Year 11 Parents’ Preparation for GCSE Evening
• A puzzle to do before we start
When new school governors are
appointed, a meeting is arranged
and everybody shakes hand with
everyone else once, and only
once.
If there were 66 handshakes at
the meeting, how many governors
were there.
GCSE Grades
• New GCSE
• Old GCSE
• English and Maths
• Grades 9 (top) – 1 (bottom)
• What is the new grade C?
• What is the new A*?
• All other subjects
• Grades A* (top) – G (bottom)
• Please ask at Parents Evening to
be certain you understand as
much as we do and be certain
you know about level of entry on
some papers.
Aims of Tonight
• Make you more aware where
you can find information to help
you help your children to
succeed this summer.
• Give you some suggestions of
strategies that might work with
your child.
• Put some faces to names of
people you might want to
contact
• Clear up a few misconceptions
• BUT DEFINITELY NOT TELL YOU
HOW YOU MUST DO IT.
Support and Challenge
• We need to be interested
but
not be “pecking my head.”
• We need to help them to
progress
but
let them learn independently
• We need to provide them with a
place that is helping them study
without them feeling it is a jail.
SO IT IS REALLY
EASY THEN
Key Dates
• Practice Examinations
• w/c 16th January 2017
(7 weeks including holidays)
• GCSE Examination start
• w/c 22nd May
(25 weeks including holidays)
• Parents Evening
• Thursday 9th February 2017
(10 weeks)
• GCSE Examination Finish
(approximately 31 weeks)
Timetables when available
Practice Exams
• Idea is to see what you get when
you work this way.
• Practice types of revision
• Practice how you answer
questions and see if you score
marks
• KEY IDEA IS TO REVIEW YOUR
SUCCESS AND PLAN TO
IMPROVE
• We need to model this review
and help them find their best
way
Example through to REVIEW
• My revision technique is to “work”
in my bedroom as below;
Def
• Revision (noun)
the action of texting a
friend on group chat, eating
some pizza, playing Candy
Crush and watching my
favourite film on Netflix
whilst being near an open
text book or better still a
revision guide
• Practice Exam Review
I didn’t learn enough to answer the
questions in the exam. My answers
were vague. There were lots of bits I
guessed.
So I need to concentrate in lessons,
complete homework, answer more
practice questions, try a different
way of learning etc.
Exam boards and Subjects
Know the exam board
AQA Classics
4022
Business Studies
4133
Psychology
4182
Art
4202/4204
Photography
4206
Music
4272
Biology
4401
Chemistry
4402
Physics
4403
Science
4405
Additional science
D & T Electronics
Graphics
Product Design
Resistant materials
Child Development
Spanish
Engineering
Performing Arts
English Language
English Literature
4405
4542
4552
4557
4562
4582
4698
4852
4882
8700
8702
Exam boards and Subjects
AQA
OCR
Geography
History
9032
9142
EDEXL
Computer Science J275
Maths
J560
WJEC
ICT
2IT 01
PE
2PE 01
Religious Studies 2RS 01
Catering
4730
Why are these useful?
• On the exam board website you
can easily navigate to past
papers sections.
• Once there you have a supply of
exam questions to practice.
• All of the exams that have been
set also come with mark scheme
and commentaries about how
candidates have answered
successfully/less successfully
• Rather than try to remember a
website….
1. Google exam board initials
2. Click on bit that says past
papers
3. Navigate through subject at
GCSE level to find questions
4. Off you go (no need to print
off if you don’t want to)
Back to the puzzle at the start
• A puzzle to do before we start
When new school governors are
appointed, a meeting is arranged
and everybody shakes hand with
everyone else once, and only once.
If there were 66 handshakes at the
meeting, how many governors were
there.
• Students need to be resilient to
cope with GCSE questions but if
faced with a question like this they
will often give up because they
have never been “taught it”.
• Encourage them to “Start writing
things you know” rather than
saying they don’t know it.
eg. Write down how many
handshakes if 2 people in the
meeting, and then if there are 3?
