Gender and Achievement Does teaching theory creatively improve

Gender and Achievement Does teaching theory creatively improve the results of boys studying a creative subject ? Inquiry Rationale: At AS and A Level Boys do particularly well in Product Design when the work is practical but can seriously underperform in their theory exam. The current A level Product class is entirely male and all achieved U’s in their theory exam. Would teaching theory in a creative way improve the results for this group ? Organising The Inquiry • Begin teaching theory in a creative way then assess from tests each week what information is being retained. • Trial at least 2 creative strategies, check progress formally from mock exam results. • Interview students to try and find out how this method compares to their preparation from last years AS exam. • Ultimately compare A level exam result to As result. STEP 1 Identifying the need: A level Product Design Class of all boys all with U’s in AS theory exam(With previous teacher) Despite getting A- C for coursework (also With previous teacher) STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 STEP 5 Plan to measure impact: Plan Implementation of Strategy: Observation Review • Taking test at end of every topic (about 2 week intervals) from September onward • Results from Mock exam (December) • Results from A level exam (summer) Interview students about methods used in past try to quantify if it is the method that is helpful or are other factors relevant e. g. did they revise last time ? If so what methods did they use ? Creative strategy with theory. Teaching theory lessons using a format that allows students to be creative rather than more conventional academic methods. (Starting September) TBC Review results of Mock and A level Exams. Interview students to See how they feel about methods used. Compare strategies In other subject areas ?