Description

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course is aimed at teachers working with mixed ability students who are looking to increase the uptake of A level Chemistry and ensure the building blocks are in place to access top marks in both GCSE and A level examinations. 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 GCSE and AS exam performance.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Understand why students struggle with both GCSE and A level Chemistry and how to break down and simplify learning
• How to teach challenging topics
• Utilise techniques to quickly identify underperformance and implement effective support strategies for success
• Increased understanding of how to motivate underachieving learners and improve exam performance
• 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
• Gain insight into the content, the exam structure and the how exams are marked

PROGRAMME

What is the issue?

10.00am

• Understanding the similarities and differences from a student’s perspective moving from GCSE to A
  level Chemistry
• How utilising pedagogy can help break down the learning
• Implementing lesson plans to ensure that students understand key concepts.
• Develop effective techniques to help lower ability learners to retain knowledge and develop skills.
• Lesson strategies that address difficult concepts where students experience difficulties

Break

11:35am

Monitoring & early intervention strategies that positively impact on student performance and engagement

11.50am

• 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

12.30pm

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

1.30pm

• Embed exam technique into your teaching to enhance the performance of all 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 information, data and ideas.

How to ensure practical skills are developed ready for KS5 and effectively utilised in exam questions

2.15pm

• 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

Exam Success: Preparing students for the Practical assessments

2.45pm

• 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

Depart

3.15pm