Authors:
Henry Miskin
1
and
Anandha Gopalan
2
Affiliations:
1
TuringLab Ltd, United Kingdom
;
2
Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Keyword(s):
Computer Programming, Information Technology, Online Learning, Python Programming.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Active Learning
;
Classroom Management
;
Computer-Supported Education
;
e-Learning
;
e-Learning Platforms
;
Information Technologies Supporting Learning
;
Pattern Recognition
;
Simulation and Modeling
;
Simulation Tools and Platforms
;
Theory and Methods
;
Virtual Learning Environments
Abstract:
Computing has recently been introduced as a core subject in British schools, meaning that children need to
learn computer programming. Teachers have to be prepared to be able to deliver the new curriculum, but many
of them do not feel confident teaching it as they have no formal background in Computer Science. Also, when
learning to programme, children need the correct environment and support to succeed. This paper presents
TuringLab, an environment to assist teachers in delivering the practical elements of the computing curriculum,
while also proving to be engaging and challenging for the children. Teachers can create programming
challenges for their pupils and see how they are progressing (or struggling) during completion of the challenges.
Students can undertake challenges in an engaging environment which displays a graphical output of
their code and assists in understanding errors they may encounter. TuringLab has been used to teach children
how to programme at a number
of volunteer-led coding clubs. Children engaged well with TuringLab, and the
volunteers, who acted as teachers in these sessions, found TuringLab an extremely valuable educational tool.
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