Probably not, yet the North American Plate
just got closer to Ireland!

You have always known that Iceland is just about the best Geography classroom available, with its geysers, volcanoes, glaciers and waterfalls, but it’s been so awkward to get to.

Well, you can now plan to take your students to experience its scenery without a detour across the Irish Sea.

From December, there will be two flights a week from Belfast International direct to Reykjavik (Keflavik) on Monday afternoon and on Friday morning – so schools can plan for a three-day or a full week’s guided visit.

We have planned itineraries to fit with the flight patterns and get the most out of your tour.

Take a look here: Iceland

Culture Trails
Travel House, Llwynmawr, Llangollen LL20 7BB, Wales

Tel: (+44) 0 16 91 88 61 61 e: geography@culturetrails.co.uk

Many schools in parts of the country now have a mix of pupils from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds.

Whilst in many cases the pupils will speak and read English there are instances where the parents themselves are less well equipped, this can make a visit to the school a daunting experience.

One simple way to help a parent, or in fact a new pupil with limited English feel more at ease is a simple welcome in their own language.

Upson Downs have produced a range of school welcome signs which you can adapt with your own message and language requirements.

Furthermore, these signs are a great way to introduce the understanding and promotion of diversity.

To see more about these signs http://www.upsondowns.co.uk/create-your-multilingual-welcome-circle-p-1680.html

Orders placed before the end of September will get a 10% discount if you Quote code MCHH1.

To order call 01423 521654 or fax us 0844 443 2455
Email info@upsondowns.co.uk

Upson Downs Ltd
13 Claro Court Business Centre
Claro Road, Harrogate
North Yorkshire, HG1 4BA

We all make decisions all the time.  And then, having made them, we defend them – no matter how awful they were.

No matter how bad that decision looks in retrospect, it takes a very confident and self-possessed individual to say, “yes I got that one wrong.”

Instead the blame is put elsewhere.  It was “not my fault”.  It “couldn’t be helped”.  “Events conspired against me.”  We blame the environment, the individuals around us, and society, but rarely do we blame ourselves and the decisions we took.

Yet the fact is that it is quite possible to improve our reaction to the society in which we live, and through that our decision making – if only we can practice.

Which is why the copiable volume, “Life Games” exists.

The volume contains 50 different decision-based games that can be played in the classroom with anything from eight to 40 players from Key Stage 3 to the sixth form.

Each game is presented in the form of a single page of copiable teaching notes – normally with a separate set of student notes also provided.  Each also focuses on a theme, ranging from the working of the media to lifestyle balances, from government decisions and consequences to healthy eating, from stress to addiction.

In short, there are enough activities in this volume to provide more than a year’s worth of citizenship and PSHE education, taught and explored in a way that the students will find refreshing, engaging and meaningful.

Life Games is available as a photocopiable book or on CD Rom, and individual activities can thus be readily copied and distributed to students as required. The copies can also be shared with colleagues or given to supply teachers, without any fear of the original book being misplaced.

An extract from Life Games, ISBN 978 1 86083 718 0, order code T1730EMN, is available at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/pshe/T1730.pdf

Prices

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
  
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
  
• Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report…

• By post from First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
  
• On-line with a credit card at  http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=558
• By phone with a school order number or a credit card to 01536 399 011

When ordering the book please quote the reference T1730EMN.

What is the most effective way of having my educational book published?

Twenty years ago the answer was simple: authors would just send their ideas for a book to a few publishers, and then wait to see if any of the books were published.

Digitalisation changed all that. Today fewer and fewer publishers are taking on new authors, and it can be a fruitless task to send out an idea to all the relevant publishers listed in a trade directory.

But there are still some publishing companies that are looking for books from writers. These tend to be specialist publishers, working with a specific audience in one specific field, and they tend to be publishers that are embracing the new media as well as publishing in printed form.

First and Best is one such publishing company, and we are indeed seeking authors who can produce volumes that will be purchased by teachers in secondary schools.

The books we publish often move across various media – they can be sold as printed copies, on CD with permission for the schools to put them on their learning platforms, and as downloads. But the one thing that all our books have in common is that they are copiable under licence by the school.

You can see exactly what we currently publish by going to www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk and look at the category headings down the left of the screen.  From there you’ll be able to read some details about any of the books that are of interest.  However I must stress that although we have some books for primary schools listed there, we are not currently looking to expand that range.

Our books are advertised through direct marketing – which means that we write to teachers who might be interested, telling them of the items on sale.  We also advertise on www.ukeducationnews.co.uk and other websites of a similar type.  Our authors receive a royalty of 10% on the price of each sale.

