AQA A-Level Chemistry: Aiming for A/A*

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This new course will demonstrate how to guide your best students to achieve Grades A & A* in future AQA A-level Chemistry examinations. The course will explore the characteristics of A/A* students identified in research and why and how we must challenge our most able Chemistry 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 Chemistry at university. The course is designed for teachers of AQA A-Level Chemistry but would be of benefit to teachers of other exam boards as well.

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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

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PROGRAMME

Focus on the pedagogy; how can it unlock the potential of A/A* students?

10.00am

• 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?

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Break

11.15am

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The Exams – Techniques and Tactics

11.30am

• 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
• Dealing with the maths; a look at some of the challenging areas of physical chemistry including: challenging titration questions, graphs and related questions, pH and buffers
• Mechanisms: how to embed the academic rigour required to maximise marks
• Avoiding potential hazards – what can cost a top student their A/A* grade?

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Lunch

1.00pm

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The key challenges for A/A* students in the Papers

2.00pm

• Developing a deep understanding of core Chemistry concepts
• Practical questions; supporting students to write top level response questions every time
• Developing a personalised approach to note taking to support recall
• Activating prior knowledge to improve retention of key topic areas

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Break

3.00pm

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Stretching and challenging the most able students

3.15pm

• Moving on from GCSE approaches – highlighting the teaching differences from the start of the A-Level course
• What makes a strong A-Level response? How can we build up to this?
• Using wider reading to prepare for exams
• RSC Olympiad resources and Cambridge Chemistry Challenge – using questions over and above recommended reading, preparing for Oxbridge
• Embedding RSC Olympiad resources and Cambridge Chemistry Challenge resources into schemes of work and lessons to stretch the most able students in Chemistry
• Strategies for stretching A/A* students in a mixed-ability classroom and challenging complacent high-achievers

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Depart

3.45pm