So if you have bought a teaching resource pack, from us (or one of the other fantastic suppliers) and you want some ideas on how to get the most out of the packs, then this is for you.
1. Use the practice questions in the pack as homework. Some students may find that using the answer will help them to structure their essay writing. This builds confidence and they find out that the content is quite narrow and the analysis needs to be deep. Students can only develop points fully if they have total confidence that they are on the right track. Essay quality will improve and marks will improve.
2. Upload the student versions to a Moodle / VLE / shared drive /Teams. You can then set catch-up activities for students to complete in their own time if they have missed lessons. For example, a student is off ill and misses 1.1.2 and 1.1.3. You are now teaching 1.1.4 so you set the missing units as a catch-up or additional homework. Students can show you a completed worksheet to prove they have done the work. You can then set end-of-topic tests knowing that all students have had eyes on all the content. Obviously, it's no substitute for fully taught lessons, but it gives them a complete bank of notes from which to revise.
3. Use the uploaded resource to set revision activities. Use your uploaded student PowerPoints again and direct students to key units ready for a test. They can use this as revision or you can set a flashcard-making activity where they use the PowerPoints to seek out the key terms which can be added to flash cards.
4. Set micro-teach topics at the start of the term for students to give to the rest of the group at the end of the term. If you upload the student versions in advance of the topics they pick from the spec they can be reading ahead and creating their lesson. Instruct the students that the micro teach should be 10 minutes long and they will need to create a short starter game (like a word search) a worksheet (one side of A4) and a Powerpoint of a maximum of 3 slides. This prevents students from overrunning. You may want to reduce this further in a big class.
5. Upload PowerPoint slides and Worksheets onto Teams areas or send them to specific students. You may find that some students identify a topic that they need extra help with. If you have given the lesson and do not have time to circle back you can assign specific slides, activities or worksheets for students to complete and hand in to you as a way of checking that they are reviewing the topic.
6. Set end-of-topic tests online. Book a computer room and set the end-of-topic tests online by uploading them to Teams, Google Classroom, VLE / Moodle or a shared drive. Students can type their answers and send them back. This means you do not have to decipher their handwriting and you can keep track of who has taken the tests. If you want a more comprehensive online system of tests, quizzes and activities then I also wrote the eRevision system for ZigZag education. This is a subscription service but well worth it. much like 'my maths'. This is available for GCSE Edexcel business and Edexcel A Level Business.
