“A victim of its own success…”
“Be careful what you ask for…”
“I couldn’t pass the exam myself…”
I have heard all these statements from practising teachers recently, revealing the state of panic that can be found in many computing departments across the country. The creation of a brand new subject was pretty unique, and when Michael Gove announced the end of the ICT National Curriculum and its replacement with computing, few could see where it would lead.
Since then, entries to computer science GCSE have shot up, with GCE following suit. This process is accelerating since the announcement that ICT GCSE is facing the chop. The government are keen for computer science to spread, citing the challenge, rigour and opportunities it affords.
This leaves teachers and their students in an interesting position. Many teachers of computing have migrated (given little choice), from teaching ICT. In fact, some report that school leaders don’t fully appreciate the difference between the two subjects. Those teachers had arrived in ICT departments from a variety of subject areas – the start of my journey to curriculum leadership of ICT was as a teacher of physics. During this time, I too was asked to teach to GCSE level in a subject that I hadn’t studied, having dropped biology at age 13. I have worked in ICT departments alongside ex-teachers of RE, English, history, mathematics – and no ex-teachers of computer science. In fact, most of those I worked with had no formal qualifications in the subject at all!
Now, on the back of the successful implementation of the Key Stage 3 computing curriculum, and with trained subject specialists a rarity in comparison to other STEM subjects, teachers of all backgrounds are being asked to take groups through qualifications that they never studied themselves. A reliance on websites offering help, on other students and on ‘independent learning’ is not uncommon, as teachers report worries about their own ability to pass exams their students will sit. At A level, the situation becomes more desperate – what was once the domain of computer science graduates is now sucking in teachers of all backgrounds and knowledge levels, as schools seek to broaden their offer in an ever-more competitive landscape.
In response to this, the National STEM Learning Centre is launching a suite of GCSE and GCE subject-knowledge enhancement courses for teachers. Some of these follow themes that run through Key Stages 4 and 5, with phase-specific support offered on consecutive days so teachers can attend either or both. With experienced teacher presenters and subject specialists we don’t promise participants a computer science degree, but the courses will hopefully go some way to filling the knowledge gaps and increasing confidence in the classroom.
Related computing CPD activities:
- Teaching data and data structures for GCSE computer science
- Teaching data and data structures including databases for A level computer science
- Teaching algorithms for GCSE computer science
- Teaching algorithms for A level computer science
- Maths for A level computer science
Coming soon:
- Teaching systems and networks and the internet for GCSE computer science
- Teaching systems and networks and the internet for A level computer science
- Teaching processors and computation for A level computer science
- Teaching Object Oriented Programming for A level computer science
These CPD activities will be coming soon, keep your eye out for more information!