BCS
Printable version

New Terms Starts With Good News For Local Computing Teachers and Students! Consett Academy Announces CAS Master Teacher

Students at Consett Academy and neighbouring schools will benefit from extra support that their teachers will receive - thanks to computing teacher Jim Green’s appointment as a *CAS Master Teacher. Master Teachers are volunteers who are trained to help teachers learn how best to teach the computing curriculum.

Jim who is ‘Head of Technical and Vocational and Learning Leader for Computing’ at Consett Academy has been at the Academy for nine years. Originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the 32 year old teacher now lives in Whitley Bay. In his new role - Jim will support local teachers to deliver the computing curriculum which was introduced to schools in England in 2014.

He explains: “The best person to support a teacher is another teacher. I decided to become a Master Teacher because I really love my subject. I enjoy making things happen and showing others what a computer can do. As a Master Teacher, I am there to be a champion of computing, to spread the word about how it can be taught and to enthuse people. I became a Master Teacher through our local regional centre at Newcastle University. It’s great - I get to meet lots of other teachers and see how they are embedding Computer Science in their schools. I also get to use their ideas and share mine with them.”

Master Teachers are men or women who are experienced teachers who are keen to share their knowledge and understanding with other teachers. They deliver local, face to face, Continuing Professional Development to both primary and secondary school teachers through workshops, seminars and training sessions, as well as provide support over the phone or via email. Schools are partnered with Master Teachers and local universities - through *The Network of Excellence - to provide teachers with opportunities to develop their computer science knowledge and skills. So far the programme has recruited and trained over 500 Master Teachers.

Bill Mitchell, Director of Education at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT - which runs the Network of Excellence - says: “This is great news and I’d like to pass on my congratulations to Jim on his achievement. I’m delighted that he has completed the Master Teacher’s programme and is well and truly qualified to help support other teachers deliver the computing curriculum to pupils. Almost everything we do these days relies on computers so it’s vital that young people are taught the skills they need for the future. Our message to any computing teachers who might be looking for a bit of support - there is a Master Teacher nearby - so get in touch and find out how they can help.”

Jim adds: “Teaching computing is important - it’s not just about programming, it’s about solving problems and making our lives better. Think about our lives now if Turing and others hadn’t invented the first computers. It’s all about creation and invention. The Internet of Things is here. Lots of small devices all doing small jobs, but form a massive system when put together. We need to equip our young people for the new world of work.”

*Network of Teaching Excellence: BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT created the Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science (NoE) with partners at Computing at School (CAS) with funding from the Department for Education to provide professional development for teachers.

More information about Master Teachers

Contact the Press Office

 

Channel website: http://www.bcs.org/

Share this article

Latest News from
BCS

Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story