In the cold and dark days of December and January the warmth of the summer months can seem a very long way away. As teachers, we know that the exam period comes around much sooner then we’d like. However, most of our students, who are entering their first official exam period, still think they have […]
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Science, like every subject, has its own vocabulary. Sometimes it can feel like we are learning a different language, before we can even begin to understand Science. This vocabulary gap can lead students to be disengaged and disruptive in the classroom as well as underachieving in their exams and it is not just EAL students […]
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This summer saw the first sitting of the new-style GCSE Science courses. When results day rolled round, many teachers were surprised when Ofqual stepped in to ensure that higher tier students who weren’t able to achieve a 4-3, the lowest grade expected to be awarded for the tier, could be awarded a 3-3 rather than […]
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The recent changes in the exam system have required students and teachers to make some significant adjustments. With the first 9-1 exams over, now is a good time to reflect on the areas that students have found particularly challenging. One of these is the need for students to apply their knowledge to unfamiliar contexts. For […]
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As part of our regular Kerboodle updates we have produced some videos of the A Level Year 1 compulsory practicals. It is not always possible for a student to carry out all of the practicals; they may miss a practical session due to illness or timetabling issues. These videos enable students to see the practicals […]
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The recent collapse of alternative qualifications and the narrow focus on which qualifications count for Progress 8 scores mean that GCSE Combined Science has become the default entry route to a science qualification for students in England. Some schools co-teach GCSE Combined Science with Entry Level Certificate (ELC), but an increasingly challenging curriculum presents difficulty […]
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For the first few years of my teaching career, I would set revision lessons without much expectation. If you were going to do a test, you should at least give some chance of success by providing the lesson before for ‘revision’. I would often provide a list of suggested activities that students could pick from: […]
Read moreWe asked our Science team to chose their favourite women in science. It was a struggle to pick just one each, but here’s who they came up with. Let us know yours in the comments! Commissioning Editor Sophie chose Hedy Lamarr, pioneer of spread spectrum technology. Lamarr’s Secret Communication System was intended to protect Allied […]
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After two years of development and consultation with teachers, we have finally published the Pinch Point tasks in the Activate Intervention Workbooks and they have been very well received. If you are new to the Pinch Point concept, there is a good summary in this article [1]. At the ASE Conference 2018 in Liverpool, we were able to discuss with […]
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Education is fast moving, with new ideas, recycled ideas, and changes in the political landscape which feed into curriculum change and inevitable examination changes. A rising hot topic is ‘stretch and challenge’, but what exactly is it? As part of the Teaching and Learning group in my school we have been exploring ‘Stretch and Challenge’ […]
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