computer Science Teachers’ Association (CSTA) conference in Nebraska, USA. Neil is an assessor for the CAS / BCS Certificate in Computer Science Teaching, a Raspberry Pi, Microsoft and Google Certified Educator and a CEOP Ambassador.