Cambridge Assessment Podcasts

The rise of thinking skills in higher education and the workplace

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Both employers and higher education institutions are placing an increasing importance on thinking skills as part of their selection processes. But what do we mean by thinking skills, why are they so important, and how can individuals improve them? In this podcast we talk to Lars Strannegård, President of the Stockholm School of Economics and James Westley, Group Leader at Cambridge Consultants.

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Are you testing or are you assessing? Exploring a holistic approach to assessment in schools

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 09:00:00 GMT

This is the final instalment in a series of podcasts from Cambridge Assessment Network focusing on different aspects and forms of assessment. In this episode, Tony Emmerson, Senior Deputy Head at The English College in Prague and Mark Frazer, Teaching Learning and Assessment Lead at CEM explore the differences between testing and assessment and how assessment data can be utilised in schools to support learning, particularly after the disruption of the pandemic.

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Helping students manage anxiety in 2021 and beyond

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 09:00:00 GMT

Professor Dave Putwain from Liverpool John Moores University joined Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of our UK exam board, OCR, to discuss the topic of student anxiety. Prof Putwain has a PhD in stress and anxiety, and he offers practical tips on how to reduce and manage anxiety that will be useful for students, parents and their teachers, this year and beyond.

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Admissions tests: Discovering candidates with the most potential

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 09:00:00 GMT

This is the fourth in a series of podcasts from Cambridge Assessment Network focusing on different aspects and forms of assessment. In this episode, Mike Housden, Senior Assessment Manager at Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing discusses how admissions tests can be used to identify candidates with the most potential, how they give students an opportunity to demonstrate a core understanding of their subject and how they can help to prepare students for university education.

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How do we support the education sector through professional development?

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 09:00:00 GMT

This is the third episode in a series of podcasts from our colleagues in the Cambridge Assessment Network on the different aspects and forms of assessment. Today we are with David Russell from The Education and Training Foundation talking about professional development for teachers and trainers, the principles of effective CPD and how it can best be used to support the education sector.

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Transforming teaching practice through assessment expertise

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

In the second episode in this series from our colleagues in the Cambridge Assessment Network, Penelope speaks to Loic from the Centre for Education and Youth about transforming teaching practice through assessment expertise.

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Assessing apprenticeships

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 09:00:00 GMT

The Cambridge Assessment Network speak to Callum and Leo from the NCFE about the challenges and complexities involved in assessing apprenticeships and why apprenticeships are such an important route to qualification. The release of this podcast coincides with National Apprenticeship Week 2021 in England.

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Introducing the General Certificate of Education

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Introducing the GCE - an extract from Chapter 3 of Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, by Helen and John Patrick

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The first Cambridge English exams

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

The first Cambridge English exams - an extract from Chapter 5 of Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, by Peter Falvey and Gillian Cooke

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Exams during the Second World War

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Exams during the Second World War - an extract from Chapter 2 of Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, by Andrew Watts and Chapter 4, by Greg Lacey

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Premise to 1965

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Premises to 1965 - an extract from Chapter 1 of Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, by Elisabeth Leedham Green

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Syndics

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Syndics - an extract from from Chapter 1 of Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, by Elisabeth Leedham Green

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Examinations and girls' education

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Examinations and girls' education - an extract from Chapter 2 of Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, by Andrew Watts.

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Examination expansion overseas

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Examination expansion overseas - an extract from Chapter 2 of Examining the World: A History of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, by Andrew Watts

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How a teacher training programme is adapting during Covid-19

Sat, 25 Jul 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Anna Richards from the Suffolk & Norfolk School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) joins colleagues from Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing to discuss how the SCITT's teacher training programmes have been forced to adapt during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Teaching migration, empire and colonialism in Britain's history lessons

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 14:30:00 GMT

Are UK history lessons inclusive enough so that everyone can see themselves in the story? Do they take into account the many legacies of the British Empire and colonialism? History teachers, Clare Broomfield and Sitara Amin; historian and co-lead of the Runnymede Trust's 'Our Migration Story', Sundeep Lidher; and Lead Subject Advisor at OCR, Mike Goddard, join us in this important discussion.

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How Covid-19 is shaping the future of education

Tue, 05 May 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Michelle Fava, Mark Andrews and Dan Frost reflect on ideas discussed at last year's SHAPE Education conference and consider how Covid-19 has created the conditions for innovation in education.

