Getting ready for GCSE

1. Getting ready for GCSE

2. “Learning objectives” ;) • Give you confidence about teaching GCSE Computing for the first time - it is like driving or downhill skiing – all about confidence! • We will provide you with • Info on where you can get help with resources and support with curriculum development • Info on the 3 board offerings • To show you how we do it

3. Introduction • GCSE – an important step to confident A-level pupils • 3 examinations boards: • AQA • OCR • WJEC • Although the assessment procedure for each board is slightly different each has a controlled assessment element which makes up 60% of the final grade + an end-of-course examination.

4. What’s in common? • Theory on computer hardware (types of memory, buses, binary, etct) and major algorithm concepts (pseudocode, flowcharts, good design flow, etc) • Big exam in the end • Controlled Assessments • Pupils need to program to the standard that wouldn’t be out of place at A-level a couple of years ago (perhaps, even now) • Age compression!

5. What’s different • OCR has more “troops on the ground” • OCR first mover advantage • WJEC have on-screen activities • WJEC are not part of the EBACC

6. Teacher’s secret weapons? • Know your theory • Scratch/BYOB/Blockly • Structured English+pseudocode for: • Assignment • Iteration • Selection • Input/Output • Progranimate • HTML+Javascript • One text-based language: Python, DotNet, Delphi, Java, JavaScript, Visual Basic, VBA, Small Basic

7. If you have to stay 1 pageahead of the pupils… • Year 10: • Buy yourself time: start with the ICT bits: usage, society impact, safety, design • Progranimate for flowcharts and pseudocode http://www.progranimate.com/launch/launchMain.html?VB6 • Use CAS resources, a lot of them are aimed for self-study (ie. Most pupils don’t need you to complete these) • Identify the pupils who might have done some programming, etc before and give them some of these resources to present to class and put them in charge of delivering them – warning - lots of stars, recognition and chocolate will be needed!

8. Year 10… • Get the easier task activity started – determined by your skills level • Get them started on the write-ups, etc.

9. Year 11 • You have now taught computing for a year, you know how your pupils are • Get to the hard topics • Start on the remaining activities • That’s it!

10. Top Tips for Success You are not alone- look out for resources on • CAS online • Exam board resources and material • Speak to people either here on communicate through CAS online. There always seems to be a expert there only to eager and willing to help • Visit a school already delivering it and work with them – they will be happy to help!

11. OCR Computing A452 Practical Investigation 30% 20 hours OCR Scheme of Work on (ocr.org.uk) Practical Investigation Efficient and effective use of techniques Technical understanding Conclusions and Evaluation • Computing Guide (Mark Clarkson) • A451 Written Examination 40% • Theory topics • 2.1.1 - Fundamentals of Computer Systems • 2.1.2 - Computing Hardware • 2.1.3 - Software • 2.1.4 - Representation of data in computer systems • 2.1.5 – Databases • 2.1.6 - Computer communications and networking A453 Programming Project 30% 20 hours Planning Development Testing Evaluation AQA Computing Component 1: Practical Programming 50 hrs 60% of marks Component 2: Computing Fundamentals 1hr 30mins exam, 40% of marks WJEC Computing Unit 1 (45%) - 90 min exam Unit 2 (30%) - 2 hour external assessment through a series of on-screen tasks. Unit 3 (25%) - internally assessed and externally moderated 15 hour controlled assessment

12. OCR

13. AQA • This specification has one tier of assessment, with a single paper that covers all of the grades A*–G. • Component 1 – Practical programming / Approx 50 hrs of controlled assessment (2 tasks of 25 hours each) • 60% of the marks / 126 marks (63 marks for each task) / 180 UMS • Internally assessed, externally moderated. • Different tasks will be provided by AQA each year. • Each student should complete two tasks from a choice of four. • Component 2 – Computing fundamentals 1 hour 30 minutes • 40% of the marks / 84 marks / 120 UMS • Externally assessed. Schools/colleges can choose to enter students for either a paper-based or on-screen version. • All questions will be compulsory and will be taken from across the subject content. • This component will include a range of types of questions from very short to extended answer.

