General Resources

An outstanding set of resources. Developed to prompt discussion on knife crime with parents and children in a family learning setting, they are equally suitable in an FE setting – prompting discussion between students and tutors. The materials can be used to focus on knife crime but are also useful as part of wider discussion about criminal behaviour.

The resources include

Fun, multi-purpose speaking / reading / listening / writing / maths warm-up activity that can be used at any level and for any subject – particularly effective at Entry Level. Learners shake two dice to locate a word on a number matrix (good for maths:co-ordinates too!).
Five sample grids are provided – covering descriptions, homophones (2 grids), spellings and clothes – plus a blank grid so you can make your own. Includes full instructions and can also be used for numeracy.

This is a resource I developed, prior to the May 2011 referendum, to use as part of ‘language for expressing opinions’ at E3 Level. It’s quite basic but can be developed in different ways for classes of different levels. It is based the Victor the Vote Counter video available on YouTube or www.aboutmyvote.co.uk

Questioning for understanding is a really useful help sheet that encourages learners to ask relevant questions (any topic, any level). Based on Kipling’s “What and Why and When, And How and Where and Who” with teaching ideas and useful links.

For a related resource using the same idea to investigate and write newspaper reports please see Ellie Walsh’s Looking at Newspapers (below).

Provides useful prompts for general discussion work (small groups). Its budgeting slant also makes it suitable for numeracy classes.

A short but very useful PPT that is bound to stimulate much discussion about the different ways we communicate.

For improving visual figure-ground skills, expressive language development, matching and counting symbols.

Written for learners on the autistic spectrum (who often find it particularly difficult to infer meaning that is not explicitly stated) but suitable for many literacy and/or numeracy students.
General financial numeracy theme on budgeting, expenditure, saving etc – accompanied by two way discussion, making sense of monetary idioms and cliches (e.g. ‘making both ends meet’), and writing complete sentences.

Encourages learners to think (and mind-map / thought-web) about skills required for a good conversation and then test them out and evaluate after a 5 minute conversation with a partner.
Written for young adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Aspergers Syndrome but suitable for all.