The conference was organised by Keynote Educational and was delivered by 3 esteemed speakers: Mark Gosling (author for core Edexcel History textbooks and examiner for Edexcel), Martin McCauley (former senior lecturer at UCL and author of key Cold War books) and Piers Ludlow (Associate Professor at LSE).
The start of the conference was a short comedy sketch that introduced the concept of the Cold War, followed by Martin McCauley delivering a lecture on the causes of the Cold War. Mark Gosling then led a very useful session on how to tackle essays in exams and how to write Grade A/A* answers. Students were asked to comment on what makes an effective introduction and conclusion to an essay and it was encouraging to see Highcliffe students show their clear knowledge, by being able to confidently answer questions on the effectiveness of the sample work they were given, in particular, Remi Bennett and Cerys Pumphrey. Piers Ludlow delivered a very engaging lecture about the period of Peaceful Co-existence 1953-61, highlighting the impact of Stalin’s death on superpower relations.
Then there was another exam technique session, focusing on how to answer source based questions. Once again Highcliffe students were able to confidently articulate their understanding of the importance of cross-referencing, sustained analysis and critical evaluation of interpretations. Sample answers were examined and the group were able to differentiate between a Grade A and C response. This workshop was particularly useful as it will help with their coursework as well as the Cold War exam
After lunch there was an ‘Ask the expert’ opportunity, with questions ranging from revision guidance to probing questions about different theories about the Cold War. This followed another inspiring lecture on the topic of Détente in the 1970’s from Piers Ludlow. This highlighted the increasing role of China as an emerging superpower, and the way in which Germany started to follow its own policy of greater cooperation between East and West sides, rather than take the lead from USA or USSR. This was followed by a hilarious sketch about the way in which Gorbachev and Reagan found issues to agree over (Margaret Thatcher) which paved the way for the final lecture from Martin McCauley about the end of the Cold War. The final session saw the 3 speakers debate among themselves their own theories on the superpower relations, in response to questions from the audience, which was insightful as it really showed how history can be interpreted differently.
The conference resulted in the students gaining a comprehensive insight into all the key themes of the Cold War unit. Keynotes produced a great resource booklet for the students to use and all the students agreed that the event had been really beneficial to them, especially as they are finishing the course and ready to start revision.
‘Today really helped me to understand how to achieve top grades in my exams.’
‘The lectures helped me to consolidate my breadth of knowledge of the Cold War, and have made me feel more prepared for the June exam.’
‘It provided me with a better understanding of timing and the structure of the ‘b’ question.’
‘It was very useful to hear the different viewpoints from historians with regards to the Cold War, alongside the notes we received.’
Owned by: HFH | Last Published: 11/04/2016 11:14:26 | Next Update: NA
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