Do you sometimes feel that you’re only a page or two ahead of your computing students? Worried that you can’t answer the tricky questions? Struggle to communicate the bigger picture, linking up fundamental computing concepts?
Without extended training and deep subject knowledge, usually gained through a computer science degree, these can be difficult hills to climb.
The teachers I meet daily are working harder than most colleagues realise, simply to secure the basic level of knowledge to survive the year’s teaching of a subject that is still very new to them. Making the leap to computing, and then to succeeding with groups studying qualifications in computer science, hasn’t been a simple task. It’s fair to say most computing teachers aren’t brimming with confidence!
CAS Tenderfoot is here to help. Funded by Google, this project aims to improve the subject knowledge of teachers – while it can’t replace the depth of knowledge gained from a degree in computer science, it goes a long way to plugging the yawning gap. If you’re one of the minority of computing teachers with a related degree, you’ll find excellent pedagogy and teaching resources that will enrich your lessons.
The content is pitched at A level standard but is applicable to KS3 upwards. Core concepts in computational thinking, such as algorithms, abstraction, decomposition, pattern recognition and generalisation run through all the activities. The professional development packages are designed to build this knowledge piece by piece – before you know it you’ll find yourself comfortable with topics that may previously have seemed scary and alien.
The resources that make up the Tenderfoot project have been gathered from a range of authoritative sources, and sequenced together by leading computing teachers for instant impact in the classroom.
The network of CAS Master Teachers will be instrumental in embedding this knowledge in schools. Once trained they are delivering local CPD sessions through the network of CAS Regional Centres.
So if this is something you’re interested in, it’s worth watching the video below:
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