Computing at School

1. Computing at School Simon Peyton Jones Computing at School Working Group July 2013

2. A radical shift of perception What most people think The reality Computer science is a foundational discipline, like maths or physics, that every child should learn, from primary school onwards Computer science is a niche university subject for socially-challenged male geeks

3. The problem Computer science is important

4. The Computing At School working group (CAS) • Simply a group of individuals, concerned about the state of computing education at school in the UK • Varied backgrounds, common concerns • Teachers • Industry (eg Google, Microsoft) • University academics (incl CPHC, UKCRC) • Members of exam board (eg AQA) • Members of professional societies (eg BCS) • Parents • Local educational advisers • Started late 2007 • Now fully part of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT • Grass roots: no staff, no money, no office. All motive force comes from volunteers.

5. Step 1identify the mission

6. What every child should learn At school, we teach both disciplines and technologies &skills • Technologies & skills • Artefacts • Machines • Programs • Products • Organisations • Business processes • Dates quickly • Disciplines • Principles, ideas • Knowledge, laws • Techniques, methods • Broadly applicable • Dates slowly Physics, chemistry, mathematics, English Budgeting, presentation skills, metalwork, textiles

7. But in computing... Discipline Technologies and skills • Spreadsheets • Databases • Powerpoint • Digital media • Using the web • Safety on the internet • Plan communication projects • Principles • Ideas • Laws • Broadly applicable • But needs application • Dates slowly

8. The UK picture Computer Science Barely taught ICT Statutory, dominant • Spreadsheets • Databases • Powerpoint • Digital media • Using the web • Safety on the internet • Plan communication projects • Principles • Ideas • Laws • Broadly applicable • But needs application • Dates slowly Range of 14+ different age-16 qualifications No age-16 qualification at all (2009)

9. Mission Computer Science should be recognised in school as a rigorous subject discipline, like physics or history, that every child has the opportunity to learn from primary school onwards. • Inspire young people with the joy and beauty of computer science, programming, and computational thinking.

10. Step 2Articulate and explain the mission

11. Massive scope for confusion Maths Technology enhanced learning Science School MIS Computer science ICT We need to say clearly what CS is, as a school subject

12. What is “Computer Science”? • What students should know: languages, algorithms, data structures and representation, architecture, programs, communication and coordination. • What students should be able to do: computational thinking, abstraction, modelling, design, problem solving, programming.

13. Need to say this in some detail

14. ...and in ways that everyone can understand

15. ...and in ways that everyone can understand

16. Computational thinking (Jeannette Wing) Computational thinking is the process of recognising aspects of computation in the world that surrounds us, and applying tools and techniques from computing to understand and reason about both natural and artificial systems and processes. • Computational thinking is something people do, not something computers do • Computational thinking is ubiquitous; it is useful in every profession, and in daily life

17. What is “Computer Science”? • Foundational • Not just “coding/programming” (although that too) • Not just to get a good job (although that too) • Not just for geeks, or even future software professionals • Ubiquitous, like maths: biology, ecology, design, engineering, astronomy, medicine,… • Primarily rooted in ideasrather than technologyhence using the term “computer science” rather than “information technology” • A quintessentially STEM subject (involving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

18. Why every child? • We live in a world suffused with digital technology. Ignorance of how that technology works means being a slave to it. The choice is: “Program or be programmed” (Rushkoff). • Computing teaches unique thinking and problem-solving skills: computational thinking, abstraction, and precision. • Information and computation gives a new “lens” through which to look at the world: eg flocks of birds, cell biology, cancer propagation, and ecology.

19. Why every child? • We live in a world suffused with digital technology. Ignorance of how that technology works means being a slave to it. • Computing teaches unique thinking and problem-solving skills: computational thinking, abstraction, and precision. • Information and computation gives a new “lens” through which to look at the world: eg flocks of birds, cell biology, cancer propagation, and ecology. An elementary knowledge of computer science, including programming, is a fundamental digital literacy

20. An easy case to make Hearts • Computer science is educationally foundational • Computer science equips students to meet the huge un-met demand from employers. • Computer science is tremendous fun: creativity, intellectual beauty, programming, robots, making things do stuff. Heads

21. Step 3engage the community

22. www.computingatschool.org.uk

23. Now over 4,600 members 418 joined in the last 30 days

24. Grass roots organisation Membership • Not all teachers! • But a lot of teachers

25. Teachers: the myth • ICT teachers are not very good • They are happy with the status quo • They couldn’t teach computer science even if we wanted them to So: we are stuck at Square 1

26. Teachers: the reality • Most teachers live and die for their students: they work nights • Few are happy with the status quo • It’s the biggest sales environment ever. Always going for figures, always going for gold, always going for 100%. ICT is purely there to boost the results in my school, that’s all it’s there for. • I’m afraid I’ve done enough dragging students through qualifications, it’s demoralising and it’s morally wrong, so I’m moving on • Half the year group choose ICT because they enjoyed it so much at KS3, but then KS4 just squeezes the creativity out, it sucks the life out of the subject and they hate it • The exam is just so easy compared to the silly amount of effort they have to put into doing the coursework in order to get basic grades… my kids do no work for the exams and do really well at them

27. Teachers: the reality • Many teachers are longing to introduce computing, but they feel • isolated (seldom more than one ICT specialist in a school) • under-qualified (even specialist ICT teachers seldom have a computer science degree) • under pressure for results (a Computing GCSE will be demanding) But they are keen. Very keen. Very very keen.

