Somerset Conference Update Diving deep into primary programming - design for quality and independence Somerset Conference Update Jane Waite j.l.waite@qmul.ac.uk

Engaging teachers in research & feeding this back

Activity 1. What would you call these? B C D

Task (problem) Design/ Algorithm Code Running the code

Levels of abstraction Task Design (including algorithms) Code Running the code (Waite, Curzon, Sentence and Marsh, 2011) What % of your SOW are at each level?

How might a simple sequence be represented by pupils as an algorithm /design? 1 Norway Longboat sprite Norway Longboat sprite move move say say 2 3 say say 4 ??? ??? Denmark Longboat sprite Denmark Longboat sprite Map background Map background

Labelled diagram & Storyboard Santa sprite Background with stars and moon Tree sprite Mouse sprite Snowman sprite say Move ??? move say say say Move

Design can be used as Aid memoire – improve independence – tick/what next? Completeness check – improve cohesion/quality Contract for pair programming Annotation - scaffold implementation of code Self assessment - growth mindset To think about ‘do-ability’ Reminder of design patterns used To teach abstraction! For the teacher To know what to teach next Differentiation Assessment

Trial in Somerset 3 Teachers across three schools provided feedback Year 6 Christmas card Year 6 Christmas card or maze game   Year 3 Viking invasion Year 6 – Christmas card or maze game One afternoon talking and designing, two writing the program   Year 3 Viking invasion Coordinates all highlighted in red (not covered in maths yet) An EAL – refused to highlight – loves computers HA EAL - struggled to draw – slowed down and didn’t ask for help quite as often Year 6 Christmas card Design chunked so that children could complete that part of the coding within the lesson, move on to the next chunk for next week

Feedback from the trial - Overall Successes Teachers discovered what pupils knew & what they needed to know (formative and summative assessment). Teachers could plan in activities to address revealed common gaps or misconceptions. Pupils decomposed the task to work out what they needed. Pupils thought in detail about how their solution would work. Pupils discovered what they knew and what they needed to know (AfL). Pupils used the design as reminder (independence). Pupils can use the design to refer back to for a new challenge. Design useful as Reminder prompt Referring back to when children take on a new challenge Teacher assessment of pupils Showed understanding of who knew how to do things Helped recognise where gaps in knowledge were Planning tool – which things do I need to teach the whole class Repeat for evaluation of children at the end Pupil self-assessment (AfL) Helps children recognise more clearly what they can do, need help with, can’t do More honest than a tick list

Feedback – children’s response Drawbacks : Not all pupils confident to rag (AfL) Confidence In 1 school children confident to RAG In another school, LA less confident to ‘amber/red’ In another school EAL reticent to rag. Factors that may have influenced confidence School culture – do pupils already use AfL/ ragging Pupil confidence to self-assess – EAL, new to school, personality

Feedback – children’s response Knowledge Think in more detail about how their solution would work Think of the skills and knowledge needed to make it work Recognition of what they already knew (more honest than a tick list) Realisation of skills they needed (AfL) This is what I know and can do These are the skills & knowledge needed to make it work This is how it will work in detail Gap in learning, misconceptions This is what I don’t know & can’t do YET

Feedback – Guidelines for using design Pupil to pupil support Use of talk partners or confident children. Group children for teaching/reminder of a skill Peer mentoring Can they tell someone how to… or explain to someone else? Resources support Laminated blocks, use with TA or another child (NOTE: too much scaffolding can hide level of knowledge/confidence) Self help library (Scratch support cards or videos – Scratch or child made)

Feedback – Guidelines for using design Adult support Modelling design and how to RAG ‘If you need help with … come and see me …’ Common strategies to work on the bits they know they need help for Children need practise – to do design several times

Somerset Design in action How about adding Model how to create a class design. Children use this as a starting point and innovate from it?

Somerset Design in action

Somerset RAG Poster

Somerset Design example

Somerset Design Templates

Other Design Templates

Other Design Templates

Modelling designs – let’s do it! Create a simple etch-a-sketch game in Scratch for year 2 to practise their keyboard skills. Create an animation of a nocturnal scene for year 2 to learn about predators and prey. Create a simple quiz, in Scratch, that asks 5 maths questions for year 2 to practise their 5 times table. Create a simple driving game in Scratch for year 2 to practise their mouse skills.

Use – Imitate – Innovate – Invent Create an animation of a nocturnal scene for year 2 to learn about predators and prey. Idea First show a mouse running from left to right, and then it stops and says ‘I like to eat bugs and beetles’. Next show a bat, flying from left to right. Then it stops and says ‘I like to eat ….’ It then swoops down and eats the mouse. Mmm I’d like the bat to appear its flying towards me – but I am not sure how to do that. I’d also like an ‘I use echo location and small to big cuvey lines’ How do we then

Use – Imitate – Innovate – Invent Create a simple etch-a-sketch game in Scratch for year 2 to play. Ideas Use the arrow keys to control the drawing of a line. Use the ‘R’ ‘G’ ‘B’ keys to change the colour of the line to red, green and blue. https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/5169254/

Use – Imitate – Innovate – Invent Create a simple driving game in Scratch for year 2 to practise their mouse skills. Ideas Control the car with the mouse If the car touches the green grass make it go back to the beginning If the car gets to the end a sound is played and a ‘Well done’ message. https://scratch.mit.edu/studios/5169254/

Use – Imitate – Innovate – Invent Create a simple quiz, in Scratch, that asks 5 maths questions for year 2 to practise their 5 times table. Use – Imitate – Innovate – Invent Ideas Ask a question, get the answer, check if the answer is correct. If the answer is right say ‘Well Done’ but if the answer is wrong say ‘Sorry that is wrong’.

Aid memoire improve independence – tick/what next? For Pupils design can be used Initial study Somerset Trial Aid memoire improve independence – tick/what next?  Completeness check – improve cohesion/quality Contract for pair programming Annotation - scaffold implementation Self assessment - growth mindset – discover what the already know & can do & identify what they cannot yet do (gap) To think about ‘do-ability’ Reminder of design patterns used (for next projects) To teach abstraction To think in MORE detail about their proposed solution and what is required to implement it

To know what to teach next For teachers, design can be used Initial study Somerset Trial To know what to teach next (identify what next steps are & gaps and misunderstandings)  Differentiation Assessment (identify current knowledge and skills and identify gaps) To think in MORE detail about the possible solutions to the task and what learners need to know & be able to do to implement it. To think in MORE detail about how they are going to teach next steps - CHILDREN NEED PRACTISE to use design effectively

Progression – theory – general progression

Questions