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Proposals to develop a GCSE in natural history

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 09:00:00 GMT

OCR's development of a GCSE in natural history is discussed by Jill Duffy, OCR Chief Executive and Tim Oates, Cambridge Assessment Director of Assessment Research and Development.

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How can we support women and girls in science education?

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 09:00:00 GMT

To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, as an exam board, we are considering what Cambridge Assessment can do to support and encourage female learners in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.

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Using technology to ensure curriculum coherence

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 09:00:00 GMT

In this podcast based on their Summit of Education afternoon session, Nicky Rushton and Darren Macey of Cambridge Maths discuss how new technologies have the potential to transform the delivery of a subject like mathematics in classrooms.

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Technological challenges from our past - Cambridge Assessment archives

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 09:00:00 GMT

As part of the Cambridge Assessment Summit of Education, Group Archivist Gillian Cooke led a breakout session looking back at the technology Cambridge Assessment used in the 19th and 20th centuries. Here she explains how the group has continually embraced innovation. Cambridge Assessment has a 160-year legacy but without technology we couldn’t have started!

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Professor Dame Athene Donald - My life in Science

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

How can we get more girls into STEM subjects? Professor Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge, talks about her life in science and her advice to school leaders on getting girls into STEM.

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Support for refugees and teachers of refugees

Sat, 03 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Cambridge English have been working to help refugees access education, training and English language courses, as Will Shaw and Chloe Saville explain in the third of our podcast series on refugee education.

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Volunteering in the Calais refugee camp

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Sol, Lee and Peter from the Cambridge Refugee Support Committee talk about volunteering in Calais, France, in the second episode of our refugee education series.

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The Cambridge Refugee Support Committee

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 09:00:00 GMT

In the first of a three-part refugee education special, Sol and Sinead explain how the Cambridge Refugee Support Committee started and what they do.

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The Press and Assessment - A special exhibition

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Gillian Cooke, Group Archivist, Cambridge Assessment talks through a special exhibition currently housed at Cambridge University Press which illustrates our 170-year working partnership.

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Opening doors for migrants

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Dr Sinéad Fitzsimons shared her experiences of projects designed to open doors for migrants to access education and how they dovetail with the work of Cambridge Assessment and partners.

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An antidote to 'Teaching to the Test?'

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Paul Steer, Head of Policy at OCR, predicts the impact of Ofsted's (the UK schools watchdog) new proposed inspection framework and whether it will help to reverse the current perceived emphasis on test scores as a means to judge whether a school is performing well.

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Emotional Resilience in Young People

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Professor Colleen McLaughlin shares her long history in the field of emotional development and resilience in young people. She explains why it is important and explores whether can we teach it.

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New look for education economics research digest

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT

James Croft and Gabriel Heller Sahlgren from the Centre for Education Economics (CfEE) talk about what the CfEE does, why education economics is important and how their regular research digest is changing.

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The year ahead

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT

Paul Steer, Head of Policy at OCR, talks about what he thinks will be the hot topics in education in 2019, including T Levels, quality of marking, and recent reforms to A Levels and GCSEs.

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Black Cantabs

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT

This groundbreaking exhibition tells the stories of black students in Cambridge, from the forgotten pioneers of centuries past to the celebrated successes of today. Narrated by Favaad Iqbal and Yozzie Osman from the Cambridge Assessment BAME Network.

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Policy Exchange - Powerful Knowledge

Tue, 10 May 2016 09:00:00 GMT

We hosted, via Periscope, the online of a Policy Exchange seminar on creating a 'powerful knowledge' curriculum in schools.

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Tim Oates - Assessment without levels

Fri, 31 Oct 2014 09:00:00 GMT

Following the interest generated by Tim Oates' video for the Department of Education earlier in the year, Cambridge Assessment has commissioned a new 45 minute version, allowing for more explanation as to how the removal of levels in Primary education will open the door to a deeper understanding.

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Sugata Mitra

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 09:00:00 GMT

Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology, University of Newcastle, describes his 'schools in the cloud' experiment.

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Cloud schools - the big debate

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 09:00:00 GMT

Chaired by Pat Glass MP, a panel and audience discussion ‘Technology and education: what’s the future for face-to-face learning?’.

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Lord David Puttnam

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 09:00:00 GMT

Lord David Puttnam CBE FRSA describes how technology enables him to deliver modules to university students across the world from his home in Ireland.

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What's it really like to be in the cloud?

