23TRA551 Improving Student Outcomes: Teaching with Booklets in the History Classroom

Date:     Tuesday 21st November & 5th December 2023
Time:     7 pm - 8 pm
Venue:  Online via Zoom

In this two-part webinar series Lee will explicitly outline the creation and implementation of using booklets as the ultimate teaching and learning tool in the History classroom. Throughout the session Lee will discuss how the adaptation of using ‘SLOP Booklets’ have hugely reduced his workload in the long-term and more importantly enabled him to think deeply about pedagogical and content knowledge/sequence in History which has vastly improved student
academic outcomes in his classroom.

The overarching aim of the session is to demonstrate a switch in teacher mentality from ‘resources’ to ‘learning sequences’ and how booklets can support teachers developing powerful learning sequences which contributed to increased student attainment in the History classroom.

Lee will also discuss the benefits he has experienced from switching to a booklets to support planning of his lessons. These benefits include reduced teacher workload in the long-term, standardized quality of learning sequences for students, teacher thinking is now focused on developing high quality curriculums rather than individual resources, teacher planning is now focused on explanations and checking for understanding rather than the creation of individual resources and gathering of data in lessons is more efficient as the format of student work has been standardized.

The first part of the series will focus on the implementation of booklets in the JC History Classroom. For demonstration purposes Lee will walk-through the planning, creation, implementation, and teaching of Ireland’s
Struggle for Independence using his SLOP Booklet in the JC History classroom.

The second part of the series will focus on the implementation of booklets in the LC History Classroom. For demonstration purposes Lee will walk-through the planning, creation, implementation, and teaching of Economic and Social Polices Fianna Fail and Cumann na nGaedheal in the LC History classroom.

Bio of Presenter: Lee O Donnell

Lee O’Donnell is a teacher of Geography & History at Woodbrook College in Wicklow. He is the Author of ‘The Natural World’ LC Geography book with Edco. Geography/History Methodology Lecturer at University College Dublin. LC History content creator for Exam Revision. Host of the Leaving Certificate revision podcast ‘Skin in the Game’. Additionally, he holds an Assistant Principal II post in his school ‘Student Leadership Co-Ordinator’.