Teaching OCR A-Level Chemistry for the First Time

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course is designed for teachers who are new to teaching OCR A-Level Chemistry, or who wish to improve their understanding to enable their students to achieve higher grades. The sessions are designed to improve delegates’ understanding of OCR A-Level Chemistry specification and ensure that candidates have the best opportunity to maximise their potential grades. Delegates will receive new teaching approaches as well as key guidance in how to develop exceptional examination and practical techniques in OCR A-Level Chemistry to maximise students’ success when delivering the course for the first time.

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BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Obtain excellent understanding of the complexities of the OCR A-Level Chemistry specification including how to use Required practicals to improve understanding
• Learn key techniques to use in your teaching that are utilised by more experienced teachers
• Understand how students learn; and how you can maximise their understanding
• Gain insight into the content, the exam structure and how the exams are marked
• Develop your teaching in specific topic areas to raise standard of achievement
• Examples of extended A-Level questions: how to prepare students to get the most possible marks

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PROGRAMME

Introduction: Identifying methods that will enhance performance from the start 10.00am

• Overview of the specification- introducing the scheme of work and baseline assessment
• Analysing the assessment criteria and looking how to incorporate AO1, AO2 and AO3 in your lessons
• Recognising which areas will be the most challenging and preparing for these
• Identifying your support network and making the most of it

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Break

11.15am

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Tackling the Challenging Content of OCR A-Level Chemistry

11.30am

• Planning and teaching the more demanding topics – what these are and how to factor them into your teaching
• Making complicated concepts easy
• Teaching ideas, related questions and supporting resources to help improve student understanding
• Teaching for the different types of questions, with examples, so that you can help students access all the available marks
• Designing formative assessment and feedback through focussed starters and plenaries into your teaching 

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How to teach some of the conceptually hardest topics

12.15pm

• Scaffolding mathematical content for both mathematicians and non-mathematicians ensuring stretch and challenge for all students
• Identifying where most marks are lost in exams and how to support students to ensure they minimise errors
• Teaching analytical techniques for exam success including NMR
• Breaking down the questions and fool proof support to answer NMR questions
• Maximising marks for A* students
• Planning for success, teaching methodologies and using retrieval practice to boost student performance
• Teaching ideas with associated questions and resources
• Getting students involved in their learning – making theory ‘practical’

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Lunch

1.15pm

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Managing the Required Practical Activities

2.15pm

• What you have to teach and what the students have to do
• The OCR standard at different grades and getting your students to reach it
• How to structure a programme of practical teaching and assessment that helps your students gain the best marks
• Structured v Investigative approaches – finding the opportunities
• Techniques to help students construct excellent written responses in the exams: where and why they can struggle in A-Level with this skill

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Effectively tackling the Exam Papers

3.15pm

• How to approach teaching A-level exam skills with confidence
• Teaching towards the ’endgame’, what language to use, ensure you are marking ‘like the examiner’ and secure grading
• Focus on essay structure in exams, how to pick up easy marks, and what top grade responses look like
• Marking and assessment strategies: supporting students to access the higher-level grades
• Extended answers – ideas for development

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Depart

3.45pm