If you have a book that is ready to be published or if you have an idea for a book, we’d like to hear from you.  Just email Anne@firstandbest.co.uk with the following information:

• The proposed title of the book
• The target audience (eg GCSE history teachers, senior managers, administrators…)
• A contents list and outline of the book’s coverage
• A short extract from the body of the book (ie not the introduction).

I’m sorry to say that it is very hard indeed for us to make a judgement about a book just by hearing about it on the phone, so if you have any questions please do email me at the above address.  If you prefer you can submit your proposal by post, but please note we can’t return any materials unless you provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

You can write to me at Anne Cockburn, First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH

I look forward to hearing from you.

Anne Cockburn

What is the best way to raise achievement, improve peer relations and develop students’ emotional literacy?

‘Developing students’ emotional intelligence to become effective coaches’ is an exciting new resource designed for use in secondary schools.

It could be used in health and social care lessons or as part of a wider school initiative. It contains a forty page student workbook seven 90 minute lesson plans that can be adapted to your needs, comprehensive teaching notes, activities and PowerPoints

The activities have been thoroughly researched and are targeted to cater for the demands of year 8 and 9 students in particular, equipping them with the tools needed to support their peers academically by building on their strengths and addressing their weaknesses.

Activities include personality tests and questionnaires which encourage students to reflect critically on their strengths and weaknesses, looking at ways to develop their skills and mind set.

The resource will help students to move away from the idea of fixed intelligence to the idea of intelligence and skills growth, empowering them to work hard to reach their full potential.

The CD-ROM normally costs £69 containing copyable Word and PDF files. This includes a CD-ROM with a whole school license. The resource is exclusive to Tempo Publishing and can only be purchased via our website www.tempopublishing.co.uk

Many schools have already integrated the program into their curriculum and I am confident that you will find the resource of real benefit. The end result should be a direct impact on student engagement, learning and behaviour across the curriculum.

Yours Sincerely

Jason Boyd – Tempo Publishing

PS: To order (please quote code HH1) and see sample pages visit www.tempopublishing.co.uk. Purchase orders can be emailed to sales@tempopublishing.co.uk. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to drop me an email or phone.

Tempo Publishing
24 St. Andrews Road, Bexhill-on-sea, East Sussex, TN40 2BQ
www.tempopublishing.co.uk / sales@tempopublishing.co.uk
07564 291815

What is the most effective way of helping students come to terms with all the key topics within the subject?

One of the problems that some students face when coming to the philosophy of religion is that of the multiplicity of concepts. They learn about verification and falsification, but then as other new issues arise, that piece of knowledge slips from their mind…

What is needed is a quick and easy way of going back and being reminded of each of the topics that arise within the philosophy of religion course, so that when there is any uncertainty (for example, half way through writing an essay) they can resolve that at once.

With this in mind Francis Beswick created a straightforward book which can be photocopied, or put on the school network and made available to everyone, and which covers 22 of the key topics within the philosophy of religion.

Thus every student taking A level religion, and those in the sixth form who are interested in such topics, can get an immediate insight into the issues.

Each topic is dealt with in a short article (usually around 1000 words) which gives the student an immediate awareness of the key points within the topic and which is ideal both as a basic learning resource and as a source for revision when needed.

The essential philosophical arguments covered in this book are supplemented by research topics and discussion points which will make philosophical language more accessible and enjoyable for your students.

Topics within the volume include: Design Arguments; religious experience; verification and falsification; theories of revelation; near death experiences; life after death and reincarnation, etc.

The essential philosophical arguments covered in this book are supplemented by research topics and discussion points which will make philosophical language more accessible and enjoyable for your students.

The Philosophy of Religion by Francis Beswick
Publishers reference: T1700; ISBN: 978 1 86083 741 8

A sample of the book is available on line at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/philosophy/T1700.pdf

Prices

• Photocopiable book: £21.99 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £21.99 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the book and the CD: £28.98 plus £3.95 delivery
• Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report…

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=527

The Empowering Women unit of the World Cinema unit is a great opportunity to look at how film can explore these wider issues and themes.

Selecting films which have significant similarities and differences is obviously key in engaging students but given a world of cinema to choose from, which ones?

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) and La Femme Nikita (France) are two films which make an ideal pairing and are suited to a range of questions asked by examiners. The pair have striking similarities in terms of central characters who stimulate questions relating to male dominated societies and women’s place in such cultures.

