BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, has helped millions of people gain the skills and confidence to use technology in all kinds of work settings, and is now pleased to launch Teaching Teachers Tech: Computing with Python.
The world is being transformed by rapid digitisation and our schools and teachers play a vital role in continuing to deliver that change.
However, since the introduction of computing to the national curriculum in 2014, the subject knowledge enhancement course has only been available to those who already graduated in the field of study.
This has left schools in a vulnerable position as they try to fill gaps in knowledge with solutions that were not necessarily created to serve the teaching community, and how this is translated into appropriate material for students.
This has only been compounded further by a variety of issues including Covid, people leaving the profession and ever-stretched school budgets.
Introducing Teaching Teachers Tech: Computing with Python
BCS is pleased to launch Teaching Teachers Tech: Computing with Python. This eight-week subject knowledge enhancement programme was developed by teachers for teachers and is designed to improve and update your teachers’ knowledge in Python programming to teach at GCSE standard.
This flexible online course offers a clear route for non-specialists to upskill and is a cost-effective solution for investing in your staff.
To help learners get the most from this course, they will have access around the clock to our dedicated tutors.
As well as being subject matter experts, all our tutors have practical teaching experience and still work in educational settings. They have been instrumental in the development of the course, ensuring it meets the needs of schools and provides students with the best outcomes.
The course covers:
- Box variables
- Concatenation
- Calculations – counters and incrementing
- Calculations – Modulo
- Selection – if, elif and else statements inc nested
- Loops (non-deterministic and counter controlled)
- Lists and multi-dimensional lists
- Loops with lists
- Nested loops
- Functions with parameters
- Bubble sort
- Linear search
In addition to the core modules, the course includes creative and contextual recourses and activities, which are designed to help teachers deliver engaging lessons in the classroom and to support girls in computing.
On completion of the course, learners will not only receive valuable CPD hours and a recognised certification but access to Computing at School (CAS).
CAS is an online community and support network for teachers to share resources, best practices, and access discussion forums.
Peter Marshman, Teaching Teacher Tech online tutor, commented:
“The upskilling of teachers to deliver computer science confidently requires a necessary depth of knowledge of programming through cross-curricular and contextual approaches.
“This isn’t just to fulfil the practical requirements of the subject; coding develops problem solving or computational thinking skills to which can be applied across all theoretical concepts of computing.
“The Teaching Teachers Tech programme provides teachers with a flexible approach to learning programming with Python and the tutors, many of which are in-service teachers, offer personalised support for learners.”
Derek Peaple, former headteacher, also had this to say:
“Young people need to be prepared for the future and for roles that are yet to be established.
“Many of these roles require the combination of using digital technologies, problem-solving and creativity.
“The Teaching Teachers Tech course combines these three important influences and enables schools to develop the capacity to provide young people with coding skills through the upskilling of non-specialists and extending existing computing and ICT teachers.”
Try the Computing with Python taster module
If you’re interested in finding out more about Computing with Python, we’ve made the first module available for free so your teachers can have an online taster of the course in their own time.
Find out more at bcs.org/teachingteacherstech
