AQA A-Level Sociology: Raising the Attainment of Weaker Students

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This new course is designed for all teachers of AQA A Level Sociology, this course will present strategies, resources and techniques to raise attainment levels of weaker A Level Sociology students, and build their confidence without sacrificing academic rigour or ambition. Teachers will leave with a number of practical ideas, approaches, methods and also exam techniques that can be immediately implemented with weaker students back in school.

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BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Take away practical templates to raise attainment of weaker A Level students
• Explore and take away practical strategies, ideas and inspiration to motivate and inspire weaker students to perform to their fullest potential in exams
• Gain teaching activities which develop the key sociological skills and recall of knowledge necessary
• Develop ways to support weaker students to access the course content
• Gain a range of exam techniques, tactics, and revision techniques specifically tailored to the weaker student

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PROGRAMME

Meeting the Needs of weaker A Level Sociology Students to raise performance

10.00 – 11.00am

• Meeting Strategies to build confidence in design and approach to assessment, testing and feedback
• Effective use of metacognitive strategies and the benefits of setting aside deliberate time for metacognition discussion

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Morning Break

11.00 – 11.20am

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Key practical strategies, resources and activities for weaker students

11.20 – 12.30pm

• Remembering content
• Building terminology, Sociology language as a primary strategy to decrease stress
• Ways to build Key Sociologists knowledge and understanding
• Evaluation and application skills
• Effective note taking strategies
• Building Independent consolidation tasks
• Practical strategies which most motivate and engage students to understand and apply the depth of knowledge required.
• Developing a toolbox of activities which develop key skills and knowledge for the A Level Course.
• Planning in phases and chunking knowledge.

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Lunch

12.30 – 1.30pm

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Accessing the curriculum: Scaffolding strategies and retention of knowledge

1.30 – 2.15pm

• Developing ways to support weaker students to access the course content – Scaffolding up.
• Chunking content – using questions as a focus for students
• Developing your range of practical scaffolding strategies
• Using Knowledge organisers to support understanding and recall
• Embedding retrieval practice into lessons.
• The role of homework to reinforce learning.

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Discussion and sharing of best practice and new ideas/coffee break

2.45 – 2.50pm

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The Exams: A Repertoire of Exam Techniques for the Weaker Student

2.50 – 3.40pm

• Techniques, resources, methods to apply with the weaker student that can be immediately used
• Common mistakes which prevent weaker students from accessing middle and top band marks.
• Focus on the 20- and 30-mark questions: Developing a chain of reasoning and sign posting the assessment objectives to the examiner.
• Focus on Methods in Context: techniques for the weaker student to understanding how the structure is different to other essays and how to reach the top band of marks.

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Depart

3.40pm

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