SSERC offers a broad portfolio of services, principally in support of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas of the curriculum, which are not available from any other source and which can be broken down into three main stands of activity:

· Provision of Professional Learning (PL) for early years practitioners, primary and secondary teachers, school and college technicians and childminders

· The Advisory Service, supporting practical STEM-based classroom activities via specialist health and safety advice and support. · Wider STEM engagement activities, including the Young STEM Leader Programme, management of the STEM Ambassadors in Scotland Hub, ENTHUSE Partnerships, the Scottish STEM Placements Programme and Education/Industry Partnerships.

Workshop: Simplifying Computing Science: Unplugged & Sphero indi

In this session we will consider some of the barriers around the teaching of Computing Science (CS) and explore how the subject can be taught in a simple, yet highly effective manner, using unplugged resources.

Teacher confidence, lack of resources and time in a busy curriculum can all hamper our ability to engage with Computing Science, but through investigating the concept of ‘unplugged’ as a foundation for understanding CS, we will demonstrate how these barriers can be overcome.

The focus on the session will be to provide an introduction to freely available online activities from the likes of Barefoot and Code.org, unplugged resources which focus on the beginning stages of CS understanding, and also examine robots such as Sphero indi and their educational impact.  As we explore the resources, we’ll also discuss how these tools align with the Experiences and Outcomes, whilst linking with the key CS concepts and skills they help to develop.

There will be a variety of activities throughout this session, as well as time to get on your hands and knees to explore the Sphero indi robots, so please come along and find out more about ‘Simplifying Computing Science’ in your setting.

Your workshop host

Kevin Reid is an Early Years and Primary Education Manager for Digital Skills and Computing Science.

As a Digital Skills and Computing Science Education Manager at SSERC, he is passionate about equipping educators with the tools, knowledge, skills and confidence to ignite a love of digital technology in their learners. With years of experience teaching this subject in primary schools, he has honed his skills in delivering engaging digital learning experiences.

Kevin’s goal is to share his passion, enthusiasm and expertise with educators across Scotland. He offers a variety of professional learning courses featuring technologies supported by digital partners such as VEX, Sphero, Robotical, micro:bit, and Apple. These sessions are designed to boost educators’ confidence and provide practical resources you can immediately implement in the classroom.

Whether joining us in our digital suite at SSERC HQ in Dunfermline, or participating in our nationwide training programs, Kevin is committed to helping to support teachers to inspire the next generation of digital thinkers and computing scientists.