A Key Distinction for Better Understanding of Computer Science GCSE and A Level

Do you mean the thing or the container for the thing? In this article I want to discuss a key distinction which crops up again and again throughout Computer Science GCSE and...

Python Sets and a River Crossing Puzzle

Have you heard of the puzzle about the farmer, the wolf, the goat and the cabbage? You can play it here (click the “run” button to start): There are many different ways...

Fun with Python for Computer Science GCSE

A Bit of Fun with Python

Every now and then I look at a syllabus or textbook for GCSE Computer Science and it strikes me how much more interesting the content could be. Fun with Python for Computer...

We Need to Talk About Pseudocode

Pseudocode for Computer Science GCSE and A Level Pseudocode for Computer Science GCSE and A Level is supposed to provide a way of describing algorithms which is simple, clear, unambiguous and language-agnostic....

Learning Bubble Sort for Computer Science GCSE and A Level

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that is probably true, IF you are ready to understand the picture! When this is the case, we often experience those wonderful...

GCSE Computer Science Programming Misses the Mark?

How well does GCSE Computer Science prepare students to become good programmers? I know, programming is not everything, and the other aspects are important too, but still, in the modern world the...

Recording a Python Course for LinkedIn January 2020

As a very good song by a very good band once put it … you may find yourself, in another part of the world… Somehow I found myself in Carpinteria, California, USA...

Eight Queens Puzzle in Python

The Eight Queens Puzzle is a classic problem whose goal is to place 8 queens on an 8x8 chessboard in such a way that none of the queens share a row, column...

A Puzzle About Socks

Here’s a puzzle to help practice your computational thinking skills. Don’t forget to take it slowly and think through your answer carefully before committing. A sock drawer contains ten pairs of black...

Running Python Scripts from a Command Line

There are many ways to run Python code. Many learners begin with IDLE which comes bundled with the standard Python installation. You can go a long way with IDLE but eventually you...