Get Started Teaching Computing in Primary Schools: Preparing to teach 5 - 11 year olds (FutureLearn)

You’ll then explore the topics that you should cover, and ways that you can plan and teach computing lessons effectively.

You’ll investigate how to develop and teach a comprehensive computing curriculum. You’ll do this by examining the Teach Computing Curriculum, a free resource with everything you need to teach computing at primary school, including lesson plans, slides, worksheets, homework and assessment. You’ll also have the chance to practice modifying a lesson from this resource to fit your own context.

Improve your knowledge of primary computing and your confidence in the classroom.

You’ll be guided through key concepts, including computing systems and networks, data and information, creating media, and programming, as well as the impact computing has on your pupils and the wider world. Along the way, you’ll learn how to adapt your lessons to make them inclusive to all, using your own teaching experience and understanding of your pupils.

As you progress, you’ll reflect on your learning. By the end of the course you’ll have a personalised action plan to aid your future practice and inform your professional development.

The course, designed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, is part of the National Centre for Computing Education, funded by the Department for Education.

Syllabus

Week 1: Why Computing?

Week 2: Strands in Computing

Week 3: Overarching themes

Week 4: Teaching Computing in your setting

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Identify the reasons for teaching computing to pupils of primary school age (ages 5 to 11)

- Explain the contents of key curriculum strands within computing

- Modify a computing lesson to include differentiation and assessment, and make it inclusive for all of your learners

- Produce a personal action plan to inform your next steps in learning

Who is the course for?

This course will suit you if you’re a teacher of primary school children (aged 5-11) wanting to grow your computing knowledge and build confidence in helping your pupils to develop their computing knowledge and skills.