14. AQA theory

15. AQA practical tasks Link to AQA sample task scenario

16. WJEC • fully accredited from Sept 2012.  • Linear specification is available in both England and Wales for first assessment in summer 2014 • Assessment is divided into three units: • Understanding Computer Science (45%) - 90 minute examination to assess understanding of the theory content of the specification. • Solving Problems Using Computers (30%) - 2 hour external assessment to assess the practical application of knowledge and understanding through a series of on-screen tasks. • Developing Computing Solutions (25%) - internally assessed and externally moderated 15 hour controlled assessment to develop a piece of work using programming software following a task brief issued by WJEC. There is a choice of two task briefs which can be found here.

17. WJEC On-screen activity

18. WJEC onscreen activity 2

19. Getting Started Programming – With BYOB and Programinate http://www.progranimate.com/launch/launchMain.html?VB6

20. GCSE Programming • Input/Output • Sequencing • Selection • Iteration • Processing • That’s it!

21. A mind map of GCSE Programming

22. Algorithm

23. Interacting with user/memory

24. Branching and choices

25. Working with data

26. Repetition and automation

27. Exercises: • Custom functions: • Unit converter: km2miles • Then with validation • Then with choice of direction • Find average/min/max • Same as above but with interface • GUI widgets • Writing to cells and files

28. How to deliver a successful curriculum resources 1) Progranimate http://www.progranimate.com/launch/launchMain.html

29. How to deliver a successful curriculum resources 1) Progranimate These same exercises can be given using BYOB or a high level language Very good at showing the introduction to programming concepts and skills. Develops skills in developing pseudocode and writing algorithms Algorithm for each of the following set out as a flowchart or pseudocode Find the difference between two numbers. Find the product of two numbers (this means to multiply the two numbers). Change the time in seconds to minutes Change a volume in pints to litres (there are 2.2 pints in every litre). Find the volume of a cone given its diameter and height To find the volume of a cube given the length of a side. To find the volume of a pyramid, given the length and breadth of its base and its height. To find the average speed of a car given the journey time and the distance travelled. Find the average of four numbers Find the largest of four numbers Find the smallest of four numbers

30. 2) Developing Programs Further Write an algorithm for a program where the computer randomly generates a number between 1 and 1000. The program then invites a user to make a guess if the guess is too high or low the program will display a suitable message. The program should keep track of the number of guesses and terminate when the user has guessed the number correctly or the number of guesses = 10. You should produce an algorithm showing the design of the program Once you have completed this then see if you can validate the program so that only accepts numbers will only accept numbers between 1 and 1000 will not accept any numbers guessed before (you will need to store previous guesses in a list)will not allow you to make a guess higher or lower than the previous one if the program has told you that the number is too high or low

31. 3) Lottery Program Produce a program for the lottery. The program should select 6 numbers drawn at random between 1 and 49. The program should drawn the numbers and once the numbers are drawn they should not be capable of being drawn again. The program should then sort out the numbers into order

32. 3) Lottery Program Produce a program for the lottery. The program should select 6 numbers drawn at random between 1 and 49. The program should drawn the numbers and once the numbers are drawn they should not be capable of being drawn again. The program should then sort out the numbers into order

33. Extension Programming Activities • At GCSE Computing programming about logic. For the purposes of today we are going to create a program used for teaching the main concepts • The program is going to • Allow the user to enter the number of numbers that they wish the program to generate • The numbers of numbers have to be greater than 0 but less or equal to a number decided by the user • The program will a series of numbers generated between the lower and higher boundaries decided by the user • The program will store the numbers generated in an array • The program will output the highest, lowest, average and total of the series of numbers

34. Features of BYOB • Use BYOB! – latest version of BYOB, shld be familiar for Scratch-ers • May need 2 (3?) paths • New to Scratch • Experienced Scratch-ers • Experienced BYOB-ers • Three sections – separated by breaks and/or other theory sessions • Introduction • Environment • Flow of control • Variables • Procedures/functions • Inc parameters • Data Structures • Lists • Following on …. Can then Illustrate examples from e.g. Python or VBA

