Description

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course is aimed at teachers working with mixed ability and lower attaining students who are looking to maximise their potential in the upcoming A-Level Biology 2024 exams. The course covers a range of effective teaching and assessment strategies, monitoring, early intervention and exam technique and approaches that improve confidence, effort and achievement. The course provides a comprehensive toolkit that adds value and will help learners excel in their Summer 2024 exam performance

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Utilise techniques to quickly identify underperformance and implement effective support strategies for success in the 2024 Exams
• Increased understanding of how to motivate underachieving learners and improve exam performance
• How to teach challenging topics
• Techniques for tackling synoptic and data handling questions with confidence
• Develop effective teaching and learning techniques to help lower ability learners to retain knowledge and better understand concepts
• How to prepare your students for questions in Summer 2024 examining the required practicals

PROGRAMME

Effective techniques to embed subject knowledge, develop skills and assess work so that lower ability learners thrive. How to get students thinking synoptically

10.00 – 11.35am

• Implementing classroom techniques to ensure that lower ability learners understand key concepts.
• Develop effective techniques to help lower ability learners to retain knowledge, understand concepts and develop skills.
• Exploring Active Learning to develop skills and retain knowledge
• Lesson strategies that address difficult concepts where students experience difficulties such as the kidney.

Discussion: coffee break

11.35 – 11.50am

Monitoring & early intervention strategies that positively impact on student performance

11.50 – 12.30pm

• Techniques to quickly identify underperforming students and implement strategies to effectively support them.
• Using a range of monitoring tools to track performance, recognise underachievement and motivate learners.
• Explore early intervention strategies that engage learners and develop independent learning skills
• Implementing mastery tests to identify students who haven’t grasped the fundamental concepts
• Driving student progress through marking and feedback.

Lunch and informal discussion

12.30 – 1.30pm

The Exams: Practical Strategies to raise attainment levels and enhance exam performance

1.30 – 2.15pm

• Embed exam technique into your teaching to enhance the performance of lower ability students
• Explore assessment strategies to help learners identify where they need to improve and how to achieve this.
• How to effectively use feedback.
• Methods to help students understand how the exam are marked and ways to help students use  this knowledge
• How to tackle questions set in both a theoretical and practical context.
• Improve your students ‘confidence in being able to analyse, interpret and evaluate biological information, data and ideas.

Moving lower ability  students towards mastery of practical skills

2.15 – 3.00pm

• Strategies to enable students to demonstrate these competencies consistently and routinely
• Developing and assessing the more challenging skills e.g. opportunities for students to select equipment and measurement strategies or to make adjustments when necessary.
• Researching, referencing and reporting – skill-building ideas to develop students’ competence in using secondary sources to support planning and conclusion

Discussion: afternoon tea

3.00 – 3.10pm

Exam Success: Preparing students for the Practical assessments

3.10 – 4.00pm

• Using the language of measurement – ideas and activities to embed the key terms
• Strategies to improve exam technique in practical-based questions
• Examples of questions testing different assessment objectives