Undergraduate QTS Third Year students spent an amazing day at Lowton CE High School to find out about teaching the new GCSE RE specifications.  We bgan by looking at the AQA – two papers Religions and themes.

Tried to choose what religions and themes

Then attempted a curriculum map: what is best to do Religions first and then themes?

Then looked at setting and answering examinations. thinking carefully about the precise wording of questions, and how teaching needs to reflect these assessment objectives from the start.

‘Show my homework’ quizzes are used at Lowton to help revision.

 

Spent a lesson with year 10, looking at how to structure an evaluation answer on Animal Rights.

The pupils played a game with pieces of Card with 4 statements and two questions, to ensure everyone was talking about the knowledge gained in previous lessons. Following that pupils collaborated to write a 12 mark question on large whiteboards with each pupil using different pens. Groups then swapped boards to consolidate their answers, key words being highlighted.

 

Then year 9 joined us for a lesson on whether it is right to use animals for food.

Tasks, peer working, questioning, targeted, what do you think. One from this table. “Emotional response” praise, further explanation of pupil answers…

Link from pupil generated answers to ‘exam spec’ answers….Opinion question… visual stimulus … red green cards. Discuss….Memory Aid….. SIRS

 

 

 

Opinion questions with red green cards…. no discussion PACE!

Named pupil. Pick one and explain it….

From pupil generated to answers from spec… 4.

“If we say it we remember it!”

Ted talk…4 minutes…. talk about what you heard…. are you persuaded?

Targeted feedback….

Recap on 4 reasons..

“You are going to have to talk about it-so write something that makes sense”

-key points on revision cards., drawn from an information sheet explaining three of the reasons… individual work.. tightly timed…

Movement… paired discussion … peer assessment… one explain, one listen for what is missed.

After a fabulous lunch, we returned to look at pupil exercise books discovering what is good and what challenges they present for teachers.

We considered what should go in pupil books and how it should be assessed.

Finally we bought about revision. Lowton stresses that after school revision sessions should be short and active. We tried a revision technique called lost luggage and another technique whee pupils would collaborate to make revision notes.