Textual programming in key stage 3
- 1. Textual Programming in Key Stage 3 Tim Eaglestone Dorothy Stringer School, Brighton
- 2. Our scheme of work Kodu Scratch Ruby 7 E-Safety Validity & Bias Networks Computer systems Ruby 8 Binary & logic Information: finding & making Internet of things App design 1 Coding 9 Data: storage and transmission App design 2
- 4. Why not others? What language should you choose? -What you know/are comfortable with -What support can you get? -Ease of use -Ease of installation
- 5. Python: IDLE
- 6. Small Basic
- 8. JavaScript
- 9. KidsRuby
- 10. A progression in coding STAGE LEARNING TO CODE ACTIVITY Preoperational (Many students get stuck here) Concrete Operational •Spotting keywords •Identifying numbers and data (variables) •Spotting syntax elements (such as block starts and ends) •Recognising constructs (sequences, loops, conditions) •Tracing (running through the code on paper step by step) •Explaining the code in English in the form of a trace (“first it does this, then it does that…”) •Explaining the code in English in terms of its function (“This code sorts an array from smallest to largest”) •Using diagrammatic abstractions •Completing conservation exercises (e.g. “This method is not finished. Complete is so that it returns …”) •Completing reversing exercises (e.g. “Heres some code that does X, Y and Z. Write some code that does the reverse: -Z,-Y then -X.”) •Transitive inference (where a student might have to hold several possible program states in mind to answer a question, or generalise a system’s response by reading a fragment of code) Adapted from Concrete and Other Neo-Piagetian Forms of Reasoning in the Novice Programmer, R. Lister, Uni. Sydney, 2011
- 11. Example
- 12. Example questions A hierarchy of questions could go something like: •What does the command on line 8 do? •What about those on lines 2 and 3? •What lines are any numbers on? •What’s different about the numbers on lines 6 and 7 compared with line 5? •What lines mark the end of a Ruby block? •What does the number in line 5 do? •What about those in lines 6 and 7? •Describe what happens in lines 5 to 10. •Draw on paper what you think this program does. •Can you explain in words what you think this program does. •Draw a flow chart that represents this code
- 14. Python Example
- 15. Software & Programming (Lesson 1: An introduction using Ruby)
- 16. Code Apps – e.g. word processors and spreadsheets or interpreted compiled { Utility programs– e.g. virus scanners, backup software if(x==2){ print “foo”; } Decode EXECUTABLE loaded into RAM CPU Fetch Execute The Central Processing Unit (CPU) The CPU is the core of the computer. It ‘processes’ all the computer programs.
- 18. Some Ruby Code Look at this code What does it do?
- 19. What about this? The code... The output...
- 20. Enter and run these programs Press the Program 1 button before entering the second one Program 2 In your books, go through each program line by line and try to explain what each line does.
- 25. Diagrammatic abstractions & starting to write their own code (transitive inference?)