Key Findings of UK Report Computing in Schools

2. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that by 2020 there will be more than 1.4 million computing-related job openings. At current rates, however, we can only fill about 30% of those jobs with U.S. computing bachelor’s grads. Girls represent a valuable, mostly untapped talent pool.

3. Computing in the Core is a non-partisan advocacy coalition of associations, corporations, scientific societies, and other non-profits seeking to elevate the national profile of computer science education in K-12 within the US and work toward ensuring that computer science is one of the core academic subjects in K-12 education. • http://www.computinginthecore.org/

4. Key Findings of UK ReportComputing in Schools The current delivery of Computing education in many UK schools is highly unsatisfactory. • the current national curriculum in ICT can be very broadly interpreted and may be reduced to the lowest level where non specialist teachers have to deliver it • there is a shortage of teachers who are able to teach beyond basic digital literacy • there is a lack of continuing professional development for teachers of Computing • features of school infrastructure inhibit effective teaching of Computing

5. Key Findings of UK ReportComputing in Schools • Need to improve understanding of the nature and scope of Computing. Needs to be recognition that Computer Science is a rigorous academic discipline of great importance to the future careers of many pupils. • Every child should have the opportunity to learn Computing at school, including exposure to Computer Science as a rigorous academic discipline. • Aspects of Computing should be required components of education. There is also a need for existing inappropriate assessment methods to be updated. • Need for augmentation and coordination of current Enhancement and Enrichment activities to support the study of Computing. • Uptake of Computing A-level is hindered by lack of demand from higher education institutions.

6. Key Recommendations in UK • The review of the National curriculum in England • should be used as an opportunity to look ata radical overhaul of ICT in schools including rebranding and providing clarity on the different aspects of Computing currently lumped together under this heading. • • Targets should be set and monitored for the number of specialist Computing teachers. Training bursaries should be available to attract Computer Science graduates into teaching. Education Scotland should ensure that the entitlement of all learners to third- level outcomes in Computing Science is fully implemented. • • Government should set a minimum level of provision for continuing professional development (CPD) for Computing teachers, should seek support from business and industry to make that provision, and should ensure that the provision is well coordinated and deepens subject knowledgeand subject-specific pedagogy. • • Providers of school infrastructure services should offer greater flexibility to schools to rebalance network security against requirements for effective teaching and learning in Computing. Suitable technical resources (robotics kits, etc) should also be made available. • • Information, guidance and positive incentives should be offered to heads of schools to enable them to appreciate the nature and scope of Computing and how problems described in this report can be addressed. • • A review of qualifications, curricula, and the means of delivering them should ensure that all pupils gain exposure to essential aspects of Computing and that those pupils with an aptitude for the subject are able to develop it to a higher level. • • Awarding organisations should review assessment methods for qualifications in Computing – such as documenting coursework with screenshots – to ensure that they are effective and do not have a negative impact on learning and teaching. • 6 Shut down or restart? The way forward for computing in UK schools • A framework to support both non-formal learning in Computing and teachers of Computing should be established, to include after-school clubs, school speakers, and mentoring for teachers. In order to determine the focus of future investment, the effectiveness of different Enhancement and Enrichment activities in Computing should be assessed. • Awarding organisations should develop rigorous Level 3 (A-level or equivalent) academic qualifications in Computer Science.

7. Computer Science is a Science • Computer Science is a discipline, like Maths, Physics, or History. It has a body of knowledge, established techniques, and thinking skills, that will last students a lifetime. The core skill-set of Computer Science is independent of new technologies and programming techniques. • Computer Science is a school subject, not just a university-level discipline. We have ample evidence that, with the appropriate tools, it is accessible to children from primary school onwards. Many of the current leaders in the field, first encountered the subject when it was taught in schools using BBC micros. • Computer Science is educationally important. Just as we give every student the opportunity to learn the workings of physics, chemistry, and biology, because they live in a physical, chemical, biological world, so we should offer every student the opportunity to learn the workings of the digital systems that pervade their world. This knowledge is empowering, enriching, and inspiring; the skills involved readily transferable. Writing a computer program, while seemingly esoteric, is the closest a child can come to thinking about thinking. Likewise, debugging a program is the closest one can come to learning learning. Amongst other things, Computer Science embodies logic, rigour and problem solving. Some commentators have dubbed it ‘the new Latin’. • Computer Science is economically important, because digital systems have become a critical component of our entire society. It is also a terrific path to a good job; the 2011 IDC Microsoft Economic Impact study found over 110,000 IT vacancies in the UK, and expects the IT workforce to grow by a further 113,000 by 2015. • InnovativeICTteachersareinthevanguardofthemovementforchange. Oftentheyfeel themselves to be under-qualified, but that is a problem that can be fixed: many are taking CPD courses in their own time to develop their knowledge. • Offering Computer Science directly addresses the problem that ICT has gradually become a low-status, low-achievement subject. To quote the DfE, evidence indicates that recent curriculum and qualifications reforms have not led to significant improvements in ICT education in schools1; that the number of students progressing to further study in ICT- related subjects is in decline; and that the ICT curriculum in its current form, particularly beyond KS3 is viewed as dull, repetitive and de-motivating for pupils2. • http://www.computingatschool.org.uk/

8. Computer Science is a STEM Discipline • A body of knowledge, including widely-applicable ideas and concepts, and a theoretical framework into which these ideas and concepts fit. • A set of techniques and methods that may be applied in the solution of problems, and in the advancement of knowledge. • A way of thinking and working that provides a perspective on the world that is distinct from other disciplines. • Longevity: a discipline does not “date” quickly, although the subject advances. • Independence from specific technologies, especially those that have a short shelf-life

9. Computer Science is a STEM Discipline • It has its own theoretical foundations and mathematical underpinnings, and involves the application of logic and reasoning. • It embraces a scientific approach to measurement and experiment.It involves the design, construction, and testing of purposeful artefacts. • It requires understanding, appreciation, and application of a wide range of technologies. http://www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/ComputingCurric.pdf

10. CS –vs- IT • Computer Science is a discipline that seeks to understand and explore the world around us, both natural and artificial, in computational terms. Computer Science is particularly, but by no means exclusively, concerned with the study, design, and implementation of computer systems, and understanding the principles underlying these designs. • Information Technology deals with the purposeful application of computer systems to solve real-world problems, including issues such as the identification of business needs, the specification and installation of hardware and software, and the evaluation of usability. It is the productive, creative and explorative use of technology.

11. Key Concepts in Computing • Languages, machines, and computation • Data and representation • Communication and coordination • Abstraction and design (hardware/software) • The wider context of computing: • Intelligence and consciousness • The natural world • Creativity and intellectual property • Moral and ethical implications of using computers

12. Computational thinking • The process of recognising aspects of computation in the world, and applying tools and techniques from computing to understand and reason about both natural and artificial systems and processes. • Computational thinking is something that people do (rather than computers), and includes the ability to think logically, algorithmically and (at higher levels) recursively and abstractly.

13. Nexus of Factors Maintains Status Quo in Schools

14. Revision of Terminology Needed

15. ACM K-12 CS Model Curriculum, 2nd Edition PDF • Level I Course: Foundations of Computer Science (Objectives and Outlines) • Level II Course: Computer Science in the Modern World (Objectives and Outlines) • Level III Course: Computer Science as Analysis and Design (Objectives and Outlines)
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