CPD Reflections: Being An Examiner

By Donna Boam, Sophia Evans, Sid Garg, Mira Jugoo, David Madden, Dipesh Patel & Divisha Patel

1. What is involved? Donna: As an examiner, you get given a number of questions to mark from a particular exam. I mark for Edexcel GCSE English Language Paper 2 and also the IB English Language and Literature orals. Before commencing marking, you attend some remote training and then have to complete qualification, which is when a more experienced examiner checks over your marks. You then commence marking, and some of your scripts are "seeds" and others are checked by a more experienced examiner, meaning that your marking is often being double marked to ensure you are accurate. You are given direct feedback about where you need to adjust your marks. It is a hefty additional workload that can be quite daunting, and you do have to be very organised. The exam boards set incremental marking targets so that you don't leave it all to the last minute, which I would advise anyone to stick to. Also, remember that the marking takes place during the glorious summer months; this past weekend when I wanted to be out enjoying the sunshine I was inside my flat marking! 2. What have you learned from being an examiner? Dipesh: It has radically changed my thinking in terms of how to apply mark schemes as well as how they are constructed. Generally speaking, it has improved my knowledge across the board (mathematical, written, practical questions) but a few main ideas that stand out are the level of detail required to 'show understanding' and 'how to answer the question'. It has shown me how students who clearly have a detailed understanding of a concept, still lose marks due to their own idea of how to respond. The success is in the detail. Sophia: How important presentation of work is. Some students have worked out that it is all over the page and is quite tricky to read. Sitting in the examiner’s chair has made me understand what it is like to read and mark their work (and when this can be tricky). Additionally, the importance of language when answering questions. The mark scheme underlines keywords that need to be in specific answers (such as “angles subtended by the same arc are equal). Many students miss out on marks because they have written their answers without these words, despite us understanding what they’re trying to say. Divisha: I've learnt that it is a disservice to heavily emphasize the use of writing frames and sentence starters with students, because whilst those answers score well, it's not enough to get a 9, so if your teaching is too focused on this approach, it limits the higher ability students. In Geography, I've also learnt that students often miss map/graph skills because they get used to looking for longer answers. Similarly to this, students get hung up on the number of lines provided by the exam board so deliberately limit their answers but should be encouraged to use extra paper if needed. David: The biggest takeaway I’ve learned is that pupils are generally not good at providing answers where they need to write an explanation or describe what has happened. For example, a question required pupils to draw a box plot for a set of data (online sales) and then compare the data results with a box plot included in the question (in shop sales). Many pupils had difficulty in explaining a comparison, especially in terms of the context of the question. I would also concur with Sophia’s comments - it was often difficult to follow a pupil's train of thought as working out was often completed in random spaces on the question sheet. Nana: I have understood how students use methods with limited understanding of the process. E.g. finding the median of a grouped data. A lot of students attempted methods but were unable to complete it adequately showing significant gaps in understanding. 2. How have you/do you intend to use your learning within your lessons/teaching in the future? Sophia: Stressing the importance of laying out work for younger year groups. I think it’s easy for students to slip into bad habits when writing out they are working (being all over the place and hard to read). I also think focusing on literacy (which I know is a school-wide focus) by being strict when marking these types of questions and getting students to use this language orally in class more. Divisha: Since I've become an exam marker, I understand how to cut the 'fluff' from answers so that students' answers become more concise, so when they produce work, I cross out their work (with a pencil!) which is not relevant. In the future, I want to start incorporating this approach into peer assessment, so that students learn by doing. Nana: As a teacher, I will be making a mark scheme template for my students to use for peer marking so that they have an overview of how GCSE marking is done. This is to highlight the importance of completing a process in order to receive the necessary marks. In addition, I hope to build students' understanding of mathematics by hammering and iterating the reasons and importance of certain methods and using AFL to secure such understanding where students are able to complete a method and explain the logic behind it.

Dipesh: I will disseminate what I have learned to my department. Our shared improved knowledge will then be systematically applied to the lessons we teach. This will especially affect the way we question students during practicals, in terms of how to improve practicals as well as in terms of accuracy and precision.

