Simulation - A Practical Guide to Teaching Computing and ICT in the Secondary School - page 114

everyday language, algorithms and programming code, can also be linked to this
kind of activity.
Task 6.10
Syntax
Computer syntax, which determines how declarations, functions, commands and
other statements should be arranged, is like the rules of grammar in a language.
Identify similar statements for the following program-related terms, and plan a
lesson based on at least two of them: Loops, Iteration, Selection, Conditional,
Procedures and Functions.
There are a plethora of computer languages used for programming. You can't
teach them all, but pupils must be made aware that they vary in relationship to
the tasks they are designed to perform. For example, the various iterations of C are
good for Gaming amongst other things, whilst HTML et al. are linked directly to
web page development and the Internet. As with all things in Computing, context
is all-important in devising strategies for teaching Programming.
Task 6.11
Programming languages
Review the list of program language identified on this site http://www.
computerhope.com/jargon/p/proglang.htm . Create an imaginary (or employ a
real) scenario on which a limited series of lessons can be used to teach at least
one of these languages to Key Stage Three or Four pupils. Your scenario should
have hidden twists and turns to test pupil ingenuity and inventiveness, as well as
understanding.
Papert's vision was that children should be programming a computer rather than
being programmed by it . He was very insistent that creativity should be allowed
to emerge. To achieve this, pupils must be given the freedom to try things out and
make mistakes. Fortunately, programming is an activity where the opportunities
for experimentation and innovation are plentiful. However, this freedom comes
at a price. It should be underpinned by a disciplined approach to both learning
and teaching. Debugging programs effectively, at whatever level, requires tenacity
and close attention to detail. This will not happen by accident for the majority of
children. You must instil these habits by providing them with the right kind of
tools and techniques when you teach Programming. At various stages you should
get them to do debugging exercises, starting with algorithms, then pseudocode
then for specific languages.
REFERENCES
Baker, J. and Sugden, S. J. (2007) Spreadsheets in Education: the first 25 Years ,
Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE ) , 1(1), Article 2. Available at: http://epublications.
bond.e du.au/e jsie/vol1/i s s1/2 . Accessed 03/04/2014.