ABOUT THIS COURSE
This course is designed for all teachers of AQA A Level sociology, to raise the attainment of lower and middle achieving students. The course will equip with you with strategies, tools and knowledge to get the most out of this group of students. There will be a focus on in class support, scaffolding independent learning and exam technique. You will leave with a number of practical ideas that can be immediately implemented with your students on your return to school or college.
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING:
- Exploring classroom activities which develop the key sociological skills and recall of knowledge.
- Develop ways to support middle and lower ability students to access the course content
- Evaluate different strategies to improve independent and self-study skills to enable students to close the gap in their own knowledge and potential attainment level
- Acquire a repertoire of activities and insights into exam techniques and ways for students to succeed in assessments
- Take away a number of resources and ideas that can be immediately implemented into your classroom practice.
| COURSE DATES | Online | Monday 19 April 2021 Online | Monday 05 July 2021 |
| WHO SHOULD ATTEND? |
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| COURSE CODE | 8102 |
| IN-SCHOOL | You can also book this as an In-School Course |
| INCLUDED |
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10.00 – 10.40am
Planning for Success, identifying the challenge points, the key skills required
- Identifying the sticking points for lower ability students.
- Remembering content
- Terminology and Key Sociologists
- Evaluation and application skills.
- Bridging the gap between GCSE and A level expectations
- Introducing note taking strategies.
- Independent consolidation tasks.
- Depth of knowledge required.
- Developing a toolbox of activities which develop key skills and knowledge for the A Level Course.
- Planning in phases and chunking knowledge.
10.40 – 11.00am: Discussion: coffee break
11.00 – 11.30am
Practical strategies to get to grips with content and embed knowledge
- Chunking content – using questions as a focus for students
- Using Knowledge organisers to support understanding and recall
- Embedding retrieval practice into lessons.
- The role of homework to reinforce learning.
11.30 – 12.30pm
Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods: Improving the achievement of lower ability students
- Short answer and extended writing, 50 marks l Methods in Context: extended writing, 20 marks l Theory and Methods: extended writing, 10 marks
12.30 – 1.30pm: Lunch and informal discussion
1.30 – 2.30pm
Paper 2: Topics in Sociology: raising student attainment in Paper 2
2.30 – 3.30pm
Paper 3 Crime and Deviance – same thing, with a focus on the compulsory content
- Key challenge pointsCommon mistakes which prevent students from accessing top band marks.
- Focus on the 20- and 30-mark questions: Developing a chain of reasoning and sign posting the assessment objectives to the examiner.
- Focus on Methods in Context: Understanding how the structure is different to other essays and how to reach the top band of marks.
- How to use example answers to demonstrate structure and signpost assessment objectives.
Kim Constable
Kim Constable is a teacher at Wymondham College in Norfolk, which is a state boarding school catering to a wide range of students both locally, nationally, and internationally. She trained in PSHE and Citizenship but has taught AQA A Level Sociology for over 10 years in the UK and in Europe, with 100% A* – D results under the new specification. She shares her resources as Hectic Teacher on twitter and on her website “The Hectic Teacher’s A Level Sociology Support Site”. She has also been providing student workshops on examination technique for the past 2 years.
