West Suffolk Consortium Functional English & Maths
Julia Smith Bob Read
Objectives
clarify the content & structure of the course highlight current issues in Functional Skills delivery identify some key messages and teaching approaches to be explored in specialist sessions introduce the purpose, format and features of our course blog
The Great Big Functional Skills Quizprizes!
True or False Stand up, Sit down or True/False Entry Level FS are assessed internally They must be taken in one sitting You are allowed to explain the vocabulary in the test Functional skill exam questions are not in the GCSE All assessment records should be kept for a minimum of 5 years Spelling is checked within maths
The Big Quiz contd
How many students at school are passing How does this compare to colleges? Work based learning? Prison! What makes the difference?
What are the key issues?
On a post-it write down what you think the biggest issues are A) in learners being successful B) in learners not being successful
Did you mention these?
Where the exams came from Students dont know how to think What resources are available Skills transfer An understanding of the qualification
Chief Examiners Reports
Learners fail when they are not entered at a level for which they are ready They need specific exam preparation time If a learner has chosen the wrong data but correctly performed calculations they will not achieve because the overall results must be reasonable.
Learners cannot be given achievement if they have made a major error even if the calculations are correct. If the candidate has omitted any significant part of the task, even with 8/10, they have not achieved (p6 assessment pack for maths)
The Key Teaching Issues Maths
Learners often dont know where to start Identifying which information they need red herrings! Learners struggle to make decisions making a choice and playing a role Literacy difficulties both reading and writing Presentation of work, data, numbers Checking & evidencing checking reverse calculations, estimating and magnitude Explaining what they have done and why Copying errors Using a calculator mindless number crunchers! Specific detail units, labels, headings
The Key Teaching Issues English
Writing, writing writingcolloquial, grammar, capitals, sentence construction, tense agreements They dont write enough and what is there is littered with errors even insufficient evidence Speaking and listening is not a reading assessment best practice: ensure that any supporting notes/ppt have suggestions for improvement Reading for a purpose many difficulties in this Using a dictionary
Accessibility
Learners with difficulties/differences should always be accommodated for They are entitled to a scribe, reader, large font They are put in for exams en masse, when they are not ready perhaps
Ofsted Good Practice
DV8 Training
The problem solving process
Heres a problem Peters cube Your challenge is to make a 3d cube with a letter on the outside of each face just by folding the paper
Active Learning in Functional Skills Teaching
Two Active Learning tasks
what kind of skills would pupils be using in completing these tasks? how are the tasks and the skills relevant to the demands of Functional English and Maths programmes?
Active Learning in Functional Skills Teaching
practical, decision making tasks collaborative working confidence in coping with the challenges of problem solving teacher: asking rather than telling pupils: reasoning rather than answer guessing
Active Learning
pupils: active cognitively, not just in behaviour! transferable skills - how could we use this skill in other contexts? need to balance active learning with graded skills development
Course Blog
Question Time
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Objectives
clarify the content & structure of the course highlight current issues in Functional Skills delivery identify some key messages and teaching approaches to be explored in specialist sessions introduce the purpose, format and features of our course blog
Review
On 3 post-its write down
1 thing you have learned from today 1 thing that has surprised you 1 thing you still want to know
