Ah, the 9. That tricksy grade. When I sat my GCSEs, the new grading system had just been rolled out; I remember the mystery that surrounded talk of the elusive top level. Even now, the legend surrounding level 9 persists.…
Questioning can allow teachers to assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding, and thereby diagnose and address any misconceptions. It can ensure that all pupils are cognitively active, help them to cement their learning, and be used to extend their understanding. Despite…
There’s a near certainty that everyone has seen (and possibly used) the dreaded ‘formula triangle’ approach to solving calculation problems in physics. A ‘dreaded’ formula triangle ‘Wait – why “dreaded”?’, you ask. Let me explain: I think the use of…
The majority of students studying A-Level Physics in the UK also study at least one maths A-Level. The advantages of doing so benefit both subjects and include content overlap (particularly in mechanics) and increased dexterity in terms of equation manipulation…
When I was an NQT, I remember delivering support sessions to those students struggling in my exam classes. It got to the stage where we had eight sessions left. Perfect, I thought. Eight topics to revise. Eight sessions. Works a…
Everyone knows a handful of people who breezed through school, putting in little effort and leaving with a string of As or A*s. However, these students are few and far between. While genes do, to some extent, determine grades, a…
Hopefully the days of giving a class homework that simply states ‘Revise for your test’ are long gone. Students need explicit instruction in study skills just as much as they need it for their subject knowledge and it is something…