3. What are your top tips for staff trying to apply exam board mark schemes in their own classes? Dipesh: When teaching, highlight the way the mark scheme works to help students to identify what is essential for a concept (e.g. {these brackets mean either /or must be said} - so that they then would highlight that section in their notes. Divisha: For levelled/banded questions, consider what the triggers are for each level/band. For example, do they need to use a case study to move into the next band? Do they need to compare/contrast? Incorporating these skills into lessons will develop the students' critical thinking skills, whilst also developing their flair for writing. Sophia: Be strict and vigilant with the mark scheme. Process marks don’t let you carry over numbers if they are worked out from using the wrong process. It is easy for us to mark papers more generously because we know what the students are trying to say, even if it’s not exactly correct. Examiners in maths don’t seem to care much about rounding (but I think this is good to not tell students!). Nana: As previously mentioned by my colleagues above it is important to understand and follow the mark scheme rigorously. This eliminates discrepancies in marking and gives students a better idea of their performance. It is important to clarify the mark scheme and make time for making so that marking is being done accurately and consistently. It is easy to be empathetic during marking in order to boost students’ confidence but this does not prepare students for the GCSE expectations. CASE STUDY: Mira Jugoo My summer 2022 exam series started last Christmas when I received an email from Pearson asking if I’d like to be an examiner again this year. Being offered contracts so far in advance (including all the key dates) makes it easier to plan ahead and balance school work with exam marking and personal commitments. A few weeks before the exam I was contacted by the BTEC Business Level 3 Team with details of the marking software (Epen), information about online training resources that are available for examiners and a project plan for that particular exam paper. Epen Software used by Pearson for onscreen marking All of the dates were laid out clearly so, again, I knew exactly when the important deadlines were. Approximately a week prior to the exam, I was contacted by my Team Leader who checked in on a more personal and supportive level to ensure that I was prepared and had everything I needed for the standardisation training day. Standardisation ran very smoothly and the Principal Examiner was very clear and on hand to solve any issues; the use of live text chat meant that it was easy to ask Team Leaders a question, and it was nice to hear a variety of voices when going through the different questions. What I particularly like is the time taken to discuss reasons why a mark is awarded and to what extent an Assessment Objective has been met. It also allowed me to work out if I was being too harsh or too generous. It was made clear that we are looking to find what we can reward and to adopt an approach of positive marking. Once the marking was underway, my Team Leader was my main source of support, offering encouragement, guidance on queries and useful reminders of marking progress. So much importance is placed on the quality of marking and all examiners need to submit a first sample of marking to be checked by their Team Leader before they are allowed to begin marking live scripts. Marking live scripts on Epen From then on, the main marking began and I was regularly monitored on the accuracy of my marking which is quality assured every few days. The performance peek feature was particularly helpful in being aware of how accurate my marking was.

Performance Peek Dashboard on Epen Even the little details like the visual graphic of the marking progress line was so helpful in monitoring my progress – there was a real sense of achievement in seeing the blue line pass each of the marking milestones. Being an examiner whilst teaching leads me to reflect as to how much it’s done for my own professional development which I can eventually share with my colleagues in the Enterprise department. Additionally, it is the most effective CPD I have been able to benefit from to improve my teaching practice.

Tracking progress and marking milestones on Epen I have a more in-depth knowledge of the assessments and I get to see how different students across the country have been taught to tackle exam questions. Altogether this experience has enhanced my teaching and developed my skills whilst also opening my career path to more senior opportunities in assessment design and delivery. This has been my tenth year as an examiner and it is always a pleasure working with such a well-organised and efficient team at Pearson. After working so hard during an intense period, I’m now looking forward to a well-earned summer break in Mauritius and using my hard-earned marking bonus which can be between £500 - £1000 depending on the type and volume of paper which is being marked.

The Importance (And Joy) Of Subject Knowledge Enhancement

By Lauren Swain

This year as a history team, we have made a conscious effort to enhance our subject knowledge by going on termly excursions as a team. This has been something that has not only benefited our teaching and learning but also our team culture as a history department. We have been on various visits including the Science Museum, which resulted in a fantastic year 10 trip for their medicine through time course, the Old Operating Theatre that was part of the original St Thomas’ hospital, and The Globe to watch a Shakespeare play (although this was not the only play we saw - we also went to an incredibly inaccurate but extremely enjoyable show about Henry VIII’s wives called Six.) This has been something to look forward to each term and I could not recommend it highly enough.

