Welcome
On June 12th 2021 I organised a free A Level webinar. Originally aimed at AQA Lit B, it became an incredible morning of sharing practical A Level teaching strategies. 9 wonderful speakers gave up their time and kindly agreed for their sessions to be recorded. Please see all sessions below.
All of the sessions, and some of the Powerpoints/ linked blogs are offered below. You can also use the table below to skip to a session of your choice. I’m sure each speaker would be excited to hear you have watched their session after the event, so I have included their Twitter handles so you can ask questions/share your thoughts!
| Anna Reynard | Personal and creative responses |
| Richard McDonald | Making links between and within texts |
| Lisa Farrell | Using Hegel’s Dialectic |
| Mary Hind-Portley | Introducing and using critical theory |
| Dr Amy Smith | Scaffolding A Level Discussion |
| Craig Batty | Encouraging Wider Reading |
| Brittany Wright | NEA Adviser Tips |
| Donal Hale | The ‘To what extent do you agree’ question |
| Kathryn Parsons | Approaching the extract question |
Session 1: Anna Reynard
Anna takes us through the marking of AQA Lit B, signposting what students are awarded for. She then talks through various responses and why they are successful. Follow Anna on Twitter at @ReynardannaAnna
Anna has kindly shared her PowerPoint and it can be downloaded here:
Session 2: Richard McDonald
Richard explores the importance of links (rather than comparisons) and then takes us through practical strategies to apply in the classroom. Follow Richard on Twitter at @RJMcdonald24
Session 3: Lisa Farrell
Lisa explains how she uses Hegel’s Dialectic to encourage students to plan and respond to A Level texts. She shares examples of how this has developed students’ thinking of texts. Follow Lisa on Twitter at @Lisafarrell3
Lisa has also kindly shared here PowerPoint, which can be downloaded here:
Session 4: Mary Hind-Portley
Mary takes us through the argument for embedding critical theory at KS3, then ways to deliver critical theory at KS4 and KS5. Follow Mary on Twitter at @Lit_liverbird
Mary has kindly shared her PPT and it is available to download here.
Session 5: Dr Amy Smith
Amy explains how to create the right conditions for discussion at A Level, then a range of practical tips for developing and recording discussions. Follow Amy on Twitter at @Amy_Smith117
Amy has shared a blog about this topic, and also her PPT which is available here:
Session 6: Craig Batty
Craig shares ways he encourages wider reading, from independent reading tasks to bringing reading into the A Level classroom. Follow Craig on Twitter at @Craig_Batty
Craig has also kindly shared his PPT, which you can download here:
Session 7: Brittany Wright
Brittany, a former NEA adviser, shares a range of tips for building an NEA portfolio, suggested reads, and guidance about NEA titles. Follow Brittany on Twitter at @wright_read
Session 8: Donal Hale
Donal explains the concept of hinge words in questions, and argues a case for them becoming the focus of students’ responses to statement questions. Follow Donal on Twitter at @HaleDonal
Donal has kindly shared a blog about this session and his PPT, which is available here:
Session 9: Kathryn Parsons
Kathryn explains how to structure student responses to the extract questions, as well as how to guide students on analysing the extract. Follow Kathryn on Twitter at @parsons391
Laura Webb CPD 