[CS4HS] Proposal for a 5/6 study

[Steven Bird]

Dear workshop participants,

Thanks for making last week's CS4HS workshop a success!  The
presentations and discussions were all really stimulating and
productive.  As we reflected on the workshop today, we sensed a real
consensus amongst this group that the present state of affairs with IT
in the secondary curriculum is in need of renewal, and that we are on
the cusp of something quite new and exciting.  There was unanimity in
wanting to inject the curriculum with rigorous computational content,
and we want to define challenging and meaningful standards for
computational thinking in which the curriculum itself is the driver,
rather than the technical prowess of particular teachers and students.

We think that the workshop format is a good one, and propose a
follow-up workshop early in first semester of 2012 to keep up the
momentum.  In particular, we would like to explore the possibility of
a unit 5 and 6 study in Computer Science, and are starting to talk
with the VCAA senior management to seek their backing and lay out a
consultative process that could lead to a new secondary curriculum of
the kind we have been discussing.

The proposal for a new study at the 5/6 level is based on the
following considerations:

* The Minister of Education's announcement (today), that he has "asked
the VCAA to accelerate the development of a new VCE study that will
provide students with the opportunity to conduct independent extended
research and to work with our universities to investigate new forms of
extension studies for our brightest students", and his challenge that:
"ICT should be used to build the 21st century capabilities our
students will require -- to go beyond given information, to give
opportunities to use higher order thinking skills, real time analysis,
and predictive and modelling activities" (Victoria as a Learning
Community, State of Victoria 2011)

* The need to avoid the politics of the national curriculum including
uncertainties with the timeline (potentially 2016 before the
implementation of a senior secondary curriculum).  We don't need to
wait and see, but instead we can work directly with VCAA, and develop
a 5/6 sequence starting now.

* The likely university-level interest in delivering Computer Science
content in the secondary curriculum, and displaying what kinds of
aptitudes are desirable for tertiary IT degrees.  Done well, this
offers to boost numbers in those degrees at the earliest stage
possible, as opposed to innovations in the primary or junior secondary
curriculum, or waiting for the implementation of the Australian
Curriculum in this field.  This also leaves the 3/4 IT Applications
subject in place, since it plays a valid role in helping students who
go into business degrees.

* The fact that Computer Science is a well-defined body of knowledge
(unlike Digital Technology, or Computational Thinking), and that
tertiary providers should be able to identify a semester of common
content across their degrees.

* The likely attractiveness of a 5/6 study in IT that offers
accelerated pathways at university, and which students could do
instead of an extra 3/4 study (e.g. one 3/4 study at year 11, three
3/4 studies and one 5/6 study at year 12).

* The opportunity for a 5/6 Computer Science study design to blaze a
trail, serving as a model for the later content of a corresponding 3/4
study.  In particular, the opportunity to address the stark gender gap
by developing content that appeals to female students.

If this idea meets with approval, we would seek to run another
workshop early in first semester of 2012, focussing on this 5/6 study.

In addition to this, we don't want to lose sight of the need for new
input on computational thinking in the F-10 curriculum.  Two of our
workshop participants will be at the ACARA meeting (National
Technologies Forum) in Sydney next Monday, strongly promoting the need
for computational thinking in the earlier curriculum.  We would like
to wait and see what kind of traction this gets in ACARA, then
possibly run a workshop on computational thinking in the F-10
curriculum during second semester.

Such a workshop could call for contributions of modules at two agreed
levels (e.g. year 5 and year 9), designed to connect with the national
curriculum in English, Maths, History, and Science.  In the workshop,
we would hope to go beyond static content to demonstrations of what
computational thinking actually looks like in the classroom.

These are our initial ideas about how to keep the ball rolling in
2012.  Please let us have your thoughts.

Thanks,

-Steven & Paula