In each case the films present a female character in a genre most often associated with male protagonists. Girls with the Dragon Tattoo is a crime thriller based upon Stieg Larson’s Millennium Trilogy while La Femme Nikita draws on the action movie.

These genres are recognisable and enjoyable for most students but immediately confront gender expectations in presenting unconventional female figures.

In each case the narratives bear comparison as the protagonists have to cope with mental trauma, significant psychological issues, forming a trust relationship with a male character and confront societal attitudes toward females through violent confrontations.

The presentation of each film is, however, quite different and so they also lend themselves to a debate of directional style and approach.

This resource presents the main issues and themes in each film using slides to illustrate and identify key revision points. It raises points of debate that can be used with students in preparation for the FM4 World Cinema unit and is ideal for teachers coming to the unit for the first time and as a revision tool for students preparing for the exam

46 slides – £29.99 (£35.99 inc. VAT) – Order code 5340

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order codes above.

You can order the FM4 World Cinema – Empowering Women in any of these ways:

• On our website through the web links above
• By phone on 0117 940 6409
• By fax on 0117 940 6408
• By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

http://www.classroom-resources.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_FM4_orld_Cinema___Empowering_Women_CD_827.html

Classroom Resources
PO Box 1489
Bristol
BS99 3QJ

www.classroom-resources.co.uk
sales@classroom-resources.co.uk
Tel: 0117 940 6409

Autumn term calculator offers for the maths department!

We hope that you’ve had a restful holiday and that you may appreciate an early reminder about calculators and maths kit for the new term (prices are ex vat).

We’re listing our most popular calcs below:

You can also order the “Value Maths Sets” @ only 95p each when you order a minimum of 50 scientific calcs. You can order the same quantity of Value Maths Sets @ this special price when you order the same (or greater) quantity of scientific calcs. Normally priced from £1.10 to £1.20 each. (Please see our website for more details.)

The “Value Maths Set” is a helpful product for classroom or exam use.

Consisting of a metal compass, half pencil, 15 cm ruler, metal sharpener, eraser, HB pencil, 180 degree protractor, two quality black ink ballpens, all packed in a clear, exam friendly zip up wallet. Ideal to hand out for lessons or exams. Only £1.10 (400+) £1.15 (200+) £1.20 (1-199)

Also available is the ever popular Trident geometry set comprising: metal compass and half pencil, 45 and 60 degree set squares, 180 degree protractor, metal sharpener, 15 cm ruler, eraser, black ink ballpen, all packed in a robust tin…. only 99p (300+) £1.10 (100+) £1.15 (1-99)

We’re always pleased to hear from existing and new customers and can take your orders by phone, email, fax or post….and if you just need information about a product we’re always glad to help.

Please check our website for more details of calcs and other products at www.signposteducational.co.uk

Or contact us by email at: signpost@talk21.com

Signpost Educational Ltd
PO Box 999
London
E14 6SH

Tel: 020 7515 1797 Fax: 020 7515 4420

What is the simplest way to create an instant new world on each child’s fingers?

Felt finger puppets appeal to all young children because they do that most magical of things: they transform the everyday world in a second.

In this case they achieve the transformation by converting a finger into a person, and suddenly that finger becomes a living moving talking creature. Put one finger puppet on a finger of each hand and the creatures can start having a conversation.

Once a conversation starts the creatures can take on personalities. They can enter a new world. They can become real. One might be happy, the other sad. One might take another aside and make it a friend. Anything is possible.

Then to add to that sense of a new world the puppets can then be decorated with pom poms, glitter and wiggly eyes.

It is in effect the simplest way to create a new world in an instant. A child can use the results to enter his/her own story with a puppet on each finger, or two friends can introduce their puppets to each other.

Best of all, the price of finger puppets is so low that the puppets can go home and parents can see the way in which the children are being allowed to explore and create their own new world.

The Felt Finger Puppets themselves come in packs of 10 while all the accessories come in packs of 100.

Here are the details…

Felt Finger Puppets – pack of 10

Coloured Poms – pack of 100

Glitter Poms – pack of 100

Coloured Peel ‘n’ Stick Wiggle Eyes – pack of 100

Black and White Peel ‘n’ Stick Wiggle Eyes – pack of 100

Delivery

Most UK orders over £35 benefit from a free delivery service. For orders under £35 there is a £2.99 delivery charge.

Unfortunately, if you are lucky enough to be living in the Channel Islands the delivery charge is £12.45 irrespective of the size of the order. For Northern Ireland, the Isles of Scilly, the Scottish Highlands, Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man it’s £7 delivery.

What’s more, if you’re not completely happy with your order we offer a no quibble, money back guarantee.

