ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course which has been designed to help maximise the performance of your students in Politics A level exams. It will give feedback on the latest exams and will help with the best approaches to the specification content.

The course will discuss and demonstrate practical strategies for teaching to support all levels of student ability as well as sessions which will confirm for all teachers that they are on track regarding assessment, in this year, 2021, and the uncertainty that has accompanied the year.

Examples may be drawn from the Edexcel/Pearson specification but the course itself, the practical approaches, methods, guidance and so on is designed to be of benefit for teachers of all exam boards.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING THE POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES

  • An opportunity to review your teaching of the new specification
  • Excellent teaching ideas to make links and extend thinking skills which help students achieve higher grades
  • Focus on the assessment objectives and level based marking to help your students gain top marks
  • Update your teaching activities and scheme of work for improved teaching
COURSE DATES Online | Wednesday 16 June 2021
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? 
  • Heads of Humanities
  • Heads of Government & Politics
  • Teachers of A Level Politics
COURSE CODE 8515
IN-SCHOOL You can also book this as an In-School Course
INCLUDED
  • A specially prepared folder of 50+ pages full of detailed notes, practical advice and guidance
  • Notes prepared by the educational experts leading the course
  • Expert produced PowerPoint presentations
  • CPD Certificate of attendance
  • Two course restaurant lunch
  • Refreshments throughout the day
  • Guaranteed high quality venues

 

10.00 – 10.40am
Overview – Key challenges for Politics teaching in this uncertain year, recent feedback

  • Discussion of the challenges experienced by all teachers in this year of 2021
  • How to engage students in the content of the course, and how to maximise their focus on what brings the most reward in examinations

10.40 – 11.00am: Discussion: coffee break

11.00-12.30pm
Teaching  the Core Ideas

  1. Liberalism
  2. Conservatism
  3. Socialism
  • Political Ideologies – the key points and topics in the new specification and challenges for teachers including:
    • The core principles of the above
    • The divisions within each core political idea
    • How they relate to the 4 themes of Human Nature, the State, Society and the Economy
    • The key thinkers which the specification lists for each of the political ideas
  • Scheme of Work and teaching review – how to meet the demands of the course to ensure student progress
  • Tricky areas – how to integrate Political Ideologies into the teaching of the other components, to enhance student understanding and improve answers to synoptic questions

12.30 – 1.30pm: Lunch and informal discussion

1.30 – 2.00pm
Planning the teaching of the Non-Core Ideas

Non-core Ideologies – the key points and challenges for teachers including:

  • The core principles of the above
  • The divisions within each core political idea
  • How they relate to the 4 themes of Human Nature, the State, Society and the Economy
  • The key thinkers which the specification lists for each of the political ideas

2.00 – 2.45pm
Tactics to approach the questions for the high Marks

  • Questions, question types l The 30-mark questions and essays: what does a grade A/A* candidate need to do? l Varying commentary practice to stretch all students l Different approaches to questions l How to deal with the different question stem

2.45 – 3.15pm
Assessment Objectives & Level-based marking

Assessment Objectives and level-based marking – why these matter and how to ensure students stay on track

  • Marking exercises to demonstrate the standard and for use with students
  • Review of assessment criteria and how to teach exam technique to students for high marks

3.15 – 3.40pm
Books and other Resources & Discussion

  • Review of useful books and other resources to use as teaching aids
  • Discussion and Q & A session

Kathy Schindler

Kathy Schindler has taught at and led an A Level Politics department at a top state school for nearly 20 years. She is an experienced A Level Politics examiner and Team Leader for a major awarding group.  She was involved in writing the new A Level Politics linear specification and has co-written two A Level Politics textbooks, published by Pearson. She runs many training sessions to help teachers prepare for the new Politics A Level. She also runs sessions in schools to support teachers as well as students.