Intent
“A high quality computing education equips pupils to understand and change the world through computational thinking. It develops and requires logical thinking and precision. It combines creativity with rigour: pupils apply underlying principles to understand real-world systems, and to create purposeful and usable artefacts,”
At Gusford, we believe that computational thinking is vital in helping children to solve problems, design systems, and understand the power and limits of human and machine intelligence. We believe it is a skill that empowers, and one that all pupils should be aware of and develop competence in. Pupils who can think computationally are better able to conceptualise, understand and use computer-based technology, and so are better prepared for today’s world and future.
Implementation
At Gusford, children will:
- enjoy using information technology and tackle all applications with confidence and a sense of achievementand purpose.
- develop practical skills in the use of information technology and the ability to apply these skills to the solving of relevant and worthwhile problems.
- understand the capabilities and limitations of information technology and the implications and consequences of its use.
- be open minded in their approach to information technology so that they will be able to adapt easily to the information technology systems and approaches they will encounter in their future lives.
- understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
- analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
- use information technology as a tool appropriately across the curriculum to support and enrich their learning.
Impact
Our approach to Computing at Gusford results in pupils being taught a wide range of computing language and skills through a creative curriculum underpinned by real-world systems. Giving students access to this language and skillsempowers students to use computational thinking in an ever-developing technological world. This allows students to think computationally and be better prepared for the future development of technology.
Cross Curricular links
The teaching of computing contributes to teaching and learning in many curriculum areas. It also offers ways of impacting on learning which are not possible with conventional methods. Teachers use software to present information visually, dynamically and interactively, so that children understand concepts more quickly. For example, graphics work links in closely with work in Art, and work using databases supports work in Maths, whilst the Internet proves very useful for research. Information Technology can provide children with opportunities to present their information and conclusions in the most appropriate way.
Children use Information Technology in Maths to collect data, make predictions, analyse results, and present information graphically. Screen robots allow pupils to give exact instructions for a particular route, or to use their knowledge of angles to draw a range of polygons. Maths games are used to consolidate key areas of the syllabus.
In Science, data loggers are used to assist in the collection of data and in producing tables and graphs. Green screen technology is used to create meteorological simulations. In English, stop motion animation is used to create story maps.