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 09:00:00 GMT

Technology in the classroom today. ALISON project, Futurelearn, Cambridge International Examinations and Cambridge Computing Online demonstrate some innovative uses of technology in learning today.

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Seminar: Vocational qualifications and their interaction with the labour market

Wed, 09 Oct 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Professor Ewart Keep talks about vocational qualifications and the labour market

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Seminar: The Cambridge Assessment Archives - not just an historical treasures

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Gillian Cooke and Andrew Watts examine the role of the Corporate Archives from the organisation’s beginnings as the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate in 1858 and through subsequent years of continuity and change.

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Seminar: The importance of ideas for sound assessment and high performing education systems

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Paul Newton, Tim Oates and Nick Saville examine the role of ideas – theory, assumptions and values – which, in some cases, are consciously adopted as the basis of specific assessments, and in other cases perform powerful, but unspoken, shaping.

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Challenge and success: alternative approaches to assessment in the primary classroom

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Alison Peacock talks about the alternative approach that her primary school has taken to assessment, pedagogy and curriculum throughout KS1 and KS2.

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Has maths education improved? - Interview with the presenter

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Professor Jeremy Hodgen of King’s College London joins Cambridge Assessment's Tim Oates to debate whether maths education in England has improved over recent years.

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First panel debate - It does not add up: maths education today

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Panel debate on 'Numeracy, arithmetic, maths – what age and at what stage?' featuring: Lynne McClure, Project Director – NRICH; Lynn Churchman, Trustee – National Numeracy; Jennie Golding, deputy chair – Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME); and Tim Oates, Group Director of Assessment Research and Development – Cambridge Assessment.

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Second panel debate - It does not add up: maths education today

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Panel debate on 'Making maths relevant' with: Charlie Stripp, Chief Executive – MEI and Director – National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics; Mark McCourt, Chairman – Teacher Development Trust, CEO – Beluga Learning; Janet De Wilde, Head of STEM – The Higher Education Academy.

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Technology and maths - It does not add up: maths education today

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Chaired by Dr Christine Binns, Mathematics Mastery Curriculum Development Lead, ARK Schools, a viewpoint debate on whether technology is changing maths for the better featuring Conrad Wolfram, Founder – Computerbasedmath.org, and European CEO – Wolfram, and Tony Gardiner, British mathematician.

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Taking GCSEs early - Interview with the presenters

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Cambridge Assessment researchers Beth Black, Chung-Pak Cheung and Tim Gill discuss whether students who take GCSEs early perform better in their chosen examinations, or are they giving up their chance of getting a higher grade?

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Teaching and Assessing 21st century skills - Part 2

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:00:00 GMT

21st century skills – a 21st century problem? Part 2 of our big debate.

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Teaching and Assessing 21st century skills - Part 1

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:00:00 GMT

21st century skills: a 21st century problem? Part 1 of our big debate.

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International Surveys - Interview with the presenters

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Dr Newman Burdett and Rebecca Wheater answer questions on international surveys.

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Translanguaging: an interview with the presenters

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Translanguaging: a dynamic bilingual perspective on pedagogy, assessment and research - interviews with Dr W Gwyn Lewis (Bangor University), Helen Imam and Stuart Shaw (Cambridge International Examinations)

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Using the CRAS framework and Kelly's Repretory Grid technique

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:00:00 GMT

How do researchers use the CRAS framework and Kelly's Repretory Grid technique in assessment research studies - Martin Johnson (Cambridge Assessment)

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How do examiners reach judgements?

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Victoria Elliott (Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment and Warwick Institute of Education) and Dr Talia Isaacs (University of Bristol) present.

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The impact of language skills on future life and career chances - Can't speak, can't learn

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Phililda Schellekens (consultant, author, teacher and teacher-trainer)

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Panel discussion - Can't speak, can't learn

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Panel discussion chaired by Dr Nick Saville (Cambridge English Language Assessment); Featuring Dr Frank Monaghan (National Association for Language Development in Curriculum), Prof Dr Piet Van Avermaet (Ghent University, Belgium), Timothy Chadwick (consultant and teacher-trainer - language and testing)

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Pupil performance on the changing geography of ethnic minority pupils in secondary schools - Can't speak, can't learn

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Dr Sandra McNally (London School of Economics and Political Science)

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Further discussion and closing remarks - Can't speak, can't learn

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

From the event on 'Can't speak, can't learn: what's the impact of non-native speakers in schools?'

