Repl.it Curriculum: Python for GCSE NEA

I spent some time this summer creating a course for the brand new repl.it curriculum hub. This new educational initiative from repl.it is seeing creators develop resources and curricula to support a variety of different learning activities. I’ve developed Python for GCSE which is focused around using Python and the standard libraries to develop the…

Assembly Language (for WJEC GCSE Computer Science Unit 2)

At GCSE the assembly code we teach for WJEC Computer Science is an abridged form of Little Man Computer, and the topic exists in both the theory exam as well as the practical exam, but this has its problems. First, the topic has never come up in an actual practical exam paper, and the legacy…

Modern Greenfoot Tutorials (for WJEC GCSE Computer Science)

So at some point I got really annoyed at all the Greenfoot resources out there in the world. They didn’t teach anything other than how to answer a specific question in a certain style, if that changed (say, the exam board updated their spec) then the students just couldn’t achieve the same results and –…

Programming Code Notebook Free Printables

I’ve been teaching programming in Computer Science for fifteen years and I’m always looking for ways to make it better. Most recently I’ve been focussing on how students can take better notes when learning the concepts of programming through code, and I think I have a working model for note taking when dealing with code…

We’re back

This website has been languishing in obscurity for a while. This post marks the start of the rebuilding process and the redevelopment of the site to serve as a portal to all of the exciting pedagogical creations that we are developing. This site was quietly retired in early 2018 due to the platform and setup…

Question Level Analysis and Reflection to improve exam success

Most of us teach material that will be assessed in an examination of some form or another, but upcoming changes to GCSEs mean that for all of us the focus on teaching exam technique will become more and more important. One of the major issues that I’ve found to be holding learners back from excelling…

#TMNSL Workshop Summary: Stop Getting IT Wrong!

Stop Getting IT Wrong! Workshop Summary Digital learning is not something to be scared of or to be worried about. It’s just learning. No one called it ‘Pen based learning’ when we moved away from slate tablets, but I’m sure there were a few people reluctant to change their ways, or that didn’t quite ‘get’…

Top Ten Starter Points for Digital Learning

1. There is a time and effort overhead to starting anything new So work with it. Build it into your planning and do not use the new ‘thing’ just once. It takes time for people to learn to use any new technology, so make sure that you have the time to deal with that before you…

Introduction to Python – Posters

Since I’ve turned to the dark side, and been developing A-Level resources for Python, I thought I’d take a stab at putting some of the more important syntax into poster form so that I can distribute them around the classroom. They cover a basic syntax of everything you’d need up to, and including, using lists…

Second Generation Custom Exercise Books

I’m sure that some of you remember my post from last year: Print on demand for better Learning, where I explained the thinking behind my efforts to produce custom exercise books for my post-16 Computing students. Well, after a year of use and some very interesting impacts on teaching and learning we decided that it would be…