Activities, Discussions and Background Material for GCSE
This separate GCSE page was created in response to the GCSE changes of 2015-2016 but does not divide material by awarding body specification. There are just too many overlaps and too little time to make that feasible. We have simply divided the existing material into the groupings in the boxes below, based largely on chronological period or thematic topic.
Not all the activities in this section were devised for GCSE but please don’t reject an activity because it was originally devised for KS3. In their original form they may well provide an introductory level of knowledge for you to build on – students learn best when information is provided in layers so they gain knowledge and confidence gradually. Alternatively you can adapt activities to increase the demands in terms of knowledge and understanding. If it’s a good activity, based on sound teaching and learning principles, it will work at GCSE and at A level too – you just need to increase the demands you make of students.
You can see the full list here …
Raising Attainment
A series of articles by Dale Banham and myself identifying and exploring key strategies for improving students’ attainment.
Discussions and Issues
Discussions – about teaching particular topics, about ways of tackling particular problems, whatever turns up really.
See the resources here …
General Teaching Techniques
A range of teaching ideas and techniques that can be used in a variety of contexts. They don’t fit neatly into the other boxes but that doesn’t mean they’re not useful!
See the resources here …
Resources by Period
Activities, discussions and background material divided by period as follows:
• Norman Conquest
• Middle Ages
• 16th-19th Centuries
• 20th Century
See the resources here …
Resources for Thematic Studies
Activities, discussions and background material for two thematic studies:
• Medicine
• Crime
See the resources here …
Books