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Questions and discussion - Can't speak, can't learn

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Questions and discussion Session - Can't speak, can't learn: what's the impact of non-native speakers in schools?

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The impact upon the community - Can't speak, can't learn

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Phil Woolas (Former UK immigration minister and Labour MP)

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Teaching EAL Students - Can't speak, can't learn

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Lee Donaghy (Park View Business & Enterprise School, Birmingham)

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Findings from our HE Engagement

Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Findings from our research on higher education engagement and A Levels

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What can our education system really learn from the East?

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Isabel Nisbet (Cambridge International Examinations) gives an insight.

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Just how closely should textbooks link to public examinations?

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Tim Oates (Cambridge Assessment) and Dr Mary Bousted (Association of Teachers and Lecturers) discuss.

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Current issues with National Curriculum assessment: lessons from school music education

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Current issues with National Curriculum assessment: lessons from school music education - Professor Martin Fautley (Birmingham City University)

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Opening remarks - Learning comes first

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Setting the context and sharing a historical perspective - Simon Lebus (Group Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment)

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Dr Nadia Touba - Learning comes first

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Lessons from around the world - Dr Nadia Touba (Project Director of Nile Egyptian Schools NES – Egyptian Education Fund, Cabinet of Ministers – Egypt)

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Programmes of Learning - Learning comes first

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Programmes of learning: the rise of ‘curriculum’ thinking in the UK - Paul Pritchard (Chair of Governors at the JCB Academy), Andrew Hutchinson (Executive Principal of Parkside Federation, Cambridge) & Dr Stephen Spurr (Headmaster, Westminster School)

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Jon Coles - Learning comes first

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Jon Coles (Chief Executive of United Church Schools Trust/United Learning Trust, former Director General for Education Standards, Department for Education)

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Refocusing education? - Learning comes first

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Panel debate: 'Refocusing education? - Nansi Ellis (Head of Education Policy and Research, ATL), Richard Earp (Education & Skills Manager, National Grid), Dale Bassett (Research Director, Reform), Dr Graeme Atherton (Executive Director, Aimhigher)

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Roger-Francois Gauthier - Learning comes first

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Lessons from around the world - Roger-Francois Gauthier (Inspector General for Administration of National Education and Research, France, and a UNESCO consultant)

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Epistemic ascent and curriculum design

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:05:00 GMT

Academic subjects are generally assumed to be composed of propositional rather than practical knowledge. This talk looks at the relationship between subject knowledge, inferential ability and ability to validate and establish truths in the perspective of an ascent from novice to expert within a subject area.

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Learning, Teaching and the Brain

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:10:00 GMT

Teachers must be cautious when they find ideas that allege some sort of basis in neuroscience. But there are some positive things such as the effective exercise on learning and the need for children to learn something about their own brain and what effect this can have on their achievement. At a conference hosted by University of Cambridge International Examinations, Dr Paul Howard Jones from Bristol University explained how teachers can use insights from neuroscience to provide more effective teaching and learning.

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Digging for validity: an interview with archaeologist Dr Lewis

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:10:00 GMT

Guest speaker and archaeologist Dr Carenza Lewis explains how a valid assessment model has been developed for an extra-curricular activity.

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Education changes under the Coalition Government

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:05:00 GMT

The coalition government has launched many educational policies: academies, free schools, the English Baccalaureate and the freedom for parents and teachers to choose qualifications. What are the implications for today's learners?

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Plagiarism in UK Law schools: is there a postcode lottery?

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:08:00 GMT

Although there is a generalised notion of academic misconduct and an assumption that there is a common understanding of the offences across universities, a variation in attitudes to plagiarism is shown to exist.

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Can pre-schools support children to become better learners

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:29:00 GMT

Measuring 'quality' in early education - determining whether pre-schools can support children to become better learners

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Parliamentary seminar: What can we learn from other improving school systems?

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:29:00 GMT

What can we learn from other improving school systems? - featuring Graham Stuart MP (Chair, Education Select Committee), Professor David Raffe (University of Edinburgh), Dr Marian Sainsbury (National Foundation for Educational Research), Professor Lorraine Dearden (Institute for Fiscal Studies) - 28 June 2011

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Developing a new linear qualification: how difficult can it be? A case study: Cambridge Pre-U

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:02:00 GMT

This presentation will provide an account of the background, development and implementation of the Cambridge Pre-U.