You can order in any of these ways:

• On our website at the web links above
• By email to info@ss-services.co.uk
• By phone on 01789 765323

There are two different ways of raising grades at GCSE and A level which work well together. But not every school uses both.

The most obvious way to raise the grades of students taking exams is what we all strive to do: raise the quality of teaching and learning.

So dominant is this approach that the notion of there being an alternative is often not considered. After all, what else is there to do?

The answer, which perfectly complements the first approach, is managing stress and increasing motivation. This is essential because the level of stress that students experience seriously affects their ability to learn and their motivation to succeed.

However, the problem is that managing stress and fostering self-motivation is not something most of us are trained to do and we may feel that the time and resources to try are limited.

Helping students learn to overcome stress, teaching them to motivate themselves, encouraging them to plan for the future and develop confidence to try new things are essential skills. They help to build mental resilience and enhance overall mental well-being.

To develop these skills, students must explore them. Finding time in the school day to focus on these areas can be challenging and you may not have the resources or ideas to hand to achieve the desired result. But could you find ten minutes to introduce an activity that was already prepared?

Our solution comes in the form of eight worksheets in a ready-made booklet – ‘Greatest Strength Workbook for Students’. It comes with a free teacher’s guide and is available as an instant download. The teacher’s guide and a sample can be downloaded for free to get you started. The full license is currently only £29.99.

When you start to see the benefits of this kind of personal development, setting aside a small amount of time to complete a specifically designed task becomes easy.

The full details are available at: http://newset-training.com/students.html

If you have any questions then please email: clare@newset-training.com or call 07811 356 283

I look forward to hearing from you.

Clare Martin

What is the biggest problem a school is likely to face when looking to take on a minibus?

Imagine that one way or another you manage to raise the money to buy a minibus. Maybe a second hand minibus, but still you have bought a minibus.

Wherever that money comes from one thing is almost certain – you won’t be able to go back and ask for that money to be raised again, at least not for quite a long time.

Which is a problem, because even if you buy a new minibus now you’ll probably need a replacement in five years. If it took two years to raise the money this time, then that means you have to broach the subject again in three years.

OK, that is still three years away, but for the people who were involved in fund raising or budget squeezing in order to get you the new minibus three years will seem like no time at all.

“What’s the matter with the one we just bought you?” you’ll be asked, and it is a very hard question to answer.

But the problem is that minibuses over five years old become a bit of a safety risk. Standards change, requirements change, and gradually the vehicle becomes less and less reliable.

However there is a way around this – and that is leasing. With leasing the vehicle is paid for month by month without the school needing to take a big hit financially all in one go.

But this doesn’t mean that the generosity of friends of the school will be by-passed. Far from it, in fact. Because if the PTA or any other organisation is willing to raise money for you, that can be put towards paying the lease.

The vehicle can still be the vehicle provided by the PTA – and the PTA still pays for it. It just means that the method of allocating the money is different.

And you also get the option of having a professional undertake all the standard maintenance and servicing.

This effectively reduces the onus that is put on the person who is nominated in the school’s transport policy to look after the minibus. Indeed, it was to overcome issues and difficulties such as this that we introduced full maintenance as part of our minibus leasing.

Not only do the schools that use our service get a new minibus without having to use current capital to buy it, but they also get our certification that the bus has been checked by qualified engineers.

Given that the majority of school minibuses on the road are over five years old, this approach can be particularly valuable.

If you would like to know more take a look at our website – www.minibusleasing.co.uk/school-minibus.php.

Alternatively email us at Minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk or call us on 01753 859 944.

Magic Whiteboard helps students visualise information & remember things

Dragons’ Den Winners Magic Whiteboard allows you to create a whiteboard from a roll anywhere, in seconds (it’s like a reusable and erasable flipchart). See how teachers are using Magic Whiteboard in class. Magic Whiteboard is great for encouraging group work and problem solving, place the A1 Magic Whiteboard sheets on tables and students can write down ideas and solve problems. They can then stick the Magic Whiteboard sheets around the classroom so that the learning can be shared.

Magic Whiteboard clings to any hard flat surface (walls, windows and doors) and leaves no marks on surfaces (it clings using static). You can turn any room into a classroom. You write on Magic Whiteboard with any dry marker, wipe clean and reuse. Here is a 1 min video demo

If you want to try Magic Whiteboard – you get 20% off by using discount code HAMILTON20 – next day delivery

We also do an A4 Magic Whiteboard Pack of 20 sheets for £12.99

Best Wishes Neil Westwood, Founder of Magic Whiteboard

NEW – A0 MEGA Magic Whiteboard – 1200mm by 900mm – 10 sheets

A0 MEGA Magic Whiteboard allows you to create a large whiteboard, projector screen, use to wallpaper a whole wall or window in whiteboard. It’s twice the size of A1 (a flipchart).

