Planning Computing learning and teaching - A Practical Guide to Teaching Computing and ICT in the Secondary School - page 51

support. If in doubt, ask for advice. Consult the Computing and/or other teachers
of this class, including form teachers, the SEN (Special Educational Needs)
coordinator, other adults working with the pupils, and, if appropriate, the pupils
themselves. Find out the following … it will help you plan better:

• Class name
• Age
• Ability range
• Names
• Seating plan
• Any pupils with special educational needs (SEN): statemented or not
• Any pupils with Additional Educational Needs (AEN): gifted and talented (in
what?)
• Pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL)
• Pupils with behavioural, emotional or social issues
• Others you need to know about
• Is there any data available on them?
• Are there targets for them?
• What is their prior learning?

Consider in detail what they are to learn:

• Which Scheme of Work/syllabus should you be using?
• What point in the long-term/medium-term plan have the pupils reached?
• What have they done before (prior learning)?
• What is the progress for each pupil? They will not all be at the same point.
• What are they to learn next?
• What are the resources you have available?
• What are the deadlines for this topic/section/unit?
• How will you need to adapt the planning and resources for these pupils?

HOW TO START PLANNING AND PREPARING A COMPUTING LESSON
Here is a list of issues and advice to help you avoid common mistakes in the
planning and preparation of a Computing lesson:

1 Check that equipment works; avoid the difficulty that Paul (whose lesson

was described in Task 2.1 ) encountered when the sound files his pupils had
created so diligently would not run.

2 Check the compatibility of the software on the computers you are going to

use; it may be a different version from the one you use at home.

3 Make sure that you are familiar with all the resources being used well in

advance, to avoid being exposed as technically incompetent; for instance,
you need to be able to fix simple hardware problems, such as a printer jam,
putting paper in a printer, getting the whiteboard display working.

4 Subject knowledge; you need to know and thoroughly understand the

software or theory you are going to use.

5 Pedagogically, make sure that you use teaching styles that are suitable for

the pupils.

6 Know the pupils' prior experience; avoid teaching the same thing too many

times, but check what they remember from before.

7 Do not overestimate/underestimate the pupils' abilities.