Putting together a PC without a subject teacher
Computer science, the subject with the greatest teacher shortage, is looking for all possible solutions. One of these is teaching without a subject teacher, with an adapted method. In Gouda, the Education magazine also watched the Driestar, one of the pilot schools.
The students trickle in and grab a laptop from the cart. In room F203 of the Zèta building there are also separate screens near the wall and the window. Those screens will not be used during this lesson, the window offers a view of an almost irresistible attraction: natural ice. That is certainly not thick enough to wear someone on this winter day, but students with a break challenge each other outside to try it anyway. It is difficult in 4 vwo to keep your eyes off that.
“Just watch Dumpert tonight”, lecturer Piet Klop advises, to the hilarity of his audience, and then it gets serious because this is the last lesson before next week's test. Then the 23 selected pre-university students will have to demonstrate that they have learned enough about computer science and the application of computers in society through a lot of self-activity and with some help from the teacher.
The group works with the Fundament method without a subject teacher from the educational publisher Instruct. The idea: get it shortage of computer science teachers by putting other teachers in front of the group. They catch simple questions as far as that goes. If things get more complicated, the publisher's helpdesk is available for students and teachers.
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“Someone of our people with computer science qualifications is available throughout the school day, we take turns,” says product manager and secondary school teacher Adriaan Gijssen. “We will respond within 24 hours. That works, although we have not yet had a single question from this school.”
Is the method already perfect, are the students that smart or does the teacher know how to catch everything? The latter appears to be the case: the 64-year-old Klop has been lent to the Driestar for these lessons by his actual employer, the Hoornbeeck College in Rotterdam, where he teaches ICT in the MBO department - collegiality within the reformed pillar. Klop therefore operates in familiar territory, although his powers do not fit 100 percent with upper secondary education. That is not necessary: the adapted method must also be usable if there is a geography teacher in front of the group. Of course, this is not how you would like it - the AOb wants a qualified teacher for every subject - but it is a way to keep the subject alive in schools when there really is no qualified teacher to be found.
Klop: “I work together with my colleague Wilbert de Leeuw. He mainly focuses on programming, I'm more into ICT management. This comes together in various assignments. We have already received requests to continue with this next year.”
After informing the class about the visit of journalist, photographer and publishing house employees, Klop reiterates some key points of previously covered material and introduces today's theory: data compression. This means that image and sound files can be reduced while the eye and ear do not notice the difference. “You will be asked about it on the test, so practice with that.”
encoding
Now the students have to do it themselves on their laptops. The method presents explanations in text and videos, exercises and explanations. Those who go through the digital teaching material step by step will not be faced with any major surprises, just as with the combination of textbook and exercise book.
“Why do I have to read so much”, sighs Olivier (16) when he sees a lap of explanatory text appear. “I like coding more than learning.” They are now still allowed to use search engines for the assignments, so that he could already answer the question for color code #0B431F - what does that look like? "Dark green!" Being able to look something up is also a learning goal, says Gijssen, but the test will be less easy without Google - at least if searches are blocked on the student laptops.
Gijssen and Klop have another week to arrange that, they note, but Klop is confident. “At Hoornbeeck we have a free test browser, which is probably also possible here.”
Based on the interest, the Driestar could also have filled two groups for the popular computer science elective, but both the school and the publishing house opted for a slow build-up. Gijssen: “Teachers like Piet Klop are rare and we also need to gain experience.”
The method is in use at five pilot schools. New participants draw up a program of assessment and closure with the publisher. The ICT facilities at the school also receive a careful inspection in advance, because the lessons must not trip over computer problems. After all, there is no subject teacher who can deal with the failure of the network or equipment. The small-scale pilot is intended to remove the last mistakes. Advisor Enisa Jahic: "This is an investment on the way to a product that the publisher can ultimately earn from."
Own pace
In Gouda, staying on task independently works better in one corner of the classroom than in the other. Greatest common denominator: well before the closing bell, the students already have the impression that they have gone through everything.
