"What would Elon do?"
CLICK HERE for the CT department 'Special Challenges' (aka 'takeaway homeworks')
Computational Thinking
Never heard of it? We do it all the time! It is the fundamental stages of creativity. It is a framework we can use to help solve any given problem.
The goal of the CT department is to enable students to recognise a problem and have the confidence to attempt to solve it using their knowledge of technology.
Students are encouraged to follow these steps:
- Don't panic! Understand the problem (self confidence and comprehension)
- Break the problem down. Simplify. (decomposition)
- Deja vu? Use your knowledge and experience. Spot patterns. (abstraction and study)
- Create a plan. (algorithm)
- Try it! What's the worst that could happen?
- Evaluate. Did it work? If not, go back to 1 and try again. (perseverance)
This is Mayuko, a software engineer in Silicon Valley. Check out her YouTube channel - CLICK HERE
CT has the power to change the World
The UK has a proud history in computing. By studying CT you will help secure the future of UK computing.
A career in CT will be rewarding financially. Apprentices can earn as much as £20k during training and higher level vocational qualifications mean as much, if not more, than a degree. Why incur debts of £65k+ at University?
Once qualified, the average software developer can expect between £35k and £75k+ depending upon experience, skills and location.
A career in CT will also be spiritually rewarding as CT is creative. It provides the tools to create solutions to the problems around you. For example CT can give someone their independence back, or mobility, or improve the efficiency of a business.
Solutions that ultimately benefit the economy and our society.
Computational Thinking:
Learning to be a Digital Producer...
...NOT merely a Digital Consumer
"What do you call a geek in 10 years time?"
Boss.
GCSE Computer Science
An interesting, respected, robust applied maths qualification.
The course prepares students for the further study of Computer Science, a career in any technology sector or simply provides an insight into the world of Computational Thinking.
We study towards the OCR GCSE Computer Science course which is weighted:
- 20% programming controlled assessment (using Python v3)
- 80% written theory assessment
A successful GCSE Computer Science student therefore must be able solve a given problem programmatically and demonstrate a knowledge of key technologies.
Key Stage 3
The goal of a Key Stage 3 CT student is to demonstrate the stages of Computational Thinking (creativity):
- Demonstrate confidence when approaching a new challenge due to knowledge of key technologies
- Demonstrate the ability to break down a problem into smaller, more manageable chunks
- Demonstrate the ability to use previous experiences when tackling new challenges
- Demonstrate the ability to develop and effectively communicate a plan to solve a problem
- Demonstrate a resilience to failure and to keep persevering
CT students will be assessed on the following:
Homework and self-study
#REVISECT
Students need to continue their learning beyond the classroom, reading up on topics covered in class to get more understanding and confidence - even if they miss a lesson
Resilience and perseverance
#LIVECT
Not giving up! An important aspect of Computational Thinking
Coding skills
#CODEQ
Students need to learn to how to speak to computer systems. Whether it is Scratch, Python, C++ or another formal language.
Computer technology theory knowledge
#KNOWIT
What do they know about computer systems, software, hardware, machine architecture and networking
Solution design and communication
#DESIGN
We live in Algorithmic times. Students need to be able to describe a solution using pseudocode or flowcharts
"How can I help my child study CT?"
Events and Competitions
Links
Trafalgar School RMUnify signon - CLICK HERE
BBC Tomorrow's World - essential viewing for anyone interested in technology - CLICK HERE
Previous MrBarker.net - CLICK HERE
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