Daily Archives: 06/06/2018

Science

What is the most effective way of showing students that science has a dramatic and exciting role to play in the everyday world.

Imagine a group of your students searching a vehicle found at a crime scene.  Given such a chance most students instantly become immersed in this new world, excited and engaged in the scenario evolving around them.

And the moment they find human remains that later need identifying using DNA tests, there is no tearing them away from their activity.

As such, placing students inside the sort of police drama they most likely see on TV,  is an approach which can change a student’s entire attitude towards what science is. And it can do this within a day.

Suddenly the students see science as interesting, relevant to the real world, and exactly the sort of thing they want to be involved in.   Students who haven’t spoken to their parents about school work in years are suddenly can’t wait to reveal what they have been doing.

This is what the “Thinkers in Education” workshops achieve, delivering a wide range of experiences that identify the strengths of each participant while developing an enthusiasm for science and a skill set that will be advantageous in education and the workplace.

Within the workshops there is a strong focus on higher order thinking, team building and communication within science – all assessed and given as immediate feedback to the students and performance reports for the school.

It is a proven formula that can change attitudes and improve performance levels in one day. Moreover, the reports generated can help support your assessment and provide additional evidence for Ofsted Inspections.

Spectacular Saturdays and Holiday Workshops are two of the easiest ways to introduce the students to science beyond the classroom. They offer you a chance to host leading STEM workshops at very little cost to the school, without affecting the timetable or adding to your workloads.  Plus, they have been recommended by every school that has taken part since 2001.

You simply choose the date(s) and provide the venue.  We send you the literature to distribute to parents so they can book a place.  If, after 21 days, you have 25 or more pupils enrolled, we will confirm the event and run the workshop on the date of your choice. If not, there is no commitment and we release the date.

Parents pay for their son or daughter to attend, as they would for a school trip, or the school can choose to subsidise the cost and use Pupil Premium funding if appropriate.  Parents can book and pay online, so there is no extra work for the school.

To find out about the Holiday Schools click here. Or to request an information pack you can email:  info@thinkersineducation.co.uk

Of course, workshops are also available during term time – enabling you to run highly effective transition days, activity weeks and challenge days to fit within the year plan.

If you would like to discuss options with an advisor, please call 01603 520866.

Special Needs

Help your SEN students to make sense of money with the Making Sense of Money Set

It is pleasantly surprising when a new topic is added into the curriculum with very few teething problems, such as the introduction of financial literacy to the maths and citizenship curriculum in 2014.

However, there does seem to be a lack of resources that explore and explain finances in a way that students with SEN can easily understand.

Which is why SEN Press has devised the Making Sense of Money Series which contains a wealth of resources about dealing with money in everyday situations, including:

  • Six story books which support the ASDAN CoPE Award. Titles include, “Money In, Money Out”, “Everyday Money”, “What’s it Worth?”, “Cash and Cakes”, “Keeping Money Safe” and “Making Ends Meet”.
  • A CD-ROM providing electronic versions of the above titles, making it ideal for interactive whiteboard presentations and for students who would also benefit from listening to the text.

    It is also possible to edit and save the text to make your own story, create differentiated texts, and personalise the text with your students’ names to enhance engagement.
  • An extensive range of activity worksheets and interactive activities that encourage reading comprehension. Activities include, Words and Pictures, Picture Search, Keyword Flashcards, Wordsearch, Spot the Difference, How Well Did You Read?, Missing Words, Quizzes, and Drag and Drop.
  • Supporting resources for teachers including page-by-page notes for all the stories and assessment resources (feedback sheets and student record sheets).

The complete set of resources containing two copies of each of the six readers, the complete teacher book, and the CD Rom is available for £139 plus VAT (save 10%).

You can see more details and sample pages from the readers, and details for ordering individual items as well as the full pack on our “Making Sense of Money” web page.

If you have any questions or need more information, please email info@senpress.co.uk or call 01582 833205.  We’ll be delighted to hear from you.