Often, as teachers, we have so much on that we don’t always make time to continue to have a love for our subjects. We use textbooks and online resources but we forget the importance of the wonderful opportunities London has to offer! With the summer holidays coming up and the weather so lovely, why not try and book a few subject-focussed plans and maybe even go as a team? It has not only helped with our student engagement, modelling to them our passion for the subject, but it also highlights the importance of objects, buildings, museums, the arts, and other extracurricular activities. Learning outside of the classroom promotes not only a love of learning but a deeper understanding of the subject. Plus it’s super fun for us to be able to have the love of learning and a deeper understanding of our subject as a passion not only as a job. If you have any questions or want to hear more about what we have been up to, come speak to me, Charlotte, Jaya or Will!

Bitesize Research: Summer Holidays & Teacher Reflection

By Jaya Carrier

We’ve made it to the final week - huge congratulations to everyone, you’ve done brilliantly! In this final bitesize of the academic year, I was interested in this article about using the final days before the summer holiday for reflection on teacher practice. Objectives:

To consider how the summer holidays can be used as part of ongoing teacher reflections Summary:

• The author argues that taking a moment to reflect and pause ahead of the summer holiday is really vital in ongoing teacher reflective practices.
• She recommends the following steps to do this:

1. Review materials and resources - the author recommends using coaching-style questions to consider what worked well and what you might want to change for next year.
2. Write down reflections and notes somewhere you’ll remember - the author recommends that actually writing down your reflections makes them more powerful.
3. Share your reflections with a colleague - the author recommends sharing your reflections to ensure that collective efficacy and solidarity can be built strongly.
4. Celebrate yourself - you’ve made it to the end of the year, and you should feel extremely proud!

How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflections arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• How can I build in some opportunities for reflection over the last few days of term?
• Who might be helpful to share your reflections with?
• How will you celebrate yourself?

If you would like to discuss this further with me please get in touch! I’d be delighted to hear from you!

Bitesize Research: 'Hinterland Knowledge' & Curriculum Planning

 By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone has had a good week so far! This week, I was interested in this TES summary about the concept of ‘hinterland knowledge’ which was coined by History education specialist Counsell in 2018. Objectives: To understand the concept of ‘hinterland knowledge’ and how it informs teacher thinking and curriculum planning. Summary:

• Counsell states that ‘core’ and ‘hinterland’ knowledge are different insofar as the former is the fact-based knowledge you want students to remember over the long term (normally, what is listed on the specification at KS4 and KS5 is an example of core knowledge), and the latter is the important stories, anecdotes and illustrations that give meaning, richness and context to the core knowledge.
• Counsell argues that a consideration of this distinction between core and hinterland enables teachers to exercise judgement over the kinds of activities they choose in sequencing a curriculum
• The article gives an example from RS curriculum planning, explaining that consideration of the ‘hinterland knowledge’ gives depth and richness to the curriculum, but also enables it to stay focussed on retrieving core knowledge.
  

How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflections arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• What is my awareness of ‘hinterland knowledge’? How am I already using this?
• Am I aware of the other kinds of disciplinary knowledge in my subject? Some commonly used delineations of knowledge include substantive, conceptual, generative, declarative and procedural. What do I want to find about these?
  

If you would like to discuss this further with me please get in touch! I’d be delighted to hear from you!

