STEM / More Able Gifted & Talented

Monday 10th September 2018

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics

The British Science Association run the CREST Awards to demonstrate achievement in STEM activities.

The CREST Gold Award is held in very high esteem amongst the best Universities worldwide.

The most able pupils at the John Fisher School will be encouraged and given every help possible to gain the prestigious CREST Gold Award.

Guidance for achieving the CREST Gold Award can in the first instance be obtained from the members of staff in the following areas:

Biology - Ms Mozammel

Chemistry - Mr W Fell

Physics - Dr Ekanayake

Engineering – Mr Harwood

Mathematics – Mr Gamage

Technology - Mr Rebello

The Mathematics Department are planning to offer opportunities to the more able students in the following activities / competitions:

1. UKMT Senior Maths Challenge

2. Senior Kangaroo (sat by invitation only)

3. British Mathematical Olympiad (sat by invitation only)

4. SATRO Surrey AS Maths Challenge

5. Y12 Maths Mentor Program

6. CREST Gold Award. (STEM)

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

Students who have been identified as more able / gifted and talented will be invited to involved in an extra qualification.

Year 12 students have the opportunity to take the EPQ.

The course runs alongside their other subjects and allows the students to develop skills in researching, planning and presenting as they explore atopic of their interest.

Potential High Achievers at The John Fisher School

• Potential High Achievers (PHAs): these are students who have been identified as generally very able, across many subjects. Our expectation is that these students should achieve mainly Grade 8s and 9s in their GCSEs and A* grades at A level.

• This cohort is tracked separately and has access to enriched provision in addition to lessons.

How were they identified?

•PHA students were identified on the basis of very high academic performance last year.

•However, unlike the term “gifted” PHA is not a status, or medal.

What are we aiming for?• Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities

• Top level apprenticeships

Higher grades at GCSE can help to make your application

more competitive and successful applicants typically have a

high proportion of A and A* grades (For Year 10 - 8 and 9

grades).Last year the average A level Grade for an

accepted applicant at Oxford and Cambridge was

2.7 A*s at A Level

Planning for Oxbridge

•6+ A*s or 8/9 at GCSE

•Predicted A* and working towards A* at A Level

•An Excellent personal statement

•Contextual Circumstances

•Enthusiasm for Subject: Core Academic Confidence

How do Tutors access applications? Academic Ability and Potential

•Evidence of forethought and research

•Confidence and ability to cope with

demands

•Knowledge of chosen subject

•Enthusiasm for Subject

• Intellectual Interest and Initiative

Personal Statement

• 80% + Academic

• 20% Extra Curricular: Even less for Oxbridge

• Binding theme and interests

• Academic Resilience

Super-Curricular Engagement• Super Curricular activities include anything a student has done that

enhances their subject interest beyond their compulsory studies at school

• Additional directed reading is crucial, applicants should keep a reading journal which is critical . What is the argument in the article? What is the supporting evidence? What does the applicant think about it?

•Super curricular ideas could include:

• Project Work

• University Taster sessions

• Discussion groups

• Work experience

Learning for High Achievers• PHA students typically have a high Working

Memory Capacity: They can access large amounts of content before entering cognitive overload.

• They perform well because they are able to simply remember more things. However, If we are to guarantee the top grades we must develop ‘Long term memory’.

• PHA students may have the potential to lack resilience: They are less used to failing and so must be reminded that in the pursuit of excellence, failure is a necessary and productive step.

Stretch

• They aren’t sure how to revise, so use ineffective strategies as they’re easy and feel productive

• They have always succeeded in class assessments with relatively little effort.

• They get frustrated after working hard, using ineffective strategies, which don’t improve results

• They get overwhelmed as they don’t know how to start and leave things to the last minute

• They ‘cram’ which overloads their working memory and tires them out

• Starting late doesn’t leave enough time to practice getting knowledge out of their brains and using it in practice questions

Common Problems

Solutions:

1. High Expectations

2. Planning effectively

3. Knowing what Techniques work

4. Regular Quizzes

5. Elaborating answers

High Expectations

1. Expect the best –Reward grudgingly – avoid plastic praise.

2. If possible break the link between learning and extrinsic reward, even if that is the reason. The Best students are intrinsically motivated. They get good grades because they love learning.

3. It WILL be hard, but only hard things are worth doing.

4. Reducing cognitive load: No distractions, No Music or TV: No excuses

Planning Effectively• We need to focus on deliberate practice as work not as

performance.

• We concentrate on a specific element to improve and repeatedly practice that element under guidance. (So rather than improving your football skills by playing as many matches as possible with your mates, you should be coached to identify your weak areas (for example, a poor left-footed pass) and on how to improve that (the creation of repeated drills to improve that left foot).

• We should adopt a plan of targeted interleaving.

Exam Timetable for Revision

What techniques work?

Effective Techniques Less Effective Techniques

Switching between different topics Writing Summaries of what you have

just learned

Low Stakes consistent quizzes Highlighting or underlining previous

notes

Targeted Practice Simply re-reading previous notes

Elaborating Answers: Asking why? Focusing on one subject per evening

Dual Coding: Combining words and

Images

Cramming

Creating Stories

Metacognition: Processing the steps

for completing a Grade 8/9 Answer:

What do you do next

Mind mapping Effectively• Mind maps can be an effective

method of revision: but only if used effectively. If they are simply a different method of laying out notes then they are not being used to their full potential

• Chunk each topic into key themes and sections

• Convert Detailed notes into symbols and Images

• Draw conceptual links between different themes ( How are they connected/similar/ different) and explain why

Elaboration: Making use of PHA Inquisitive Nature

• PHA Students tend to be Inquisitive by nature. Consistently looking for explanation and asking “Why?”

• We can use this technique to develop explanation of facts, often the requirements of higher level answers.

Questions