Teaching Pearson A-Level Drama & Theatre Effectively: A Complete Guide for Teachers

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This is course is designed for new teachers and teachers in their first years of teaching Pearson Edexcel A Level Drama & Theatre and focuses on how to facilitate excellent outcomes for all students across the three components of the course. The course focuses on pedagogy and practice and provides specific guidance and support for both the written and practical components. There is an emphasis on how to structure the course and offers a raft of tips and strategies for supporting students in their bid to access the top band marks.

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BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Take away strategies to support the development of students’ written and practical skills
• Develop an awareness of effective planning and structuring of the course
• Learn how to manage design and performance candidates simultaneously
• Develop strategies to promote effective learning and the collaborative practices which underpin components 1 and 2
• Learn how to develop students’ ability to articulate their understanding of text and process in written form

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PROGRAMME

Overview of the Pearson Edexcel A Level Drama & Theatre course including challenges and what to expect from pupils

10.00am

• Ensuring teachers and students hit the ground running in September
• Key challenges and opportunities – areas to focus your teaching around
• Mapping out and structuring the course to engage all students
• Understanding the assessment objectives to improve your teaching and planning
• An overview of all the components -  what you need to know when starting
• Recognising which areas will be most challenging for you and how to address these issues
• Developing an understanding of what an A/A* student’s performance looks like, and how to get there

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Break

10.40am

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How to teach Component 1 Effectively:

11.00am

• Choosing and teaching the text and practitioner – what works well
• Performance or process? Where should we place our emphasis?
• The portfolio: how to support students to create top band portfolios through clear and effective planning
• Giving feedback – how to assess and mark the portfolio and provide the support and guidance needed to facilitate improvements

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Component 2 – Performance from Text

12.00pm

• Planning for successful teaching for Component 2
• Choosing the text – which texts give students access to the higher bands?
• How assessment is carried out for this component
• How to support students to become independent performers and designers in the classroom
• Overcoming confidence issues and supporting students of all aptitudes to achieve their best

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Lunch

1.00pm

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How to Teach Component 3 Effectively

2.00pm

• Meeting the challenges of Component 3
• Teaching approaches and methods for teaching this component
• How to develop students’ writing skills and structure responses
• Practical strategies to explore the set text through practical means to generate understanding
• How to structure teaching to ensure that all students have an understanding of the demands of the exam
• Understanding the expectations of the exam board in terms of top mark responses
• What does an A/A* response look like?

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Break

3.00pm

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Achieving Unbelievable Results

3.05pm

• What does it take to go from a C/D to an A/A*?
• How can you plan to overcome barriers?
• How can you build in the written exam to secure the highest marks
• How to gain full marks in the longer essay questions
• Revision strategies, tactics and exam techniques

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Depart

3.40pm