A secondary school computing teacher told me recently that children from one of their feeder schools had no experience of Scratch (an almost-ubiquitous block-based programming environment) so they had to provide some remedial intervention. The surprising thing about this statement is that only one of the schools doesn't use the programming environment created by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Just a year or two ago the situation was quite the opposite. This transformation has happened due to teachers’ willingness to learn and to adopt new technologies and approaches. The ease of learning Scratch, and wealth of teaching resources available, have oiled the cogs too.
So is Scratch the sum total of primary school computing – or is it just scratching the surface? (sorry!)
In lower primary, coding often involves inputting a series of commands into a BeeBot or other floor-turtle. This is a great introduction to the ideas encapsulated in computational thinking such as pattern recognition, decomposition, sequencing and algorithmic thinking. Some technologies even allow procedures to be written, teaching children the benefits of modular programming. Scratch Jr or Daisy the Dinosaur can build animations from sequences of drag-and-drop instructions, while The Foos ‘gamifies’ programming in early years and upwards. A little more advanced is Kodable, taking the rover on screen, with a full learning program available.
Moving through school computing, it gets more creative; Scratch is great for creating simple games and animations as well as more complex ‘turtle programming’ which simulates a floor-turtle with a pen. It can also link out to the real world with Raspberry Pi, a Picoboard or, if you have the budget, Lego WeDo (which has its own simple, block-based programming environment).
Worth a try is the iOS app Hopscotch, where you can add functionality to all kinds of weird and whacky characters. Or what about CodeMonkey (where you can… code a monkey!). Tynker on iOS and Android is not just a coding environment - it includes a learning system and learner reporting too, although this comes at a premium.
And should the BBC micro:bit become commercially available, it is bound to be in demand in primary schools due to the excellent quality coding environments including Blocks and the simplicity with which it connects to a computer. No IT support required!
Of course, none of these technologies are a silver bullet. Without good conceptual understanding – the ‘why’, not just the ‘what’, of programming – children can only get so far. Computing can, and should, reinforce learning across the whole curriculum, as there are few areas of modern life untouched by technology.
The National STEM Centre provides quality-assured resources to support learning by teachers and students, as well as excellent professional development to build your teaching skills with others. We will show you how to maximise the effective use of the hardware and software you already have at school as well as sharing recommendations for the latest developments in educational technology. All of the courses will offer ways to teach purposeful, safe and exciting activities that are not device specific.
Some useful resources to start with:
Our courses:
- Leading the primary computing curriculum (whole school)
- Using film technology to support primary literacy (whole school)
- Using ICT effectively in early years foundation stage
- Delivering the coding elements of the National curriculum at KS1
- Delivering the coding elements of the National curriculum at KS2
- Raising attainment in English and maths at KS2 through the effective use of ICT