Developing your capability to teach Computing - A Practical Guide to Teaching Computing and ICT in the Secondary School - page 8

AUDITING YOUR SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING
The breadth of knowledge expected of Computing teachers is substantial, and as a
new Computing teacher it is unlikely that you will have the required level of
knowledge, skills and understanding in all of these areas. Before starting a teacher
training course it is probable that you may not know which areas you need to
cover. The first step in developing your subject knowledge, skills and understanding
is to identify the 'gaps'.
A common approach to this task is the completion of a subject audit. This is a
document that lists all of the expected skills, knowledge and understanding
required to be a Computing teacher. Two different exemplar audits can be seen in
Appendix 1.1 and Appendix 1.2 . Your training provider will almost certainly have
their own audit, which they will expect you to complete before or soon after joining
the course. There are a variety of audits in common usage and typically, they cover
the range of knowledge, skills and understanding required to teach the National
Curriculum Programme of Study, and common public qualification courses. They
may also cover essential IT skills, such as effective file management, application-
related skills and searching strategies.
An alternative to a formal audit approach is to look at the specifications for those
courses you know you are going to be teaching. You can find course specifications
on the websites of the examination bodies that author them ( see Resources at end of
chapter: Examination Bodies). A specification (formerly known as a 'syllabus') lists
the knowledge and skills required in order to complete the course, and this can be
a useful starting point for developing those areas of knowledge with which you are
less familiar. Course content and requirements will vary according to whether it is
an academically inspired course, or a more vocationally based course. Each presents
their own different challenges and opportunities, and depending on your
experience and preferred ways of working or learning, you may find you develop
a preference for one or the other.
Task 1.1
Speciication
• Download a specification (from AQA, OCR, Edexcel, or WJEC) for a GCSE or
A-Level ICT or Computing course that you may be teaching. Look through
the subject knowledge content and assessment activities, and rate your
competence and understanding in each area on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being
the most competent).
• Produce a learning resource such as a revision summary or a quiz that
addresses a topic of subject knowledge to which you have given a low
rating. Ask a member of your peer network (or a colleague in school) with
greater knowledge of this area to comment on its accuracy and completeness.
Revise if necessary.
Of course it must be remembered that an audit can only identify the areas you
need to develop; it does not help you address them. It will also only be effective
if you conduct the exercise conscientiously and honestly. Any overestimation
or even underestimation of your knowledge will be counterproductive, so be
thorough. Auditing is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing developmental
process, and throughout your course you should revisit your subject knowledge