Why did they choose the profession?
Julia (16): “Based on the information, I can probably do something with it. There's a lot of variety and I'm glad there are more girls. This general knowledge is good for all students.”
Marc Jan (15): “I wanted an extra subject, but I already have an exemption for all languages, so this had to be it.”
Derk (15): “I still had to do an exact subject and my brother said it was great fun.”
Willem (15): “I have an N&T profile and my mentor suggested this course.”
Imke (15): “My father likes this subject, but everyone is increasingly working with computers anyway. At primary school I already programmed, making Lego cars drive with an Arduino.”
At Fundament without a subject teacher, more serious applications are on the agenda, such as consulting a database with SQL to learn what is hidden behind those handy order buttons on a touch screen. Several students cite this as an example from which they have learned a lot. Davida (15): “I thought it would be a useful subject and I am quite good at it.”
They are used to the method after the first half of the school year. Olivier: “You can work more at your own pace. Sometimes there are still errors in it, which shows that it is an experiment. But they fix those mistakes.” Willem: "Usually it just works well, the online program works and if I don't understand something, I don't have to go back to the teacher, I can look at it again myself." Olivier: “This works for computer science, because everything happens on a website. Understanding a language from a site would be something else, then I prefer to work with a teacher in class.”
Reasoning
The students know what they can do with an MP3, namely listen to and share music. Only a few know that there is a difference in the various sound compression techniques. What could be better than mp3, asks the teacher. “Maybe mp-three-and-a-half,” jokes the class.
They have to find out for themselves in this method, or together. This also happens during this lesson, students explain to each other how something works or where information can be found. “And feel free to do something at home,” Klop encourages. That may be necessary, because the test covers all material from the past months, so chapters 1 to 6. "Only the expert assignments, you don't have to do those." It cannot be ruled out that Marc Jan, who has an answer to all class questions, will indeed throw himself into the extra assignments. His classmates know what needs to be done: “Can there be a separate test for him?”
I like it, although I would have expected a little more practice
Jeanine (16) has an extra help desk at home: “My father thought it was a good idea to take this course and I like it too, although I expected a little more practice. I am looking forward to the lesson where we will take apart a PC.” The assignment: disassemble the computer, identify the parts, argue whether the machine is suitable for Windows 11. Reassemble the computer so that it works and install an operating system. Klop has already had it done in vwo 5. “In two lessons they carried out all the actions and made a report including photos. It's wonderful how they manage to google the right information with a few tips and the PC again up and running to get. Instructive and fun, because if you don't have experience, you don't do that so quickly with your own PC or your father's.”
Jeanine expects that she will take the computer science exam in sixth grade: “It is either this or visual education. And for visual arts you can only get a maximum of 8 on our exam.” The prospects for this class are good: VWO 4 of the Driestar scores two tens, only one unsatisfactory and a test average of 7,3.
Biggest shortage box
De AObgoal of a qualified teacher for every student in 2030 is still far out of reach for computer science. For a quarter of the vacancies no teacher to be found and according to the forecasts, it will only get worse without measures. Scrapping the elective is the radical solution that students, schools and society do not like. "However, this situation is highly undesirable," says AObdirector Jelmer Evers. "A qualified teacher must remain the starting point. In this way we outsource the quality of education to a commercial party and with that we cross a considerable border." In addition to Fundament without a subject teacher, there is the Co-Teach Informatica initiative, which deploys guest lecturers from the business community at schools in combination with online learning materials, with a subsidy from the government and university support. Evers: "Education is a public matter. I am very surprised that the inspectorate, the ministry and the competent authority accept this. Will this become the new norm? We must do everything we can to attract more colleagues to computer science. Digital literacy is after all, the spearhead of this cabinet. Pull out all the stops: make the training free, a lateral entry path with retention of salary and ensure that all barriers are removed."
