ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Transforming teaching and learning: changing the pedagogical approach to using educational programming languages Petros Lameras Ellinogermaniki Agogi

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 The pSkills project It is a two-year project co-funded by the European Commission under the Life Long Learning Programme, Comenius sub-programme fostering a partnership between higher education and school education. It aims to help computer science teachers to develop programming skills in secondary education by means of modern educational programming languages (EPLs) Explore pedagogical approaches combined with learning technologies to enhance the teaching of computer courses. To adapt the compulsory CS curriculum to include more programming courses. To design and implement learning scenarios to fascilitate the teaching of programming courses

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Purpose of this paper To examine the computer science curriculum in Greece, Australia, Estonia and Italy To compare the different CS curricula based on a common framework To present the methodology for scenario implementation To reflect on the next stages of the project

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Computer Science curriculum The project involves schools for four countries: Greece, Australia, Estonia and Italy. The education systems differ in school organisation, the academic content and how content is delivered Comparing CS required a common framework and the IFIP curriculum was used to differentiate the stages: –ICT literacy –Applications of ICT –ICT specialisation

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Documentary Analysis (1) Most elements in the ICT literacy were taught in the core curriculum of each country (i.e. word processing, spreadsheets, visual presentations etc)

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Documentary Analysis (2) Lower presence of ‘Applications of ICT’ and ‘ICT specialisation’ Applications of ICT just two modules: ‘modeling and simulation’ and ‘creating graphics’

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Documentary Analysis (3) The documentary analysis showed –That curriculum is focused more on computer literacy than on application and specialisation –The qualifications for each country varied but it is a requirement for teachers to specialise in CS –Not same requirement for computer literacy as teachers may come from different disciplines but still may teach word processing, spreadsheets etc –The less confident nature of some teachers may impact on the quality of teaching as well as the type of teaching strategies adopted.

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Scenario Development Methodology (1) Main aim of the project is to recommend a new CS curriculum with more programming and then to design and implement learning scenarios using EPLs There is a need to explore issues surrounding learning design such as –Learning activities –Pedagogy –Tools and resources –Sharing and re-use With a particular focus on current practices of learning design such as JISC’s design for learning programme –London Pedagogic Planner project –Phoebe project

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Scenario Development Methodology (2) Structure scenarios that may be used by computer science teachers Through scenario templates teachers will be able to specify: –The curriculum and intended learning outcomes –The learning activity –The environment for learning Learning scenarios templates which can be adapted and re-used in different contexts Making pedagogical considerations more explicit Sharing and re-using experiences of teaching using EPLs

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Scenario Development Methodology (3) Scenarios of use will be tested and validated in the context of supporting scenario implementation (September – October) More complex scenarios will be modeled and described (January- February) Actual scenario implementation in schools (May-June)

ALT-C, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 September 2010 Next stages of the project To propose a new European curriculum for computer science in the four countries by structuring learning scenarios and training material The new curriculum will focus on ICT specialisation and ICT application Pre-structured learning scenarios as scaffolds for teaching EPLs Testing scenarios and learning materials in pilot schools in the context of vision building workshops Actual implementation of learning scenarios and training package in schools Evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of the scenarios and training materials