Teaching Planning - Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach - page 209

− Class discussion: A discussion is facilitated about the need to have a data
structure that enables to process any amount of data, but at the same time
enables simple manipulation.
− Work in pairs: Pairs of pupils solve together a worksheet. The worksheet
contains about ten different problems. For each problem, the learners should
determine whether its solution requires an array or not. The discussion about
the worksheet is summarized in the class plenum.
− Presenting the basic structure of an array: array name, array-cell index, the
indexes range, array-cell content (the use of a [3] versus the use of a [ i ] or
a [ i *2]).
− Practicing in the computer lab: Pupils are asked to work on a worksheet that
guides them watching how arrays can be used within one of the animation
environments (see Sect. 8.4). This activity aims at enhancing the learners'
understanding of the new structure, and how it can be used and scanned. This
aim is achieved by presenting the data structure memory organization in these
environments in such a way that reduces the level of abstraction.
5. Learners' understanding can be assessed during the lesson in several opportuni-
ties, for example, the discussions about the trigger and about the worksheet,
the work on the lab activity, and the questions included in the worksheet, and,
finally, homework.
6. The pupils' homework is a worksheet with different types of questions (see
Chap. 9). The questions should address the different ideas taught in the lesson,
both conceptually (e.g., problem analysis) and practically (e.g., code execution
in one of the animation environment).

11.3.3 Illustration Summary

This demonstration of teaching planning reflects the complex and multifaceted
mission of teachers in general and of computer science teachers in particular. The
detailed teaching planning illustrates also how different topics addressed in the dif-
ferent chapters of this guide are merged in practice: problem solving (Chap. 5),
learners' difficulties and misconceptions (Chap. 6), computer science education re-
search (Chap. 4), different class activities and class organizations (Chaps. 2 and 7),
lab activities (Chap. 8), and types of questions (Chap. 9).
Each student in the MTCS course, when becoming a computer science teacher,
will teach topics that are included in his or her state/country specific curriculum.
Several of the main targets of the MTCS course (e.g., students' exposure to a variety
of teaching tools and increasing their familiarity with a set of considerations that
will guide them in the planning process of their teaching and in the actual teaching
process) are aiming at preparing them for this task. These targets are achieved, for
example, by asking the students to develop activities for learners by using a variety
of teaching methods (see Chap. 7). This kind of work, enables students to acquire
and improve their understanding both with respect to the teaching methods and the
taught concept itself.