Writing face-to-face training (2-day Introductory)

To make sure you can complete the materials on time, the first thing you should do is to log onto Kiteworks and look at the scripts you have been provided with.

If you think they will not be suitable for the marking activity, please send an email to training.materials@cambridgeinternational as soon as possible so that we can request a new selection.

This booklet provides trainer guidance for each activity. We recommend that you complete this element first. It will mean that you understand the rationale for each activity and the shape of the training before you begin editing the materials for each element.

Although the booklets are common across syllabuses (to ensure consistency), you can add detail to the instructions, or subject specific examples, if you feel this would help trainers. Please agree this in advance with the Training Materials team.

Most of the slides are pre-completed and need little alteration.

Where changes are needed, this is indicated by red text. Please make sure that you don't refer to changes in the syllabus as this is Introductory training and teachers may not have seen/taught previous versions of the syllabus. 

If you make additional changes, the instructions should be added to the trainer booklet as well.

WARNING - Please do not add any copyrighted images/texts to your materials. You will need to complete and sign a copyright form in the final page.

The quiz is designed to ensure that participants have the opportunity to explore the syllabus together.

Please make sure that the questions encourage delegates to look at all parts of the document.

The quiz answers document will be available to trainers only.

This activity is devised to encourage participants to consider the knowledge and skills learners require for a specific element of the syllabus.

This should develop a discussion around learning for a specific element of the syllabus and how this is supported by the existing (underpinning) knowledge and skills learners have.

Select a part of the syllabus and then use the template below to create a card for each of the underpinning elements.

As already identified, learners need particular skills and knowledge to access the syllabus.

This activity is designed to help participants to consider how they can assess learners' current levels of understanding or skills on a particular content to tailor subsequent learning experiences.

Participants will be required to devise their own assessment, but you also need to create one to handout either at the beginning as an example or at the end for them to take home. 

This activity should encourage participants to discuss a range of teaching approaches in a structured way.

The teaching approaches have already been provided but if you feel others might be more suitable for your subject then please add these.

You will need to edit the PowerPoint slides and trainer booklet to provide an example of flipped learning.

This section of the training has been populated with some examples of active learning strategies for participants to consider which might be useful for their classrooms. These include:

• cloze passages
• taboo
• follow me cards
• true/false
• matching cards.

If you feel these are suitable, you will need to populate the templates provided with subject-specific examples. If there are other active learning strategies that might be better, please create your own examples. Please adapt the slides and trainer booklet accordingly.

The marking activity is designed to help participants to develop a better understanding of how learners' skills and knowledge are assessed and how the mark scheme is applied.

Depending on how much the assessment has changed, the marking activity may take a slightly different form:

1. if there is little or no change to the assessment, scripts from previous years will be used in their entirety.
2. If this syllabus has gone through major changes and/or scripts for this syllabus are not yet available (new syllabuses), a marking activity should still be created by:

• choosing parts of scripts from previous series that still apply to the new model
• focussing on the specimen papers and specimen paper answers available on the School Support Hub.
• mocking up a few answers and marking as if they were real candidates, using the new mark schemes
• comparing specimen papers or scripts from different levels of the syllabus (IGCSE and A Level, for example) to identify what is required
• a combination of the above.

Please note that scripts from previous series should not be in the pack, unless they still apply to the new syllabus or a specific activity is set up for them.

The feedback you provide is vital to help participants to understand how the mark scheme has been applied. Be clear on how and why learners have either gained marks or lost marks.

There is not enough time for delegates to read several Principal Examiner Reports (PERTs) to draw out common themes.

What you need to do is read several PERTs from the last few series and summarise key points using the template supplied.

The PERTs can be accessed on the School Support Hub.

This element of the training is to help participants to bring together some of the concepts they have covered in order to develop a short-term plan to address an issue that has been identified during the training.

This could focus on:

• A learning issue that has been identified from the marking activity
• A common misconception that has been highlighted in the PERT activity
• A pre-existing issue participants' commonly ask about at training events.

Currently, this is being addressed by asking participants to plan a lesson together. You need to provide an example of a lesson plan to support this.

If you think another activity based on short-term planning would be more appropriate, please feel free to do this.

Once you have completed all documents in the previous sections, and all red text in the slides, you need to fill in the printing lists and equipment request forms.

There are two versions of the printing lists: a non-digital for regions in which all delegates will receive all materials printed; and a digital where delegates are asked to access and download materials (in Section A of the printing list) before the training event. Both versions need to be filled in.

The equipment request is unlikely to need altering, but please ensure anything additional you may need is added to this.

The copyright form also needs to be signed, even if no copyrighted material has been used.

When you have completed all of the commission, please save all of the documents into one folder and then zip this.

Before you zip the documents:

• Have you completed the trainer booklet with detailed notes so any trainer can easily understand?
• Have you completed all the handouts required for each activity?
• Have you signed the copyright form?
• Have you produced two printing lists?
• Have you written the marking feedback handout?

If you answered yes to all the questions above, you can then upload this zip file in one action to Basecamp.

If you do not zip the contents, every file has to be uploaded and then downloaded individually which takes a large amount of time.