[pliddle34]

22/09/2011 at 11:42 am

Our school is going with broad general education through every subject having an input for S1 and S2, then pupil choice in S3 within each strand (technologies, health and wellbeing etc). In S3 there is a choice (in the draft) of Computing or Games Design. This seems like a good plan to me but I wondered how others were approaching this? And do schools expect a lead-on from S3 work to N4 and N5 later?

[Robert Young]

27/09/2011 at 12:50 pm

pliddle34 we are looking at doing a similar sort of thing in S3 but this is like most things in our school in draft form. We are not looking at have a lead-on from S3 work to N4 to N5 since pupils who don’t select the course in S3 will still be able to pick up Computing in N4 & N5. Of course pupils who do it in S3 will have an advantage in N4 & N5.

[pliddle34]

27/09/2011 at 3:11 pm

That’s a good point about disadvantaging people – what will you be teaching in Computing then?

[Robert Young]

27/09/2011 at 8:41 pm

We are still pretty much making the course for S3 but we certainly want to do some programming, looking at Greenfoot, Scratch and Small Basic. I personally am interested in Alice as well. Other than that I’m not really sure what we are going to do. In S1 we covered using the Macromedia Suite. We have a games design option in S2 so curious what you are doing for that?

[Tait8]

28/09/2011 at 10:54 am

One possible approach I have heard of is teaching the Added Value unit in S3, giving an advantage for anyone picking Computing in S4 or an extra unit pass if they don’t. Downside of that would be as mentioned, it disadvantages any pupil who decides to pick Computing in S4 having not already picked it in S3.

[pliddle34]

02/11/2011 at 8:29 am

It’s complex at the moment..

 

In s1 and S2 we teach IT and Enterprise which is bits of computing, business and enterprise rolled into one. We’re still trying to improve this. It has a games design course alongside WP, SS, DB, internet safety, digital citizenship and looking at business.

 

We also have S1 and S2 enhancements which run as electives for 2 periods per weekl. We have rotating classes in them doing video/animation, games design, maths based puzzle creation and craft work in S1 and and S2 is a rotation of science and “round the world” which is a technology-focused city tour (each week we learn about a different city and its landmarks/language/people through technology)