Posts tagged curriculum
Inspiring ideas in the Sandbox
Jan 17th
A few weeks ago I introduced the idea of the Sandbox, at the time I was struggling to think of ways to engage with the kids. I have been making good progress however, and now have a few more ideas. One of the things suggested to me was to use Alice to create games and introduce the idea of programming to the kids. After having a play with this it looks really good. Quite simple to get working but also teaches some of the basics of programing. I think it will make it less intimidating when they actually come to write a line of code.
As well as Alice I have come up with another couple of things that will hopefully pique their interest. First of all Lego Mindstorms. This is a great platform that lets you create robotic type devices that are (wirelessly) connected to a computer and can be programmed to do different things. I think using this will be a great way to get people interested in programing as it provides a tangible link between doing something on the computer in an almost virtual environment and the effect that it can have on the real world.
Another idea which needs some research (because I am not sure how feasible it is) would be to use Digital Scalextric sets and hook them up to a computer and write a program that drives the car. It would take input from where it is on the track, corners and overtaking lanes coming up, where the competitor is etc. It could then use that information to make the car run at its top speed and overtake all without crashing. We could then race different programs/cars against each other. I am sure it would start out an absolute disaster, but with some tweaking of the programs I think it could be quite exciting.
So it seems there are a few more options. I am keeping my eye out for other things as well. Something football related would probably go down well. Maybe some kind of fantasy football?
Teaching Themes
Jan 15th
As I have mentioned previously I have been working on the curriculum I will be teaching to the kids on the program. It has been really challenging to sit down and work through all the topics that need to be covered and how to cover them in an engaging way. What is interesting is that as I did this I lost sight of what I was originally thinking would be a good option and after numerous attempts at writing down how it is going to work I have come full circle back to my original thinking. Slightly frustrating given the amount of time I put into this, but at least now I have explored other options and found them wanting.
All I have as a reference point is how I learnt so I am drawing a lot from that. When I started programing it was purely out of necessity. I needed to build an e-commerce website for a venture I was planning. Turned out that I wasn’t equipped to get the idea off the ground. Through that process though I learnt a heck of a lot, and it was what really got me started in my programming career. What I was building was going to enable me to revolutionise the way goods were sold on-line and make me a lot of money and that gave me a real sense of purpose.
So getting back to how I am going to teach. After the sandbox (which has also seen some exciting developments) kids will go into this teaching phase. At the start we will talk about a project that they may want to do. Something interesting and relevant to them. Social networks are hot topics these days so maybe something along those lines – if the kids are really creative maybe we will even get a new concept out of them! In the first session we will work through some of these ideas and turn what they want to build into a series of stories that, well, tell the story of how it will work. Subsequent sessions will work through the process of how to build it. At each step a new concept will be introduced that they must grasp. These are some of the fundamental elements of programming and understanding these concepts will, I believe, set them up to be able to take on almost any programming task they will encounter in a normal business environment.
Curriculum Theory
Jan 8th
I have been working on writing a curriculum for the sand box and teaching programs I plan on running. As I have never written a curriculum before I have been on a steep learning curve! I have been reading ‘Curriculum theory and practice’, and have found it really useful. The author presents four options as to what it a curriculum could be and leaves it somewhat up to the reader to decide the most appropriate meaning.
From reading this I find that I most identify with the ideas of curriculum put forward by Lawrence Stenhouse:
‘A curriculum is an attempt to communicate the essential principles and features of an educational proposal in such a form that it is open to critical scrutiny and capable of effective translation into practice’ – Lawrence Stenhouse (1975)
One of the key ideas that Stenhouse puts forth is that individuals are not merely present in the process but that they should have a voice in the way that the process is implemented. This is important because the process is only a guide that is being worked out. It will not necessarily be perfect or the right thing for all the participants, therefore they must be able to provide feedback on how things are run so as to provide them with the most value – after all they are the reason for even having the curriculum in the first place!
Classic methods of teaching often fail people because they do not work well with the way that they learn. I know this because the way I was taught had little alignment with the way that I learn, I therefore had little desire to apply myself and subsequently dropped out. I was lucky that my desire to succeed and accomplish things drove me to learn skills on my own time and in my own way. I am hoping that my experience with this, and the understanding of how I learn, will enable me to effectively pass that knowledge onto others. My goal is that they will catch a passion for learning that inspires them to pursue knowledge their own way, on their own terms.
Which brings me back to the last part of the quote from Stenhouse:
‘... and capable of effective translation into practice’.
This is the key – translating the theory into practice. I have a lot of work to do to figure out how to do this and it is what I will be working through over the next few years.
