Description
ABOUT THIS COURSE
This new course will demonstrate how to guide your best students to achieve Grades A & A* in future Pearson Edexcel A-level Politics examinations. The course will explore the characteristics of A/A* students identified in research and why and how we must challenge our most able Politics students.
Focused extensively on evidence-based teaching, learning and assessment practice as well as feedback from the most recent exams, you will leave with a vast range of resources and practical strategies that will enable you to meet the needs of your most able students and ultimately increase A and A* grade attainment. Finally, we will look beyond the course to focus on preparing these students to continue studying Politics at university.
The course is designed for teachers of Pearson Edexcel A-Level Politics, but would be of benefit to teachers of other exam boards as well.
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING
- Understand how applying current pedagogy regarding flipped learning and metacognition will transform your teaching of more able students
- Develop the use of mental models to promote student recall, supporting the teaching of the most challenging A-Level topics
- Develop greater understanding of the precision and detail that examiners are looking for in A/A* students
- Find out more about the barriers to progression and ways to support highly able students to overcome them
- A detailed look at the different demands of questions and how to prepare students to answer then effectively
- Take away a range of innovative teaching ideas and electronic resources to help advance your most able students
PROGRAMME
Focus on the Pedagogy; How can it Unlock the Potential of A/A* Students?
10.00 – 11.15am
- Mental models, metacognition and flipped learning; how can they be practically applied and what benefits will they deliver
- Review characteristics of A and A* A-Level students
- How are A/A* Grades achieved?
Break and informal discussion
11.15 – 11.30am
The Exams – Techniques and Tactics
11.30 – 1.00pm
- The key topics A/A* students find most challenging and how to scaffold Techniques for memory retrieval and recall and application to examination questions
- Dissecting examination questions- vocabulary & command words
- Strategies to improve responses to exam questions and signposting
- A look at some of the challenging areas and difficult topics in A-Level Politics
- Mechanisms; how to embed the academic rigour required to maximise marks
- Avoiding potential hazards – what can cost a top student their A/A* grade?
Lunch
1.00 – 2.00pm
The Key Challenges for A/A* Students in the Papers
2.00 – 3.00pm
- Developing a deep understanding of Politics concepts
- Strategies to ensure students write top level responses to questions every time
- Developing a personalised approach to note taking to support recall
- Activating prior knowledge to improve retention of key topic areas
Afternoon tea and informal discussion
3.00 – 3.15pm
Stretching and Challenging the Most Able Students
3.15 – 3.45pm
- What makes a strong A-Level response? How can we build up to this?
- Using wider reading to prepare for exams
- using questions over and above recommended reading, preparing for Oxbridge
- Resources and lessons to stretch the most able students in Politics.
- Strategies for stretching A/A* students in a mixed-ability classroom and challenging complacent high-achievers