ABOUT THIS COURSE

This new vibrant course is designed for new teachers of AQA A-Level Biology and those lacking the confidence in delivering the statistical and mathematical elements of the course effectively.

The course offers insight into the required statistical tests and key mathematical and graphical skills for teachers of AQA A-Level Biology.

While assessment materials will be drawn from the AQA course, many of the ideas will be applicable to other specifications.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Provide teachers with the material and confidence to teach the mathematical and statistical elements of AQA A Level Biology.
• Take away an understanding of the key statistical tests and mathematical skills required for the AQA A Level Biology.
• Leave with a set of resources to use with your students, covering all statistical tests and key mathematical skills required in the AQA A Level Biology course.
• Boost knowledge and understanding of the mathematical and statistical skills required for A Level Biology.
• Teachers will take away ideas and applied examples for teaching these areas in AQA A Level Biology.
• Teachers will be provided with the links to teaching maths and statistical skills within the curriculum with unit specific problems and answers for students to try.

PROGRAMME

Understanding Statistical and Mathematical skills in Biology

• Where are students performing well?
• What do they struggle with?
• Key considerations for future exams

Teaching statistical skills

• Why students struggle to identify statistical skills within a question.
• Consider the different types of questions that require mathematical skills and preparing students to tackle them
• Chi squared and the T test with applied resources to use with your students.
• The correlation coefficient with applied examples to use with your students.
• Ideas for teaching your students the use of standard deviation with applied resources to take away.
• Stretching the more able students – what is required for top band marks?

Teaching mathematical skills.

• Why students struggle to identify mathematical skills within a question.
• Consider the different types of questions that require mathematical skills and preparing students to tackle them
• Power, exponential and logarithmic functions, their applied use in microbiology and ecology.
• Stretching the more able students – what is required for top band marks?

Developing graphical interpretation skills

• Identifying common linear relationships in biology
• Identifying the intercept of a graph
• Applying graphical interpretation skills to questions

Applied geometry in biology

• Calculate the circumference and area of a circle – applying to the questions
• Volumes of cylinders and spheres with applied resources relevant to the biology curriculum to take away and use with your students

Maximising exam performance

• Methodologies that boost student attainment: how to improve students by one grade, targeting top grades (A-A*).
• Teaching towards the ’endgame’, what language to use, ensure you are marking ‘like the examiner’ and secure grading
• Exam questions and model answers, looking at what success looks like