Revision Timetables
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
• Things to think about
What topics do I need to study?
When do I study best?
How do I learn best?
What is the aim of the session?
How will I know that I have made
progress?
How will I reward myself?
A.
B.
C.
D.
• Things to be wary of
Revising for a set time without a
target to learn (“so what” test)
Revising for long periods without
a break
Having my phone on while I
revise
Not sharing with someone what I
planned or what I have learned
Simple is most effective
Session 1
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Sun
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Reward
• Each session has a target for
learning not a time. (eg I know
electronic structure of first 20
elements and how this explains
bonding)
• Timetable is displayed on fridge
door.
• To get reward we have to share our
learning with a named person
• We have to set targets in subjects
we like and dislike
Establish Revision as a habit
• Provide a quiet place where concentration is easily maintained.
• Most people brush their teeth at the same time each day; do likewise
with revision.
• Bring up a drink after 25 minutes (it shows we care and provides a
break to allow us to learn more quickly).
• Ask what they have learned each time you see them.
• Remind them if they move away from their published plan.
• Allow them to enjoy the time when they are not revising.
• As exam time approaches, schedule in more sessions/topics.
Setting the Right Goals
Right
I need to learn atomic
structure
Wrong
I need to spend 30
minutes revising
atomic structure
Using my time well
I work for 20 mins. then get up and
move
I slog at it for 3 hours straight
That puzzle again
Number of
People
Number of Number of
extra
Handshakes
already
Handshakes
done
Total
2
1
-
1
3
2
1
3
4
3
3
6
5
4
6
10
How can we Revise?
Position and Movement
SQ3R
•S
•Q
•R
•R
•R
Survey or skim through notes on a topic as fast as you can
Notice Questions as you skim (eg why is this idea important,
who first thought of it, what is interesting about this)
Read on to find the answers to your questions
Recall; once you have read the section, say out loud your
questions and say out loud the answers you have found
Review; write down the answers you have just said out loud and
keep them as extra notes
Flash Cards
• Topic per card
• Key facts listed without explanation
• Question that asks you to use these key facts written on the bottom
• Model answer written on the back to check if you recall everything
Mind Maps
Summary
• Read notes and then
condense into exactly 100 words
now reduce it to 50 words
now reduce it to 30 words
Each time we reduce, our mind has to be active to pick the best words
without losing any of the information. We learn without noticing it.
Rhythm
• Have you ever wondered why some songs become ear worms (“clap
along if you feel like a room without a roof”)?
• Both sides of our brain are active which apparently helps long term
memory. (I learned all my sister’s GCE Poetry this way!)
Mnemonics
• First letters of key words arranged into sentences (ten Zulus bothered
my cat)
• Or any word play
HHeLiBeBCNOFNeNaMgAlS
iPSClArKCa
Reorganising Material
• Making my own connections
helps me to understand and
learn
• Reading through notes over and
over again doesn’t help me
understand
Answering exam-style Questions
• Marking with friends
• Sharing answers
• Asking staff how an answer could be improved
• Answering first without notes and then with notes, to see which bits
were not remembered first time
• Covering answers and redoing question a week later
So have we answered the puzzle yet?
Seeing Patterns.
Number of
People
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Number of
Number of
extra
Handshakes
Handshakes already done
1
2
1
3
3
4
6
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Total
1
3
6
10
15
21
28
36
45
55
66
The Power of the Negative
Don’t think of a pink elephant
Don’t even think about texting your
friends when you should be revising?
What is school asking parents to do?
1. Arrange a quiet place where your child can concentrate when
studying.
2. Talk with them about how they can develop good revision habits.
3. Praise them when they revise and be interested in what they have
learned.
4. If your child has difficulties in revising, let us know.
5. Make certain they get lots of sleep and fun as well as revising.
6. Build that resilience in them so that they know we will help but we
think it will work better if they have a real go first.
Any General Questions?
• Intervention?
• When will exam timetable be out?
• Why do we have only one week for Practice Exams?
• Thank you all for coming
Contact
• [email protected]