History is full of assumptions in that teachers often assume that students have a certain level of knowledge. Topics that are discussed regularly are very rarely explained because it is assumed that students know about them and understand them. One such example is the ‘state’ or ‘country’. ‘A’ level students will have heard the terms many times but will have rarely thought about what such a thing is, what it means and what influence it has. This unit aims to get the students thinking about what a country is and the decisions that go into its creation. The students will discuss and work together to create their own country and then apply what they have talked about to the states and countries that they encounter in their studies.

This is a must have resource pack for A level Students (and some higher GCSE Groups). Regardless of the subjects being studied all students need to learn and develop core educational skills in order to help them maximise their potential. There are ten lessons included in this pack, all fully resourced (stationary aside). This includes plans, PowerPoints, and handouts. The topics covered are: Problem Solving Time and how to manage it Money- how it works as a motivator and how students could view its importance. Code Breaking- we all write and talk in code, learning about codes helps us ask the right questions Deviance- doing something the wrong way can sometimes bring benefits. Graffiti- Thinking creatively Perspective- how we need to alter our perspective to see things differently Fight the Power- Why do we organise and make notes in just one way? Think about doing it differently Design a school- thinking about how we learn can make us better learners A letter to yourself- how you would explain your own strengths and weaknesses. The titles may be cryptic but that is because they best describe the activity and they get the students thinking.

This is a brilliant resource pack full of creative ways for getting your students to revise independently, differently and most importantly, successfully. Ten lessons are included and that means PowerPoints and handouts as well. Trial and error has gone into creating lots of resources that really get the students thinking about their revision. No two students are the same so adopting just one method of revision is limiting. Vary the methods and increase the outcomes. Topics included: Image is everything- revising using images Reverse the process- based on reverse engineering to see how a good answer is made Elementary- using Sherlock Holmes to help thinking Help Lights camera action Maps- a look at how mapping can help revision News Report- how putting a news report help focus revision Postcards- writing revision postcards Revision Game Thinking- different ways of thinking The title are varied because so are the methods, however, they are creative approaches to getting the most out of your students.

This activity is based around the thinking skills that that the Worlds Greatest Detective employs. The aim is to encourage the students to think differently and better in order for them to recall information. The activity can also be used as a thinking skills exercise at the start of a topic.

Values are never static; they are changing all the time and are different from person to person. The values, freedoms, laws and customs that shape us today are not universal and yet they influence our views of other people, both today and in the past. The students would have a better understanding of a period if they understood the values of the people at that time. Alternatively they may be able to think of criticisms with the behaviour of people in the past if they apply today’s values. This Lesson aims to get the students to think about our values today as well as those in their period of study. The students should then be able to place the actions of the past in context. This is especially important when the students are expected to evaluate the period of study.

To behave deviantly is to behave differently from the norm. It is not just about breaking the rules or behaving criminally. This task is about deviance in terms of norms and expectations; Behaving and thinking differently. The students have been conditioned to behave in a certain way for most of their school life. Students are often encouraged to conform and behave passively but within higher education and business this often hinders success. Ofsted claim that an outstanding lesson should be one in which students ‘learn intuitively, encouraging each other to explore, inquire, seek clarity, take risks and think critically and imaginatively’. Having an element of deviance in your students encourages all of these skills. Activity Aims: 1. To get the students to think differently and see the merit of deviant behaviour when solving problems 2. For the students to challenge their own preconceived ideas and processes

Ofsted describes an inadequate lesson as one where the students are over dependent on the teacher and produce only passive responses. The same lesson often has a one size fits all approach that limits the students’ own responses and ability to produce their own work. All of these points would produce a truly terrible lesson within the sixth form where there is expected to be even more independence. The students need to be encouraged to think for themselves and solve their own problems. This does not only mean making sure they bring a spare pen to the lesson but also how to go about completing their own work, how it is to be presented and finding the correct answer or solution. Activity Aims: 1. To demonstrate to the students the different ways of looking at problems 2. For the students to look at the process of coming to a solution

It is perhaps the simplest thing to do. Think. However, when the examiner tells the students to begin their exams it can often be a rather more challenging proposal. This Lesson contains a variety of activities designed to get the students thinking. On their own they do not take too much time but can be easily adapted to some of the other Recipes to develop the revision. This activity can also be used as a thinking skills activity at the start of the year.

This resource encourages the students to look at what they know well and what they need a little more guidance on. There are then five different types of essay plans that can be used either through the course or as part of the revision process. The essay plans are set out differently and can be easily adapted to different topics.