Computing
Houghton Computing Vision
At Houghton on the Hill Primary School we provide a computing curriculum designed to equip our pupils for an ever-changing technological world. We provide opportunities to develop children’s ability to think critically and creatively as well as developing their computational thinking.
One of our main aims is to keep our pupils safe online. We provide them with the knowledge and skills to do so, promoting safe messages throughout the curriculum. We recognise that as a school we have a responsibility to prepare the pupils for their future by improving their knowledge of and understanding of how imperative technology is as an aid to learning and the real world beyond school.
We want our pupils to have a breadth of experience to develop their understanding of themselves as individuals within their community but also as members of a wider global community and as responsible digital citizens. Through specific teaching as well as our whole school ethos we aim to give our pupils the life-skills that will enable them to embrace and utilise new technology in a socially responsible and safe way in order to flourish in the 21st Century work place.
Through the teaching of our computing curriculum, we aspire to achieve ‘challenge for all’; as pupils progress through each carefully sequenced unit of work, they build their skills and the work they do becomes more complex.
Our Computing Curriculum has been taken from the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE).
The National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) is funded by the Department for Education and supporting partners, and marks a significant investment in improving the provision of computing education in England.
Information regarding lessons and coverage can be found here:
The following are the fundamental principles to pedagogy, outlined by the NCCE on the Teach Computing website:
Effective pedagogy is at the heart of good teaching and learning; successful computing teachers combine their knowledge of the subject with evidence-based teaching practices.
Lead with concepts
Support pupils in the acquisition of knowledge, through the use of key concepts, terms, and vocabulary, providing opportunities to build a shared and consistent understanding. Glossaries, concept maps, and displays, along with regular recall and revision, can support this approach.
Work together
Encourage collaboration, specifically using pair programming and peer instruction, and also structured group tasks. Working together stimulates classroom dialogue, articulation of concepts, and development of shared understanding
Get hands-on
Use physical computing and making activities that offer tactile and sensory experiences to enhance learning. Combining electronics and programming with arts and crafts (especially through exploratory projects) provides pupils with a creative, engaging context to explore and apply computing concepts.
Unplug, unpack, repack
Teach new concepts by first unpacking complex terms and ideas, exploring these ideas in unplugged and familiar contexts, then repacking this new understanding into the original concept. This approach can help pupils develop a secure understanding of complex concepts.
Model everything
Model processes or practices — everything from debugging code to binary number conversions — using techniques such as worked examples and live coding. Modelling is particularly beneficial to novices, providing scaffolding that can be gradually taken away.
Foster program comprehension
Use a variety of activities to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the function and structure of programs, including debugging, tracing, and Parson’s Problems. Regular comprehension activities will help secure understanding and build connections with new knowledge.
Create projects
Use project-based learning activities to provide pupils with the opportunity to apply and consolidate their knowledge and understanding. Design is an important, often overlooked aspect of computing. Pupils can consider how to develop an artefact for a particular user or function, and evaluate it against a set of criteria.
Add variety
Provide activities with different levels of direction, scaffolding, and support that promote learning, ranging from highly structured to more exploratory tasks. Adapting your instruction to suit different objectives will help keep all pupils engaged and encourage greater independence.
Challenge misconceptions
Use formative questioning to uncover misconceptions and adapt teaching to address them as they occur. Awareness of common misconceptions alongside discussion, concept mapping, peer instruction, or simple quizzes can help identify areas of confusion.
Make concrete
Bring abstract concepts to life with real world, contextual examples and a focus on interdependencies with other curriculum subjects. This can be achieved through the use of unplugged activities, proposing analogies, storytelling around concepts, and finding examples of the concepts in pupils’ lives.
Structure lessons
Use supportive frameworks when planning lessons, such as PRIMM (Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify, Make) and Use-Modify-Create. These frameworks are based on research and ensure that differentiation can be built in at various stages of the lesson.
Read and explore code first
When teaching programming, focus first on code ‘reading’ activities, before code writing. With both block-based and text-based programming, encourage pupils to review and interpret blocks of code. Research has shown that being able to read, trace, and explain code augments pupils’ ability to write code.