30. Embrace diversity • CAS is not just a teachers association; about 1/3 members are not professional teachers • No One True Way • Lots of programming languages • Lots of resources (over 700 currently) • Not much curation (yet) • CS both within and beyond the curriculum

31. Our friends... we love you Greenfoot Technocamps Apps for Good cs4fn Code Club Raspberry Pi YouSrc Hack to the future Make Things Do Stuff Computing at School Young Rewired State NextGen skills campaign CoderDojo

32. Our friends... we love you Greenfoot Technocamps CoderDojo Apps for Good cs4fn Code Club Raspberry Pi Make Things Do Stuff CS Unplugged YouSrc Hack to the future Computing at School Young Rewired State CSTA code.org Bootstrap HTDP Georgia Computes Codeacademy Exploring Computer Science AP CS Principles Khan academy

33. Which leaves the problem

34. Step 4engage the Policy makers

35. Engaging with the DfE(luckily, we have one) • Articulate one simple message: CS as a discipline, from primary school • Speak with one voice; avoid the “circular firing squad”; many stakeholders => many, many meetings • Partnership, not competition with other groups • Civil servants, and even politicians (!), are trying to do the Right Thing • Network, network, network. Everything happens through personal relationships. • Be lucky.

36. High profile reports • Feb 2011: The Livingstone/Hope report • Bring computer science into the National Curriculum as an essential discipline • 2011: Ofsted report on ICT • Jan 2012: Royal Society Computing in Schools Report • The current delivery of Computing education in many UK schools is highly unsatisfactory • Computer Science is a rigorous academic discipline and needs to be recognised as such in schools • Every child should have the opportunity to learn Computing at school

37. Into political discourse "I was flabbergasted to learn that today computer science isn't even taught as standard in UK schools," he said, "Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it's made.“ Eric Schmidt, CEO Google, August 2011

38. January 2012: breakthrough We’re encouraging rigorous Computer Science courses The new Computer Science courses will reflect what you all know: that Computer Science is a rigorous, fascinating and intellectually challenging subject. Computer Science requires a thorough grounding in logic and set theory, and is merging with other scientific fields into new hybrid research subjects like computational biology. Although individual technologies change day by day, they are underpinned by foundational concepts and principles that have endured for decades. Long after today’s pupils leave school and enter the workplace – long after the technologies they used at school are obsolete – the principles learnt in Computer Science will still hold true.” Michael Gove, Jan 2012

39. Qualifications • GCSE: national examinations taken at age 16 • Offered by “awarding bodies”

40. New dirt-cheap hardware platforms

41. Amazing • media coverage • e.g Observer • 1 April 2012

42. Curriculum • June 2012: Secretary of State Gove withdraws the National Curriculum for ICT. • Sept 2012: SLPJ asked to chair group to write the new National Curriculum for ICT (!) • Jan 2013: Drafts (for all subjects) to be published; launch Sept 2014. • Jan 2013: “ICT” re-titled as “Computing”. • Jan 2013: Computer Science in the English Baccalaureate!

43. Aims (age 6-16) All pupils • can understand and apply the fundamental principles of computer science, including logic, algorithms, data representation, and communication • can analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems • can evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems • are responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology

44. Progression A levels Apprenticeships FE Colleges CS A range of qualifications at age 16 ICT Technical vendor quals Eg systems administration, network management, database (Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle, etc) Applied ICT GCSE/BTec Academic CS GCSE Computer Science Age 16 ICT Technology Enhanced Learning Age 14 Age 11 Age 6

45. Step 5The ground war Air battle Everyone agreesthat we need CS Ground war

46. Job done? Absolutely not! It’s no good writing a Programme of Study that schools cannot deliver Two massive challenges Equip, support, affirm, encourage our ICT teachers to teach computer science Attract qualified computer scientists into teaching, now that their subject is actually on the curriculum

47. CPD and the Network of Excellence • Computing at School (CAS) and the British Computer Society (BCS) have launched a national Network of Excellence for Teaching Computer Science • 800+ schools signed up • Single goal: support andequip our teachers toteach Computing • Primary (age 6-11),Secondary (11-18), andFurther Education (FE) • £2m DfE funding

48. Training teachers • Master teachers seconded 1 afternoon/week to develop and deliver CPD for their local colleagues • Lead schools self-identify, and offer support and help to other local schools • Universities help deliver CPD to their local schools. For the first time they have a stake in school education. • University ambassador scheme gives credit to undergraduates working in schools. • IT professionals and software developers?

49. Challenges • We are, in effect, launching an entirely new school subject • Turbulence and “ICT bad” messages have led to fear, uncertainty, and doubt. • Universities are preoccupied with their teaching and research (esp “the REF”). Need a local champion in each CS dept and School of Education • Teachers have little time and less money. Getting cover for teacher absence is hard. • Transition from adrenaline/enthusiasm to business as usual.

50. And yet... • ..we can do this! • So much energy • So much goodwill This is the moment. We are riding an unstoppable wave of creative enthusiasm Do not wait for someone else to do it. We have to do it.And we can, if we put our minds to it.