Computing in UK schools - Professor Steve Furber FRS

Interview with Professor Steve Furber FRS, chair of the Royal Society's new report 'Shut down or Restart? The way forward for Computing in UK schools'.

The report comes at the launch of the Department of Education's consultation on plans to remove the statutory programme of study in ICT, whilst keeping ICT a mandatory part of the National Curriculum at all levels. The Royal Society's report recommends radically overhauling ICT in the English National Curriculum, replacing it with a programme of digital literacy for all from age 5 to 14, alongside opportunities for all pupils to experience the creative side of Computer Science from primary school age onwards. From the age of 14 students should have an entitlement to study a pair of GCSEs, similar in structure to English Language and English Literature in which Computer Science is the language element (how computers work) and Information Technology is the application element (how we use them).

The case is made for the need to increase numbers of specialist teachers and to make the changes to the National Curriculum, both in terms of the economic benefits to the UK of a more digitally literate population (it is currently estimated that 15% of the population are digitally excluded) and of a workforce with more sophisticated Computer Science and Information Technology skills, and in terms of the more intrinsic, educational benefits of these skills, such as wider and safer participation in a modern society that is increasingly online and opportunities to be a creator of technology rather than just a user of it.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• science
• teachers
• computing

[omfgroflma0]

@jorjun that's as logical as having law classes, medical classes, engineering classes and architecture classes in schools. Frustration at it's best. Even more, one may ask why a 12 years old might need to know what recursion is and why does he have to develop a "cafeteria queue simulator" using pointers and what not. Not everyone is going to be a Computer Scientist, no matter how far technology evolves, but computer literates. The same way not everyone knows how to assemble a car but drive it.

[condork]

I never bothered with the GCSE or A Levels, because it seemed to just teach you how to make ever more elaborate spreadsheets and what not. Proper 'computer science' is needed.

[rfdparker2002]

@jorjun I'd especially agree with your point on choice of language. Having finished Sixth Form in 2010, based on my experience at Secondary School and Sixth Form, I would still be concerned many schools might end up teaching a vendor-specific language.

[jorjun]

Programming as the most important requirement: internet-era equivalent of Latin.

Programming languages have undergone massive development and ease-of-use because of the internet and the contribution of the technical community to making languages more expressive and productive than anything offer able by proprietary vendors. Schools should be choosing an open source language (my recommendation is for Python) and teaching children how to make and deliver interactive media inspired by other study