Helping students be smarter than they think they are

CASE STUDY Paul Durnall Head of History St.Peter’s Catholic School Solihull 14 yrs teaching

THE ISSUE “The main problem I had with my high ability Year 11 History class was that even my A* students had difficulty recalling basic information which is fundamental to higher level understanding and analysis both in the classroom and in examination conditions. I also felt that their revision skills when they were studying independently were not as developed as they could be. They were too used to teachers revising with them in after school sessions rather than managing their own learning.

Treaty of Versailles French and British people wanted to see Germany punished harshly. Wilson wanted to make the world a better place and to create the League of Nations. Lloyd-George wanted to protect British trade and protect the British Empire. Clemenceau wanted security for France from a future German attack.

Clemenceau wanted a harsher treaty, Wilson thought it was too harsh, Lloyd-George received a hero’s welcome but later regretted it and thought it would make Germany want revenge French and British people supported the treaty. Some British people thought it was too harsh. Germans hated the treaty as it took 10% of their land, 12.5% of their population. They hated war guilt, limits on their armed forces, the Polish Corridor, the fact they had no say in negotiating the treaty. Treaty of Versailles

Nobody was satisfied with the terms. Caused long lasting anger in Germany, contributed to Hitler coming to power and to the start of the Second World War. 1 Second Versailles

THE INTRODUCTION OF DAVID “When David came in, the students were obviously a little sceptical initially, however, once they had seen the power and immediacy of the techniques that were being demonstrated then they were fully engaged. The difference in their recall once they had been taught simple, practical techniques was extraordinary. In my role as a Head of Year I have spoken to parents of students who took part in the session and they reported that their youngsters came home full of enthusiasm about what David had done with them. Other students whose brothers and sisters were in the session have mentioned to me about what they have been told about David’s techniques.”

Image Creation Principles Weird Animate Three Dimension Colour Humour Exaggerate Senses

Image Creation Principles Weird Animate Three Dimension Colour Humour Exaggerate Senses Use the acronym WATCHES to remember them

THE USE OF MEMORY TECHNIQUES “The memory techniques have revolved around adapting the Journey Technique to allow students to remember key stages in the Liberal Welfare Reforms and the campaign for Votes for Women. I have used multi-sensory techniques to tie memorable phrases and images to each event, students have responded well to this concept. I have used acronyms to help students remember key concepts and important details about topics.”

Memory in the classroom NUWSS in 1897 is led by Millicent Fawcett Lady with a tap (faucet) on her face (which also doesn’t work - but don’t force it!) – the tap is where her nose should be and four drops of water are leaking out, each with a number in them 1, 8, 9 and 7.

Acronyms for common issues eg, to differentiate between the Suffragists, NUWSS, and the Suffragettes, WSPU NUWSS (moderate) Nice Unassuming Women Suggesting Some Changes Memory in the classroom WSPU (militant) Women Smashing Panes Up

Memory in the classroom BulgariaSofia Australia Canberra Shoulder bladeScapula TibiaShinbone

book = livre

newspaper = zeitung

Mind Mapping

Exercise Count the dots Exercise Count the dots

How many were there?

How many were there this time?

THE USE OF MIND MAPS “I have applied the mind maps in a number of ways. Firstly I used them to introduce and re-cap a topic, using them as a starter and a plenary, in the plenary removing key words and phrases to allow the students to demonstrate what they learnt during the lesson. I have also used them as a method of revision, providing students with mind maps of varying levels of completeness and allowing them to add their own key words and images to personalise their learning experience. Finally I have used them as a tool for planning extended answers which can be applied to examinations.”

ANALYSIS NUMBERS LOGIC SEQUENCE LINES WORDS LISTS SPACE RHYTHM IMAGINATION DAY-DREAMING DIMENSION WHOLENESS COLOUR 14 Brain Skills

Exam question GCSE HISTORY B (MODERN WORLD) PAPER 2 THURSDAY 14 JUNE Study all the sources. ‘The Suffragettes did more harm than good to the campaign for votes for women.’ How far do the sources in this paper support this statement? Use details of the sources and your knowledge to explain your answer. Remember to identify the sources you see. [12]

THE BENEFITS OF USING THE TECHNIQUES “The benefits of using these techniques have been clear to see, students are engaged and are able to recall information more easily than I have seen previously in my 14 years teaching experience. I have enjoyed creating the resources and they are easy to adapt to different topics and age groups. Suddenly when planning any new topic my first instinct is to start drawing a Mind Map! Other staff who are using these methods are equally enthusiastic and can see the real, tangible benefits which they deliver! All of the techniques work; it is just a matter of overcoming your belief system which will try to convince you that because you didn’t learn this way you can’t teach this way!!! I know I feel slightly embarrassed when using an ‘old style’ Power Point with my classes as I now realise this isn’t working with the way their brains learn.”

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