2 Hard to teach areas – sequencing and programming

Sequencing and programming can be seen as a very time-consuming and specialist skill. Fortunately there are some good video exemplars and lots of free resources linked to excellent practitioners available on the internet.

In the KS2 programme of study [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , the ‘Developing ideas and making things happen’ section states that

Pupils should be taught how to create, test, improve and refine sequences of instructions to make things happen and to monitor events and respond to them [for example, monitoring changes in temperature, detecting light levels and turning on a light]

(section 2b).

Reflection

1 Watch the following video clip of a lesson in using Lego® NXT Robotics Kits with a whole class:

http://blip.tv/ file/ 201875

(It takes a few seconds to start.)

Notice how the teacher elicits answers and models instructions for the pupils. See how he breaks down the complicated vocabulary and pulls out the information from the class. (This sequence on the video is from 2 mins 50 secs to 12 mins 20 secs).

Could a similar approach work in your school on a smaller scale or have you got access to a CLC and equipment where you could try these ideas out?

2 Have a look at the ‘Other resources’ section below – particularly ‘Scratch’. This is a simple ‘drag and drop’ progamming environment that you can use on its own or link to and control ProBot cars or WeDo Lego® kits. The MIT Scratch community site has thousands of pre-programmed exemplars of students’ and teachers’ work which you can download, adapt and reconfigure for teaching and learning purposes.

What issues might prevent you from adopting the ideas offered? Where are these issues located – for example, are they to do with resourcing in school? Or to do with matching your curriculum? Or something else?

Other resources

Videos

http://www.blip.tv/ file/ 2560910

Videos of Miles Berry demonstrating the use of Scratch

http://www.schoolsworld.tv/ videos/ teaching-web-design-and-programming

(Watch from 7 mins and 25 secs into the video – you can pull the video time bar at the bottom to view the precise section.)

At Hillfields Primary, Beccy Sherratt updates her teaching of programming and control by borrowing robotic cars from her local city learning centre. Her pupils program them to follow various obstacle courses, or attach a pen to create patterns through programming.

Websites

Alphabet Designer example from the National Curriculum in Action website:

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/ key-stages-1-and-2/ assessment/ nc-in-action/ items/ ict/ 4/ 204.aspx

Ollie Bray's blog on the use of Scratch, Picoboard and WeDo Lego® kits:

http://olliebray.typepad.com/ olliebraycom/ 2010/ 06/ scratch-picoboards-and-wedo-lego-kits-lttfhw.html

A whole host of videos about the use of Lego® WeDo and Scratch programming:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Lego+wedo+and+scratch&aq=f

Scratch:

http://www.vital.ac.uk/ content/ programming-scratch-0

Miles Berry, a lecturer at Roehampton University, has produced a module on the Vital website, called Programming in Primary schools: promoting creative learning, about using the Scratch programming environment in Primary schools. This promotes creative learning and is a comprehensive set of materials on the use of programming and exemplars of creative learning including:

  • learning through play
  • interactivity
  • early approaches to computer-assisted learning
  • the children’s machine
  • games-based learning
  • informal learing with technology
  • software development / AI
  • social constructivism and open source
  • control and monitoring
  • virtual worlds.

Each section refers you to more comprehensive reading, blogs, lectures, slides and PDF documents.

Further resources are available on the MIT Scratch website (http://scratch.mit.edu/).

Progression – more advanced learners

Alice: Video of students at KS3

http://blip.tv/file/1588953

On this video, boys at KS3 talk about their use of Alice programming (http://www.alice.org/) between home and school. See how they are able to use Open Source Programming Software, Alice, between home and school and how different individuals have different levels of expertise – some even being able to transfer skills across different programming environments.

Greenfoot

http://greenfoot.org/

Greenfoot allows you to program directly in Java using a drag and drop environment similar to Scratch. There are quite a few useful screencasts on the site and this would be very useful and challenging for more gifted learners.

Websites and companies with robotics and control kit

These are links to commercial company sites which have resources that have been tried and tested by different practitioners. The articles, blogs and links below show how they are used and planned for in schools.

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6002692, TES article on Bee- and Pro-Bots.

http://bee-bots-downunder.blogspot.com/, excellent KS1 resources to do with Bee-Bots that can be adapted for KS2.

http://www.six.somerset.gov.uk/curriculum/content.asp?did=25638, useful grid from Somerset Council giving exemplars of use of robots in context.

http://www.tts-group.co.uk/ shops/ tts/ Products/ PD1723580/ Pro-Bot/, the Pro-Bot Floor Robot is a commercially available programmable floor robot that has proved to be popular with teachers teaching sequencing and programming.

http://firsthandtechnology.org.uk/, the First Lego League uses commercially available Lego® equipment and involves teams of up to 10 children, between 9 and 16 years of age, working in out-of-school clubs as part of the curriculum or within a community group. Participating teams across the UK and Ireland have 8–10 weeks from September to prepare for one of the regional tournament events.

The First Lego League has recently been accredited with the British Science Association CREST award scheme. CREST is Britain's largest national award scheme for project work in the STEM subjects and was established over 23 years ago. Although it is Key Stage 3 in focus it is a useful set of activities to adapt or share with more gifted learners.

http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/ccaf/CREST/AboutCREST/index.htm CREST

http://www.stemdirectories.org.uk/, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Background reading

Papert, S. (1980) Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas, New York, Basic Books.

1 Understanding ICT at Key Stage 2

3 Teaching ICT at KS2 in other contexts – simulations