Outstanding Teaching in AQA A-Level PE: The Written Papers

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This new engaging and innovative course focuses on strategies and approaches to embed a culture of high expectations, challenge, and achievement in A-Level PE. Designed for all teachers of A-Level PE, regardless of the exam board, the course explores evidence-based teaching methods to drive student success. It covers techniques to maximise high achievement, including memorisation, retrieval, interleaving, deep practice, and flipped learning. Participants will also explore effective study strategies such as spaced repetition, flashcard apps, and cognitive science principles, alongside creative and practical approaches to enhancing teaching and learning in A-Level PE. Attendees will leave with a wealth of take-away strategies to implement immediately in the classroom.

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BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Learn effective strategies to help students achieve top-band marks.
• Discover engaging methods to motivate and support all learners.
• Gain expert insights into exam techniques and high-impact revision.
• Equip students with independent study skills for long-term success.
• Apply cognitive science strategies to improve knowledge retention.

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PROGRAMME

 10.00am: The Assessment Demands for Top Grade Outcomes in A-Level PE

• Identifying key barriers to attaining high grades in recent exams
• Understanding what is required to achieve a top-band mark and how to get there
• The importance of planning in an exam environment

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10.45am: Break

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11.00am: Fresh and Innovative Strategies for Teaching Biomechanics

• The benefits of flipped learning in academic PE
• Using the Cornell method to analyse screencast notes
• Maximising deliberate practice and higher-order thinking in lessons

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11.30am: Motivating and Engaging Low-Ability Students

• Differentiating between low effort/low performance and high effort/low performance students
• Using alumni and career aspirations to inspire low-effort learners
• Implementing cooperative learning strategies for active engagement
• High-impact study strategies that promote deeper thinking for high-effort/low-performance students
• Unique memorisation techniques to help students retain information
• Working out who they are/ what makes the ‘tick’

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12.15pm: Strategies to Promote Retrieval, Spacing, and Interleaving

• Memory platforms – effective lesson starters for retrieval and interleaving
• Exploring synoptic links between sports psychology and skill acquisition.
• Planning for interleaving, spacing, and retrieval to stretch and challenge in physiological factors
• The role of spaced practice in long-term learning

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1.00pm: Lunch

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2.00pm: Stretching and Challenging Your More Able Students

• Coaching students on advanced use of Anki (spaced repetition flashcards) / quizlet.
• Encouraging students to create effective study materials.
• Strategies for promoting higher-order thinking skills beyond ‘more of the same’.
• Analysing A* responses to enhance opportunities for high grades.

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2.45pm: Break

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3.20pm: Exam Revision and Technique

• Identifying and addressing common content and skills mistakes.
• Implementing highly effective exam techniques to boost student performance.
• Teaching and learning strategies to enhance AO skills.
• Understanding memory, practice, and myelin as foundations for high achievement.
• Applying cognitive science principles, including dual coding and interleaving, for deliberate practice revision. 

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3.50pm: Depart