GCSE Maths and English Revision Techniques Presentation 4th October 2018

Walton Le Dale

Maths Department – New 9-1 GCSE

GCSE Math is more demanding 

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A new grading structure with grades 9 to 1, to replace the familiar A*-G grading scale.

The volume of subject content has increased The demand of that content is increasing too, with harder topics being introduced at both Foundation and Higher tiers There are fewer marks at the lower grades and more marks at the higher grades on both tiers.

GCSE Maths is more demanding 

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The total time for the examinations is increasing, from 3 ½ hours to 4 ½ hours.

In the assessments there’s a greater emphasis on problem solving and mathematical reasoning, with more marks now being allocated to these higher-order skills.

Students will be required to memorise formulae – fewer formulae will be provided in examinations.

Lots of new topics to teach!

Most of which would have previously only have been taught at A-level!!!

Changes in GCSE English Language      

Single Tier entry 100% examination No controlled assessment or coursework Study 19th Century Non-Fiction texts Evaluate texts Narrative and transactional writing

English Language Paper 1     

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40% of the GCSE 1 hour 45 minutes Section A- 40 marks 5 Questions Timing is even more important as we now have to answer 5 reading questions in 1 hour rather than 4 previously Question 5 is an evaluation question-higher level of challenge.

Section B-40 marks 24 marks for communication and organisation 16 marks for sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation

English Language Paper 2       

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60% of the GCSE 2 hours Section A-40 marks 6 questions Section B 40 marks 2 writing questions-transactional writing 12 marks for each question for communication and organisation 8 marks for each question for written accuracy and vocabulary

Changes in English Literature  

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Closed book Need to be able to memorise quotations and contextual information about the 100% examination-no controlled assessment or coursework Study of more challenging British literary texts e.g. ‘Great Expectations’ Greater emphasis on quality of written communication.

Texts we are studying in English Literature    

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‘Great Expectations’ Charles Dickens ‘Romeo and Juliet’ William Shakespeare ‘A Taste of Honey’ Shelagh Delaney 15 poems from the Power and Conflict cluster in the AQA poetry anthology.

Unseen poetry.

Paper 1    

1 hour 45 minutes Section A ‘Romeo and Juliet’ 30 marks 4 marks for quality of written communication Section B ‘Great Expectations’ 30 marks

Paper 2    

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2 hours 15 minutes Section A ‘A Taste of Honey’ 30 marks 4 marks for quality of written communication Section B –poetry comparison (Power and Conflict, AQA poetry anthology). 30 marks Section C- response to unseen poetry- 24 marks  -unseen poetry comparison -8 marks

GCSE 9-1 Grading System

+ How would you revise for an exam?

Revision Techniques • Cramming • Read over notes and highlight important information • Make revision cards • Draw a mind map • Mnemonics • Associate information with pictures or stories • Create revision posters

I’m also going to test your memory skills‌keep an eye open for the Disney characters hidden somewhere on each slide

How does memory work?

• When an event happens, when you learn something, or when you meet someone, your brain determines whether that information needs to be saved. If your brain judges the information important, it places it in your memory "files” • There are two different types of memory: short term memory and long term memory. In order to be successful in exams, to really know something, we need to have the information stored in our long term memory.

Short Term Memory • Short term memory only lasts between 15-30 seconds • In computer terms, short-term memory is like the RAM • It holds the information we’re currently working with or using for thinking.

• This can be new information delivered by our senses or old information retrieved from the long-term memory.

Long Term Memory • Long-term memories have a physical presence in the brain • Neurons make new physical connections and synapses with each other when a new long-term memory is formed.

• When we actually want to learn something, it is long-term memories we are interested in.

• To form these, the first step is to encode a piece of information – otherwise it quickly disappears, like breath on a mirror.

• Information is channelled to the hippocampus (the part of the brain region crucial for the formation of new memories).

• The hippocampus links all of the relevant information together and encodes it into a new memory by forming new synapses.

• However, the hippocampus cannot make every memory. The hippocampus will prioritise those that have been rehearsed repeatedly in the short-term memory or those attached to an emotional response or event.

Long Term Memory • Revising and remembering is a crucial part of the learning process.

• There are things you can do to make it easier – some stranger than others.

• Being in the presence of some of the elements from the original memory helps retrieval. For example, if you learned something while in a swimming pool, you’ll remember it better while in a swimming pool at a later date (they’ve actually shown this).

• You can also have too many memories. If you haven’t used the information stored as a memory your brain will “supplant” existing memories with new ones.

• Can you remember which Disney character was on the first slide? https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/16/what-happens-in-your-brain-when-you-make-a-memory

Spaced Learning vs Mass Learning • If we want to make sure we truly know something, we need to do something with the information we want to learn for the exam.

• We need to test ourselves a number of times to make us recall the information and therefore strengthen the synapse (pathway) for that memory.

• Mass Learning or cramming just won’t do this and while we may be able to recall some of what we have crammed, most of the information will be lost.

Spaced Learning vs Mass Learning Massed learning (cramming) Pros

• Good for remembering information over a short period of time.

Cons

• If you need to learn more than one topic you can often get confused or forget important information • It can be very tiring

Spaced Learning (revisiting topics and spacing out learning over a period of time) • It allows you to retrieve information stored in your brain more easily.