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Assessment for Higher Education entry: admissions testing

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:00:00 GMT

This seminar will consider the place of admissions testing, in the overall range of assessment options for Higher Education entry.

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Ensuring comparability in a diverse and unregulated qualification market

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:07:00 GMT

In this talk Professor Coe will propose a structure for doing this. Examples will be given, together with a discussion of pros and cons of different approaches.

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What can we learn from the British Birth Cohort Studies?

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:05:00 GMT

In this presentation, Professor Jane Elliott will introduce some of the landmark research carried out using longitudinal evidence from the cohort studies, and examine some of the opportunities for future research as the studies develop.

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Comparability of examination standards: understanding of the issues and directions for the future

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:04:00 GMT

In this seminar a panel of key staff will discuss the issues surrounding comparability and will engage in debate with the audience about methods for establishing comparability, public understanding of the issues and directions for the future.

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Inter-subject comparability, forced policy-making and the social responsibility of awarding bodies

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:03:00 GMT

A frequent claim of awarding bodies is that standards are comparable across assessments in different subject areas. And if they are not, the awarding bodies can make them comparable through appropriate statistical techniques, or so the argument goes. It is not surprising that in many countries such brave statements are received with suspicion and mistrust by the stakeholders.

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Assessing assessment - progress or politics?

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:02:00 GMT

Assessment industry (awarding bodies) should refocus its activities on applied research and development in assessment methodology. The industry should produce assessment tools and professional development for teachers and a much slimmed down external verification service.

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How can we improve the quality of marking in our examinations and what does that mean for validity?

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:00:00 GMT

How can we improve the quality of mark schemes and their use? Ayesha will outline a taxonomy of the kinds of mark schemes that are currently used in examining in the UK and discuss what makes a good mark scheme, based on the best practice observed in the study quoted above.

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The effects of modular GCSE examinations on students' outcomes, motivation and workload

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:20:00 GMT

This seminar will present the findings from a research project analysing students' performances and attitudes towards modularisation in two GCSE subjects.

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Resits in high-stakes examinations: the unusual case of A levels

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:20:00 GMT

Research findings suggest that, due to a lack of appreciation for the rationale behind the modular system, no control of resits and the highly competitive nature of selection by universities, the resit policy has produced some undesirable effects when it comes to actual practice in sixth-form education.

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Degrees of success: Progressing to Higher Education through vocational pathways

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:00:00 GMT

Widening participation in Higher Education crucially depends upon recruiting more young people from vocational pathways. But what sorts of opportunities do such learners access in Higher Education? Do these offer real opportunities for increasing social mobility and raising earnings? Is there any parity of esteem between academic and vocational progression routes? What are the challenges that students from more vocational programmes face when they enter Higher Education? How can we better support their learning and so improve success rates?

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Linking assessments to international frameworks of language proficiency

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Interpreting test performance (against the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in this case) is at the heart of test validity. Thus if CEFR alignment is important for an exam, it should impact every relevant stage of design and administration. It cannot be a one-off exercise. Cambridge ESOL's approach will be presented as an illustration of this. We will also present the SurveyLang project coordinated by Cambridge ESOL, due to deliver the European Survey on Language Competences in 2011.

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Incomprehensible? Inexpressible? Inconceivable? The very idea of inter-subject comparability

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:00:00 GMT

This seminar will trace the history of investigations into inter-subject comparability in England, aiming to shed light on implicit and, occasionally, explicit statements of principle. It will analyse the emergence of early implicit conceptions and will illustrate how potential alternative conceptions have largely remained unrecognised, despite their potential utility.

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Today's assessment jungle: a view from the regulator

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 13:47:00 GMT

Ofqual's regulation stretches from the early years through the key stages, GCSEs, A levels and diplomas to vocational and occupational qualifications. Ofqual monitors assessments, reviews standards and has a major programme focused on reliability. What has the regulator found in its regulatory work on the significant developments that 2010 has brought? How do the outcomes help Ofqual fulfil its mission to ensure that these assessments are valued and trusted by learners, users and the wider public?

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Summative assessment by teachers: Designing a system that is fit for purpose

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:20:00 GMT

This presentation will review the design features to be taken into account if systems of assessment in which teacher judgement has a role are to be robust enough to meet the expectations of students, policy-makers and the wider public.