35. 4) Traditional approach to Hello World with a twist Take a traditional languages like VBA – add in some objects – images, command buttons labels. Mix it with some properties that can be manipulated on the screen – size, position and colour Starter – talk about properties and events – with a label caption for our hello world

36. Extension Programming Activities • At GCSE Computing programming about logic. For the purposes of today we are going to create a program used for teaching the main concepts • The program is going to • Allow the user to enter the number of numbers that they wish the program to generate • The numbers of numbers have to be greater than 0 but less or equal to a number decided by the user • The program will a series of numbers generated between the lower and higher boundaries decided by the user • The program will store the numbers generated in an array • The program will output the highest, lowest, average and total of the series of numbers

37. Features of BYOB • Use BYOB! – latest version of BYOB, shld be familiar for Scratch-ers • May need these paths • New to Scratch • Experienced Scratch-ers • Experienced BYOB-ers • Three sections – separated by breaks and/or other theory sessions • Introduction • Environment • Flow of control • Variables • Procedures/functions • Inc parameters • Data Structures • Lists • Following on …. Can then Illustrate examples from e.g.. Greenfoot (Java), or Python or VBA

38. Extension Programming Activities • At GCSE Computing programming about logic. For the purposes of today we are going to create a program used for teaching the main concepts • The program is going to • Allow the user to enter the number of numbers that they wish the program to generate • The numbers of numbers have to be greater than 0 but less or equal to a number decided by the user • The program will a series of numbers generated between the lower and higher boundaries decided by the user • The program will store the numbers generated in an array • The program will output the highest, lowest, average and total of the series of numbers

39. 4)b) How many lights do you see with 2 switches? Introduces on a simple level selection and the idea of value in this case the light must be on or off This is an example in VBA but this could be produced in any high level language • 4c) How about you wanted to use this in a disco • Introduce the idea of looping

40. Approaching the Assessment • Good Sources • Resources • www.python.org/docs/ • What is Python/Why Python • Basic Python • Python as a calculator • Working with numbers • Numeric and String Variables • AQA ‘Traditional’ Option: Gardening problem • OCR Investigation (Little Man Computer) • OCR Programming Tasks • GCSEComputing.org.uk • Mark Clarkson the unofficial teachers guide to OCR Computing • Text books Susan Robson – has written text books specific to OCR and AQA • (Programming)

41. GCSE Computing a fistful of theory Underneath the Bonnet

42. Suggested teaching activities to cover 1.2 Hardware • Role of the CPU – look at the functions of the CPU and processor architecture – Fetch Execute Cycle • Programming in the LMC – how to use the LMC to add, subtract and branching activities linked into a sample or live assessment activity • Look at different types of computer memory – different types of storage – optical, solid state and magnetic • Software – role of the operating system, utilities software, custom made and open source software

43. For information only • CSUnplugged activity for CPU and instructions e.g. http://cse4k12.org/how_computers_work/index.html • Move into LMC: http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/~sychen/research/LMC/LMCHome.html • Guide the instructions, relate statements to both Snap! And previous activity

44. Data Representation Talking in Binary

45. Data Representations • Converting from Binary to Hex, Hex to Binary • Binary addition • Logic gates including AND, OR and NOT • Look at various approaches and different examination questions

46. For information only • See: http://csunplugged.org/binary-numbers • And: http://nzacditt.org.nz/244-as91371-plan-of-work-and-accompanying-resources

47. How to approach the controlled assessment with confidence • A453 – Suggested sample activities to make up the 3 tasks – how can these be used to support the teaching tasks • Example program from above • Spelling Game • Trip Planner program • A452 Suggested sample activities looking at the basic functions of the LMC including addition, subtraction, how to sort using the branching conditions. • Please contact me dtravi1@gmail.com if you require information on these tasks