Thoughts From A Trainee: My First Year At WA

 By Sally Ingram

This time last year was my final week of being a management consultant. I remember hosting a leaving party where my colleagues were describing my new job as ‘brave’ and a ‘big change’. I was so excited to leave the corporate world and start teaching that I hadn’t taken the time to process how much of a change school life was going to be. All I had heard from others was that teaching is a real rollercoaster but again I naively didn’t think too much into that as I was too excited to get started. I had no idea what to expect when I stood in front of my first class in September. All I knew is that I had a lot to learn. One thing I learned very quickly is that I should never tell a class that they are behaving like animals as all that will happen is they will all take on a different animal and proceed to make animal noises instead of speaking for the duration of the lesson. Another lesson was the importance of giving clear instructions when working with mini-whiteboards because if not I needed to be ready for all sorts of images and diagrams. It is definitely true that teaching is a rollercoaster full of ups and downs but I don’t think I was prepared for the extent of these ups and downs and how they are never steady. There have been times when I was riding from the success of a behaviour management strategy I had implemented to then have something out of my control come along and change the dynamics completely. At first I found these sudden changes would catch me by surprise and I was lacking confidence in my ability to adapt to them- I think it is hard to separate the idea that a bad lesson is not solely down to my teaching and that sometimes there are things that are out of my control. Reflecting afterwards helped me determine what was and was not within my power to influence and think of the best ways to respond. I have found myself caring more about each lesson and each pupil. I am still learning when I need to detach and put things in perspective, to avoid taking something too personally or feeling overwhelmed. I used to think I was quite resilient but now looking back I realise how wrong I was- you have to be a whole other level of resilience in teaching. I have noticed that teachers also have this incredible ability to go from a really tough hour of teaching where you can feel quite drained, to quickly resetting your energy levels and welcoming in a brand new class ready to go for another lesson. I also don’t think anything can prepare you for the brutally honest comments that kids share with you; there is nothing more cutting than 14-year-old asking if you are ill today because you look it! Despite these honest comments from the pupils, this is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Without sounding too cringey, it is so nice to have a job where each day you feel and can often see the purpose and value that you are adding. My old job had a very different purpose to help clients achieve their project goals but there is something so much more satisfying about helping children, even if it is teaching them they look smarter when they tuck their shirt in. The biggest reflection I have of my first year at WA is how grateful I am to have been placed here! I have really appreciated the support of the wider WA community, whether that is sharing specific pupil behaviour strategies, helping me to use the printer, or even PGCE assignment advice, it has all been really appreciated so thank you. A huge thank you to the science team for welcoming me in and being so patient helping me with my many questions and for making sure my practical skills are up to scratch. I have been lucky enough to co-tutor two brilliant but very different tutor groups this year, 11X5 and 11Z1, alongside Alice and Jenny. Thank you both for teaching me about all the different aspects that come with being a tutor. My final thank you has to go to my amazing mentor Dipesh. Thank you for all the advice, support and constant encouragement you have given me; I really couldn’t have gotten through week 1 let alone this year without it. Bring on next year!

Bitesize Research: Designing Assessments

 By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone has had a good week so far! We’ve been doing lots of thinking about assessment practices this term, and therefore I was interested to see the following article on Edutopia which looks at evidence-based practices in designing assessments. Objectives:

To understand how evidence-based practices for assessment can be applied to the designing of assessments. Summary:

The author of the article recommends the following practices for designing and implementing assessments:

1) Support students in getting good test preparation habits - in particular, students often overestimate their preparedness for a test, so the author recommends that teachers ask students to show a detailed revision plan, including the kinds of activities they are going to undertake.

2) Consider the level of difficulty in an assessment carefully - in particular, overly difficult tests have been shown to have decreased motivation, as well as being a more likely cause for students to remember wrong answers. The author recommends that students who study moderately should be getting 70-80% in the assessment.

3) Consider the question order - in particular, put easier questions first. Recent studies have shown that students are more likely to do worse on tests if the difficult questions are at the start.

4) Be aware of implicit bias - in particular, consider the question phrasing and construction. Girls have been shown, for example, to answer consistently better on open-ended questions. The author recommends combining different question types - multiple-choice, short answer, essays - with creative, open-ended assessments.

5) Break up assessments - in particular, space them out across a sequence of work.

6) Get students to write their own tests - some research shows that students who did this regularly got on average 14% better marks.

7) After assessment work - the author recommends not seeing tests as an endpoint, but as an ongoing journey, and a valuable opportunity to address misconceptions or gaps in knowledge. One strategy promoted is ‘exam wrappers’ which are short metacognitive writing tasks that get students to review their performance on the test. How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflections arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• How am I designing and implementing assessments currently?
• What of these practices am I already using?
• What assessment practices would you like to improve upon further?
  

If you would like to discuss this further with me please get in touch! I’d be delighted to hear from you!