everything curriculum | September 2019


scaffolded teaching style, yet with many creative elements built in to challenge children’s thinking even more.


KS2: Scratch is the staple of coding at KS2 and the latest website update has provided the children with a much more supported approach. Children can re–mix other coders’ work, learn through video tutorials and play others’ creations. Other resources I would recommend at KS2 are Minecraft Education and CoSpaces. These resources use gamification to support the use of programming.


Alongside working as a class teacher, I also work as a computing lead teacher for Islington Borough in London. Working across many different schools, I have experienced that children simply love computing lessons. My aim is to empower children to be creators, not consumers and once children have been given the tools to create, I’ve observed that many prefer to make something rather than consume it. For example, using green screen technology to create a news broadcast or program a robot to carry out simple tasks.


Children also love sharing their creations to their peers, parents and teachers. Every year Islington hosts 500 children from the borough, to bring along their coding projects to the Emirates Stadium and showcase their amazing programming talents. Whether it’s BBC micro–bits being used to create doorbells for the blind, a programmable Ferris wheel using crumbles or animations using


Toontastic, all the children and teachers share with one another and have a great learning experience.


I would suggest that if you are interested in teaching computing and technology, try to find some free boot camps and training days from large tech companies. These will give you the confidence and professional development that many schools are unable to offer. I have been fortunate enough to work with Microsoft, Google and Discovery Education. I have attended many ‘teach meets,’ free workshops and completed online courses to equip myself with the skills needed to teach children 21st century skills. Teaching computing is fun, creative and very rewarding! Try it yourself through the Hour of Code and you’ll never look back!


Useful links:


Microbits: makecode.microbit.org


Crumble: redfernelectronics.co.uk/crumble– getting–started


CoSpaces: cospaces.io/edu


Minecraft Education: education.minecraft.net


Hour of Code: hourofcode.com


Toontastic: toontastic.withgoogle.com


Dan is also the co–creator of Lights Camera Code, a company that provides children with opportunities to get creative and learn programming skills along the way, through their educational workshops. These cover different coding and filmmaking activities.


They currently operate in schools across London and Hampshire. From September 2019, they will be running workshops and after school clubs in Yorkshire. Visit their website lightscameracode.com for more information.


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