Laminate walls – an easy way to hold documents in place & to annotate your work

You can use our new Magic Clearboard to laminate whole walls or windows. Use Magic Clearboard to create displays, holds documents in place on a wall without using bluetack, you can then annotate your work using any dry marker. Only £33.49 for 25 sheets. Watch a 30 second video of Magic Clearboard being used

Please order at www.magicwhiteboard.co.uk email sales@magicwhiteboard.co.uk or ring 01905 451552. We can send you an invoice.

Thanks

Neil Westwood
Managing Director

Magic Whiteboard Limited
www.magicwhiteboard.co.uk
Create a whiteboard from a roll – anywhere, in seconds!

Limrose Group Ltd, Llay Industrial Estate, Wrexham, LL12 0U
Tel. 01978 85 5555 Email: limrose@aol.com Web: www.limrosegroup.com

By Robert Burden 

Young people’s perceptions of themselves as learners and problem-solvers have been shown in numerous research studies to be key elements in their learning progress. MALS 8-16+ has been constructed to provide a readily available technique, which can be used by teachers, psychologists and researchers to gain access to this important aspect of learning development. 

MALS 8-16+ is easy to administer, score and interpret and can be used for gaining information on large cohorts of students or for more clinical purposes with individuals. It is a valid and reliable scale that can provide a valuable addition to any school’s assessment programme or educational psychologist’s repertoire of assessment techniques. 

As the work of Carol Dweck has proved, no matter how able, a child’s perception of themselves as learners will determine their academic careers. If it is poor it will: 

• Undermine their resilience, so that they give up at the slightest obstacle
• Make them defensive learners, unwilling to challenge themselves
• Make them over-reliant on teachers and on received opinion
• Write-off successes as ‘flukes’
• Under-perform in exams and tests
• Have low aspirations and under-achieve in life 

Whilst there are other self-esteem tests, no other test measures a child’s perception of themselves, specifically as learners, so well. This is why MALS has gone around the world as the key test to use to measure a child’s image of themselves as learners and thinkers.
Using it will enable you to: 

• Uncover, beneath external shows of confidence, which children have poor views of themselves as
learners and therefore will be liable to under-perform
• Pinpoint exactly where their problems are
• Measure progress in developing ‘open-mindsets’ in children 

Teacher Skills
The MALS is also a very subtle test of teacher performance – those teachers who succeed in lifting a child’s MALS score have the ability to motivate and teach the skills of independent learning… and vice versa! This too is often far from being easily visible. 

One of the most acclaimed self-perception tests ever produced. MALS is a short effective measure of pupils’ perceptions of their own abilities and approaches to learning. Young people’s perceptions of themselves as learners and problem-solvers have been shown in numerous research studies to be key elements in their learning progress. Identify those students ‘at risk’ whose academic self-concepts don’t match those of their peers or their own obvious abilities. 

• Easy to administer, score and interpret
• A valuable addition to schools’ assessment programmes
• Suitable for use by teachers, psychologists and researchers
• Applicable for large groups or with individuals

This Second Edition of the MALS has been completely updated. A much larger and more widespread data set for the purpose of establishing standardised norms has been analysed. Whilst the basic findings are not dissimilar to those obtained from the first standardisation sample, they give greater confidence that these norms are representative of the average scores to be expected across a wide age range and schools in a variety of locations. 

Whilst the MALS is straightforward to administer and score, the subsequent analysis of data obtained and interpretation of its possible significance is a much more complex process. This revised manual therefore provides more extensive information about ways of analysing MALS scores together with examples of possible research and clinical uses. 

Please note this edition includes two questionnaires at the end of the manual, one with questions for ages 8-16 and the other for those post-16. 

The Author
The late Robert Burden was Emeritus Professor of Applied Educational Psychology and a former Head of the School of Education at the University of Exeter. He previously taught children with learning difficulties and worked as an LEA educational psychologist. He established the Master’s degree professional training course in Educational Psychology at Exeter in 1971 and held leadership positions in both the British Psychological Society and the International School Psychology Association. 

Purchase your copy now by clicking on the link and downloading the Order Form! 

or call Customer Service on 0121 224 7599
or email: enquiries@imaginativeminds.co.uk 

Please quote code: MALS/414HH when placing your order.