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Revisioning assessment through a children’s rights approach

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:30:00 GMT

This seminar examines the implications of international human rights standards for assessment practice.

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Looking at alternative approaches for assessing science practical skills

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:30:00 GMT

Good science courses provide plenty of opportunities for students to explore and develop their understanding of scientific ideas through practical work. It is often argued that, to encourage school practical work, the students’ practical skills need to be formally assessed by examination or coursework but is this really necessary and if so, what is the best way to do this?

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Competitive admissions to Higher Education

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:30:00 GMT

UCAS applications to UK Higher Education institutions, the number of A-levels awarded an A grade and high achieving students exceeding the minimum entry requirements are all on the increase. In this context, the increasing numbers of well-qualified applicants presents institutions with a real challenge: how can they choose between applicants in a way that is consistent, fair, transparent and predictive of their future academic success?

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Reviewing the impact of changes in the assessment of GCSEs

Tue, 11 May 2010 10:30:00 GMT

New GCSE qualifications were introduced for first teaching in England, Wales and Northern Ireland September 2009. These new GCSEs included changes such as controlled assessment, unitisation and entry, aggregation and terminal rules. This seminar discusses

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How effective are assessments of Citizenship in England?

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:30:00 GMT

Dr Mary Richardson, Centre for Beliefs, Rights and Values in Education, Roehampton University, considers the value of assessing Citizenship in the context of the findings from an empirical study conducted in secondary schools across England.

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Critical Thinking - its role, value and impact upon driving attainment

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Seminar highlighting how an explicit focus on Critical Thinking can enhance the attainment of pupils of all backgrounds and abilities, following recent research. Importantly, the research showed that pupils who study Critical Thinking as a discrete subject at AS level tend to do better in their other A level subjects, whether they are taking sciences, languages or humanities.

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Formative assessment: A critical review

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Guest speaker Randy Bennet looks at six inter-related issues in formative assessment (aka, ‘Assessment for Learning’). The issues concern the definition of formative assessment, the claims commonly made for its effectiveness, the limited attention given to domain considerations in its conceptualisation, the underrepresentation of measurement principles in that conceptualisation, the teacher-support demands formative assessment entails, and its place in the larger educational system.

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Standards at A-Level: Sources of Evidence

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Concerns that ‘standards are falling’ continue to dominate public debate. What are the sources of data to which we should turn to illuminate issues of standards, and what degree of confidence should we have in the different explanations of trends in standards?

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What can we learn from cross-national comparisons of education and training?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Guest speaker Professor David Raffe explains how caution and care is essential in order to draw robust conclusions from international comparisons about different national education systems.

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Assessment Form and Function

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:00:00 GMT

It is often not recognised that the form of an assessment can have as much influence on outcomes as the construct being assessed. We often use traditional assessment techniques without recourse to the available evidence base. This talk, by Professor Peter Tymms, Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, Durham University, explores issues involved with the form of assessments and their link to function.

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Where are we with National Testing

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Despite successive failures in administration and accumulating evidence of extreme washback effects into the curriculum, national assessment and associated accountability measures remain a solid part of English education policy. This presentation reviews the history of development in national testing in England, and looks at alternatives which are and aren't being considered, and at the most likely direction of future developments.

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Testing and Identity

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:00:00 GMT

For many years, assessment has shaped the way we learn and the way we teach. But, claims a top educational expert, the use of ‘labels’ in testing can make it a destructive process. Speaking at a recent forum ‘Testing and Identity’ hosted by the Cambridge Assessment Network, guest speaker Gordon Stobart – of the Institute of Education, University of London – delivered a thought-provoking talk that explored how the power of testing can determine how we think about ourselves and others, and how we learn.

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Formative Assessment Revisited

Tue, 19 May 2009 17:45:00 GMT

A recent seminar ‘Formative Assessment Revisited’ hosted by the Cambridge Assessment Network explored some of the reasons why people are becoming adherents to Assessment for Learning in the light of the amount of evidence available.

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Does emotional intelligence affect exam success?

Fri, 15 May 2009 14:00:00 GMT

A panel of experts gathered at the RSA, London, on 7 May to debate a hot topic in education; whether emotional intelligence affects educational attainment and could – and should – be taught in schools.

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What is happening to 14-19 education in England today?

Fri, 01 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Clara Kenyon, Qualifications Director at OCR, describes some of the key changes taking place in England's education system today.

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