Children will get closer to IT in new curriculum initiative
Martin Ince
British school children will be getting closer to the IT cutting edge under an initiative announced on Thursday at the British Science Festival by universities and science minister David Willetts.
He told the Festival that companies including Google, IBM, Cisco and the BBC are taking part in a two-term trial of an innovative IT curriculum for schools. The move is partly a response to a call by Eric Schmidt, former head of Google, for a more demanding IT curriculum for schools.
The idea is to develop a curriculum in which students learn to use IT at an earlier age than at present, and then move on to creating their own algorithms and software. At the moment, even older school students can end up doing work that replicates the knowledge they already have as computer and smartphone users.
The examination boards are involved in the project and may use it to develop new GCSE and A level programmes.
Willetts also told the Festival about a new approach to making UK research knowledge available.
He has appointed a working group chaired by Dame Janet Finch, former vice chancellor of Keele University, to look into how research data and findings can be provided to users including government. He said that the principle is to make all data and findings paid for by the public available to the public.
However, Willetts agreed that there are some sorts of research data, such as interviews in which people divulge private information, or with young people, where confidentiality might still be allowed.
He said: “Our principle is that data and findings should both be available. We have asked Dame Janet to look at how we can do this in practice and she will report back in the spring.”
He also announced a new online toolkit to help school students organise a science festival in their own school.
And he praised Bradford University for bringing science subjects including chemistry and computational mathematics. Willetts said “It’s like reintroducing wolves to the highlands of Scotland.” These once-endangered disciplines are gradually reappearing and he anticipates that more universities will imitate Bradford’s lead.
British school children will be getting closer to the IT cutting edge under an initiative announced on Thursday at the British Science Festival by universities and science minister David Willetts.
He told the Festival that companies including Google, IBM, Cisco and the BBC are taking part in a two-term trial of an innovative IT curriculum for schools. The move is partly a response to a call by Eric Schmidt, former head of Google, for a more demanding IT curriculum for schools.
The idea is to develop a curriculum in which students learn to use IT at an earlier age than at present, and then move on to creating their own algorithms and software. At the moment, even older school students can end up doing work that replicates the knowledge they already have as computer and smartphone users.
The examination boards are involved in the project and may use it to develop new GCSE and A level programmes.
Willetts also told the Festival about a new approach to making UK research knowledge available.
He has appointed a working group chaired by Dame Janet Finch, former vice chancellor of Keele University, to look into how research data and findings can be provided to users including government. He said that the principle is to make all data and findings paid for by the public available to the public.
However, Willetts agreed that there are some sorts of research data, such as interviews in which people divulge private information, or with young people, where confidentiality might still be allowed.
He said: “Our principle is that data and findings should both be available. We have asked Dame Janet to look at how we can do this in practice and she will report back in the spring.”
He also announced a new online toolkit to help school students organise a science festival in their own school.
And he praised Bradford University for bringing science subjects including chemistry and computational mathematics. Willetts said “It’s like reintroducing wolves to the highlands of Scotland.” These once-endangered disciplines are gradually reappearing and he anticipates that more universities will imitate Bradford’s lead.
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