• It means you can remember more of the information you will need • It is less tiring • It is time consuming

Practise Perfect • However, it’s not just about spacing your revision out, its also about what you revise.

• When we revise/practise something it is important that we are practising something in the right way.

• If we don’t understand something, or we are doing something wrong, if we keep practising it/repeating the process in the wrong way, we won’t get any better and this will lead to mistakes.

• We will strengthen the pathways for the wrong way of doing it and this will be difficult to undo.

• Practice doesn’t make perfect…practice makes permanent.

The Forgetting Curve • Hermann Ebbinghaus. Hermann Ebbinghaus (January 24, 1850 – February 26, 1909) was a German psychologist who pioneered the experimental study of memory, and is known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect.

• The forgetting curve hypothesizes the decline of memory retention in time. This curve shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it.

Overcoming The Forgetting Curve

The Forgetting Curve

So which of these revision techniques will work?

The answer is none of these techniques will

• Crammingwork on their own. need to find out what works for you, then • Read over You notes and highlight important information test yourself regularly.

• Make revision cards Go back over what you don’t know, or leave it to look • Draw a mind mapat again after you have moved onto another topic.

• Mnemonics But don’t forget to go back and revisit the things you think youpictures do know…otherwise • Associate information with or stories your brain might think you don’t need it anymore.

• Create revision posters

Remember • Practise Perfect…because practice makes permanent.

• Space your revision out, plan out a revision timetable that makes you look at content/skills you thought were hard, introduces new topics whilst remembering to look at the things you thought you found easy/knew.

• To remember smaller or factual information try to use mnemonics or visualisation techniques.

• Read back over your notes regularly • Make revision cards and test yourself regularly, revisit any information you get wrong and revise it.

• Introduce new topics but don’t forget to revisit topics you have already looked at and thought you knew.

• But most of all …START REVISING NOW!

Takeaway Tip: Revision cards • Effortful retrieval cannot be achieved by simply making a revision card.

• You must make your brain DO something to retrieve the informationsimply reading from a card will not help.

• One way to do this is to put a question on the back of the card and test yourself to find the answer.

• You could even turn it into a game of PAIRS. • Put your revision cards into piles. One pile should be those you are confident with and the other those you are unsure of. Spend more time on the most challenging but don’t forget to return to those in your confident pile.

Takeaway Tip: Colours • Colours can also affect neurological pathways in the brain. • Dr. Robert Gerard recognizes this and has pioneered research, which suggests that every colour has a specific wavelength, and each of these affect our body and brain in a different way.

Cool Colours Cool colours, such as blue and green, are less stimulating and more relaxing. Flash cards or study notes provided on paper in these colours have been found to be less effective because of their calming effects.

However, cool colours have been found to stimulate creativity.

Warm Colours Warm colours, such as red and yellow, are more stimulating and therefore, more memorable. Our minds automatically respond to these colours because they are more noticeable, and even help improve the ability to recall facts, if presented in vivid warm colours .

Green is a good colour for keeping long-term concentration and clarity.

Blue is best used for learning situations which are intensely challenging.

Blue paper, blue ink, or blue highlighting can be used to help improve reading comprehension .

Orange stimulates and excites the brain, making the information more memorable.

Dzulkifli, M.A. and Mustafar, M.F. The influence of colour on memory performance: A Review. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743993/ (17.12.2013)

Takeaway Tip: Revision Clocks • Students divide the clock into 5 minute slots.

• They choose a topic to focus on, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for example. They should then spend 5 minutes making notes about a particular aspect or character linked to the topic.

• Students then turn the clock over and recite certain sections of the clock. 'e.g. what was in section 2-3?'.

Takeaway Tip: MNEMONICS, songs and stories • Use Mnemonics to help revise key content or structures e.g. PETACL in English.

• Turn key information into a song…you can remember song lyrics so why not important information.

• Make links between key information and pictures or represent key information as a picture or drawing.

Takeaway Tip: MNEMONICS, songs and stories You may want to remember this list of counties in the South of England: Avon, Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, and Surrey • An AVON lady is walking up a path towards a strange house. She is hot and sweating slightly in the heat of high SUMMER (Somerset). Beside the path, someone has planted giant CORN in a WALL (Cornwall), but it's beginning to WILT (Wiltshire) in the heat. She knocks on the DOoR (Dorset), which is opened by the DEVil (Devon). • In the background, she can see a kitchen in which a servant is smearing honey on a HAM (Hampshire), making it GLOSsy (Gloucestershire) and gleam in bright sunlight streaming in through a window. Panicked by seeing the Devil, the Avon lady screams 'SoRRY' (Surrey), and dashes back down the path.

What will happen next?

• Next you will have the opportunity to work with Maths and English teachers to help you understand exactly what you need to revise.

• You can plan out a revision timetable for English and Maths • You can learn about useful techniques to help you visualise or remember smaller pieces of information • You can find out about useful resources to support your revision

And Finally…

• How many Disney characters did you spot?

• Bonus: who were they?

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Goofy Dumbo Nemo Chip Mickey Mouse Bambi Pooh

8. Olaf 9. Baloo 10. Donald Duck 11. Simba 12. Snow White 13. Ariel 14. Dopey

Thank you for listening

14 Disney characters