UCAS Teacher Training applications at End of Cycle 2016
Computing teachers will be glad, although probably not surprised, to see that this report strongly acknowledges the challenges that have come with the introduction of the new subject in schools.
44% of secondary teachers in the survey said they only felt comfortable with the earlier stages of the curriculum, with 32% of primary teachers reporting they felt similarly about their curriculum.
The survey found there is huge diversity in the knowledge and experience of computing teachers.
Although some teachers are confident subject specialists, it also identifies those who are optimistic but still learning, and those who lack confidence and feel they need significantly more training.
Some teachers also perceive that their students know more than they do about technology, although the authors of the report do counter that students often know how to use technology well, but much less about how it works.
The report estimates that less than 30% of secondary computing teachers have a degree in the subject, compared to 51% of physics teachers and 46% of maths teachers.
However, 7% of primary teachers who responded had a background in computing, which suggests the survey attracted a higher proportion of those with such backgrounds than is representative of the teaching population as a whole.
Continue Reading Computing Education in UK Schools Royal Society Report
