Computing · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Output Devices and Feedback

Active learning helps students connect abstract ideas about devices to real, observable experiences. When children physically handle equipment and see feedback happen live, they build lasting mental models of input and output. This hands-on approach turns passive listening into active inquiry.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Computing - Computer Systems
• KS2: Computing - Information Technology

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Device Hunt

Set up stations with laptops (screens), headphones (speakers), and printers. Students test each by inputting simple commands, like typing text to see it display or playing audio files. Groups record how each provides feedback, then share findings.

Differentiate between input and output devices.

Facilitation Tip

During Device Hunt, place one device per station and have students rotate in small groups to test each one quickly rather than lingering at crowded areas.

What to look for

Provide students with a card listing several devices (e.g., microphone, keyboard, monitor, headphones). Ask them to write 'Input' or 'Output' next to each device and briefly explain why for one example. For instance, 'Monitor is Output because it shows pictures.'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Feedback Flowchart

Pairs draw flowcharts for a game, like a quiz, marking input (button press), processing, and output (score on screen, cheer sound). Test ideas by acting them out with props. Refine based on peer feedback.

Explain how a computer provides feedback to a user.

Facilitation Tip

When pairs build the Feedback Flowchart, provide blank flowcharts with arrows already drawn so students focus on labeling rather than drawing structures.

What to look for

During a lesson, ask students to hold up one finger for input and two fingers for output when you name a device. Follow up by asking a few students to explain their choice, such as 'Why is a printer an output device?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 50 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Scratch Jr Game Build

Demonstrate adding visual (colour change) and auditory (sound effect) feedback to sprites. Students replicate in pairs on tablets, then playtest classmates' games. Discuss what feedback works best.

Design a simple game that uses both visual and auditory feedback.

Facilitation Tip

For the Scratch Jr Game Build, demonstrate making a sprite move and change color on success, then let students experiment with adding a sound effect before adjusting visuals.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are playing a racing game. What are two ways the computer gives you feedback to tell you if you are winning or losing?' Encourage students to discuss both visual and auditory feedback.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Device Labelling

Provide images of computers and peripherals. Students label input/output devices and note feedback examples, like 'speaker: plays win sound'. Share one example per student.

Differentiate between input and output devices.

Facilitation Tip

Have students label Device Labelling diagrams with arrows pointing from the device to the user to reinforce output direction.

What to look for

Provide students with a card listing several devices (e.g., microphone, keyboard, monitor, headphones). Ask them to write 'Input' or 'Output' next to each device and briefly explain why for one example. For instance, 'Monitor is Output because it shows pictures.'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic through repeated, multi-sensory exposure. Avoid lectures about device categories—children learn by doing. Use clear contrasts, like built-in speakers versus headphones, to highlight that output travels to the user. Keep language simple and pair explanations with immediate demonstrations so students connect cause and effect.

Successful learning looks like students confidently labeling devices as input or output, describing how feedback reaches them, and applying this understanding to design simple programs that use clear visual and auditory cues. You’ll hear students explain their choices with evidence from the activities.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Device Hunt, watch for students who assume any device with buttons or lights is an input device.

  Pause the hunt and ask each group to press a button on a speaker or headphones, then listen carefully. Guide them to notice that the button sends a signal to the computer (input) but the sound comes out of the device (output), clarifying that feedback always moves toward the user.

• During Feedback Flowchart, watch for pairs who draw all feedback as visual only.

  Prompt students to add a second branch for sound effects or voice prompts in their flowcharts. Ask them to recall games they know where sounds signal success, helping them see auditory feedback as a distinct output type.

• During Device Labelling, watch for students who draw arrows from the computer to the device rather than from the device to the user.

  Have students trace the path of feedback with their fingers, starting at the device and moving outward toward their eyes or ears. Ask them to redraw arrows to show the direction of information leaving the computer.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Inside-Outside Circle