The Federal Polytechnic Bauchi School of Science and Technology Department of Computer Science

Seminar Presentation

Topic; Mode of teaching Computer Science in secondary schools

Presented by; Ikechukwu Ekwe 09/85859 NDII A Department of Computer Science

September, 2011

INTRODUCTION During the 32nd ministerial council meeting of the National Council on education in 1987, the Federal Government of Nigeria decided to introduce computer in the nations secondary school system, this was followed by the inauguration of the National Committee on Computer Education the same year. The functions of the committee include planning for a dynamic policy on computer education and literacy in Nigeria as well as devising clear strategies and terminologies to be used by the federal and state government in introducing computer education (Nigerian Tribune, April 11, 1988). The general objectives of the policy include; I. II. Bring about a computer literate society in Nigeria by the mid-1990s. Enable present school children to appreciate and use the computer in various aspects of life and in future employments. (Report on National Committee on Computer Education, 1988). According to the national computer policy (1988), the first objective is to ensure that the general populace appreciates the impact of information and computer technology on todays society, the importance of its effective use and the technologies that process, manage and communicate the information. The second general objective is to ensure that the people of Nigeria will know how to use and program computers, develop software packages, understand the structures and operation of computers and their history, and to appreciate the economic, social and psychological impact of computers. The modalities and the strategies for achieving the stated objectives include; I. II. Training teachers and associated personnel Hardware facilities

III. IV. V.

Curriculum development Software developments and evaluation Maintenance of hardware and peripherals

With the widespread use of computers in all areas of work and play, it became clear that all students (in secondary schools, universities, and even in elementary schools) should be taught something about computers. The dilemma is whether to teach Computer Science or just computer literacy. In this seminar work, I argue that both Computer Science and a literate use of computers need to be taught to all students, if we want them to function effectively in the new information age

Today, everybody agrees that all students should learn something about computers. Most students with access to computers use them at least for writing papers and written reports. A typical course in computer literacy includes the use of spreadsheets for tabulating data and computing standard statistical functions, as well as displaying the results graphically. It also includes the use of database applications - learning how to extract information from a database, and possibly, how to define and build one. In addition, such course may cover one of presentation graphics programs, a statistical simulation package, desktop publishing package, or a CAD program relevant for students field of study. It is becoming a norm, that every professional program of study includes a course on use of computers relevant to the particular subject. We need to support this trend by providing instruction that will give students knowledge of computing that will transcend current trends or specific applications packages and computer

systems. The knowledge student gains during such study should form a foundation of understanding of computing that will serve the students throughout their careers.

How to Teach Computer Science in Secondary Schools High school computer science cant be taught in the same manner as history, English or even Mathematics. It requires an approach that focuses more on interaction and exploration hands-on activities, and less on teaching that requires lectures, reading or text-based assignments. It is important that the exercises teach skills that the students can see being useful and fun.

Steps on how to Teach Computer Science in Secondary Schools 1. Minimize Lectures: It is very difficult to convey key computer science concepts

through lectures alone. Instead, eliminate the majority of the lecture and replace it with in-class small group exercises. Call on a random member of each group to make sure the students that have a better grasp of the material, teach the others in the group. Make the rounds between the groups to give aid where needed and to give the students the same benefits as in a smaller class room.

A long lecture will leave the students wishing they were somewhere else

2. Maximize Practice:

Hands-on computer experience is the best way to ingrain

techniques and concepts into the students mind. Early computer science benefits the most from constant practice as the basic concepts are easier to learn through frequent repetition. Design in-class exercise to be fun such as having the students do an exercise and then awarding awards. The more time the student spends at the keyboard, the more he or she will learn

3. Create engaging home work assignments:

Since practice is essential to learning the

material, frequent home work assignments are a necessity. Beginning computer science as a subject should have home works that involves working on several small functions. When the student gets a firm grasp of the lesson, the home work should transcend into harder but interesting problems. The problems should either have real world value or be fun for the student. The best problem allows the student to add his or her own spin onto the program.

Teachers should bear in mind that some students dont have computers at home.

4. Provide an infinite amount of difficult extra credit problems:

One of the main goals

of a computer science teacher is to get the students to practice as much as possible. Interesting extra credit problems encourages a student to practice computer science in his or her spare time. Maximizing practice time without overwhelming all of the students
5

with an unreasonable amount of home work. Unlimited extra credit problems also encourage a student who is doing poorly to spend the extra time to genuinely learn the material in an attempt to improve his or her grade.

Things Teachers must and mustnt do I. Teachers must guard against the read and write down mode of teaching: The read and write mode of teaching should be seen as a passive method, which kills the creativeness of learners, because there is no interaction between teachers and students. The teaching method in which teachers impose their view point on students is really a blunder. It is way out of line that teachers simply read while students write what they hear from the teachers. Therefore, if these students must get good marks in their tests and examinations, they simply will just need to reproduce exactly what the teacher mentioned in class against what they feel is right. Better and more productive teaching methods are those which allow equipping students with the capability to think and use knowledge in reality, the capability to take actions and solve problems. II. Avoid teaching things that wont be useful to the students: A lot of things that are really not useful for students are still been taught while necessary life skills have not been provided. Providing knowledge has been prioritized in the education, while physical training and feeling education has been disregarded. Some teachers want to show that

they have deep knowledge, therefore, they try to put as much knowledge as possible into the materials, making it unnecessarily bulky.

REFERENCES http://www.ehow.com/how_6602115_teach-computer-science-high-school http://www.dynamicflight.com/avcfibook/methods/ http://rama-techcomputerscience.blogspot.com/2011/04/teaching-methods