SOL - first 16 lessons

Normally timely practice does pre assessment before teaching - which takes 4 lessons - there is no time for this before the early entry exam. 

So some topics will be pre assessed by the teacher, via the pre assess assignments - found in the table below.

Learners who attend and complete a pre assess assignment every lesson will be taught most optimally, as the teacher will be able to see the learners firm learning foundations in the progress on topic.

Meanwhile the teacher will add this SOL to the timely practice app, so

• the teacher can plan who learns which small bite from each topic from the appropriate progress on topic from lesson 6 onwards,
• faster working learners can revise topics which there won't be time to teach them, in tandem with the pre assess process (they will find out what they have partially forgotten, and can revise independently),
• those learners who wish to do early entry exam, but where the teacher is unsure if this will be the in the learners best interest, can demonstrate their hard work and readiness via the data within each progress on topic.

Scheme of learning 

Each lesson starts with the learners doing a pre assess assignment (see the 4th column).

The teacher will teach small groups only one layer per topic and use the pre assess information from either the assessmentSS or form the progress on topic within the app to decide which learners should learn which layer.

Sometimes there is an additional activity e.g. review homework or the pep talks in lessons 1, 3 and 4.

In L5, 11, 12 and 13 some learners learn 2 topics.

Not all learners will keep up with the pace of work - these will be learners who won't take early entry - so the teachers task is to keep them coming to lessons, which will mean that the learners must not be made to feel overloaded. To do this

• allow learners to complete their homework in class (if they haven't done it for homework)
• reduce their Pace for Practice within the timely practice app to e.g. 70%

Learners should begin to feel more successful, once they are only taught and expected to practice skills on firm learning foundations, so the reduction of number of questions in their assignment (and being "nice" about the homework) gives the best chance of keeping them on board, while the scheme of learning favours the early entry candidates. Once the November exams are finished,

• the scheme of learning can be targeted to suit the class, 
• the pace of learning can be targeted to suit the learners (so e.g. some learners will learn 2 topics per lesson and others only one).

Homework need not be set after the 16 weeks, although obviously by not doing homework learners reduce their chance of increasing their grade.

One strategy is to ask learners "would you like me to create you a homework assignment for next lesson?" Sometimes, when the learner feels they have made a choice (rather than grumbling that "I never wanted to do GCSE retake maths anyway") they may be more likely to do outside of lesson work. (Let's not call it homework, allow the learner to call it e.g. waiting for my sister where there is no mobile reception work etc). If the teacher can keep each learner attending and working in lessons, rather than skipping lessons because the learner hasn't done their homework, more learning will take place and there will be a less stressful working atmosphere for all learners within the class. 

Another strategy is to email or drop box etc homework to concerned parents, siblings, or even a best mate who is willing.

For most learners in the class, this will be their last year of studying maths. Wouldn't it be great if the learners in the class were able to report

"I'm not actually as bad at maths as I thought I was, once I'm learning of firm foundations, I can be quite proud of my achievements"

rather than becoming e.g. parents who have maths anxiety and pass it on to their children?