Full of practical ideas to help teachers help pupils to learn how to learn.
Bill Lucas, Chairman, Talent Foundation
I feel thankful to Jackie Beere for bringing together some hope, activities and simple explanations in such a way that I had to read it from cover to cover. What wonderful ways to learn. A great little toolkit!
Betty Rudd Education Psychologist
If you are a student - (or a parent wanting to really help a student) - grab this book now. It's written by an outstanding teacher and packed full of practical, easy-to-follow advice that will improve anyone's results. It's all about working smarter - not necessarily harder.
Colin Rose, Founder of Accelerated Learning Systems Ltd
This book definitely supports my view point that academic qualifications are of absolutely no use whatsoever if one leaves school or tertiary education without any basic life skills. The fact that Jackie has looked at how to combine learning of academics and life skills is highly interesting and something I would want to spend time learning more about. I believe the approach she is proposing will have a huge impact on young people's ability to live far better balanced life styles as adults than many adults have done since aeducation' became available to the amasses'. Learning about emotional intelligence and the variety of skills that comes under its umbrella is a breath of fresh air for an educational system that has promoted academic learning to the exclusion of learners humanness.
Kathleen Ginn, author of The Secret Learning Code
This book turns good intentions into classroom realities.
Jackie Beare has produced a powerful and extensive resource for all of us who want learners to become independent, self-aware, socially skilled and responsible. Surely these qualities are the new, broader standards'' that the nation is now realising matter over and above examination results.
In tune with the zeitgeist and drawing on established ideas from brain-based learning, accelerated learning, emotional intelligence, citizenship, values education and holistic growth, this book is utterly down-to-earth and packed full of workable strategies. It is written by someone who knows the chalk-face well. Jackie''s wisdom and experience shine through in the breadth, novelty and detail of the impressive library of lesson plans.
Cleverly, Jackie has woven together the work of several leading educationalists, combined it with current QCA, National Strategy and Ofsted guidance, and produced a graceful and systematic framework that is translated into enjoyable student-friendly activities complete with in-built thoughts about continuity, progression and assessment. She captures the consensus that is beginning to emerge about the competences and attributes that all learners need now more than ever. In easy-to-teach chunks, The Learner''s Toolkit unfolds this modern agenda by using some of the best professional insights of recent years to deliver our new set of national priorities.
Paul Ginnis
This is great and really fits in with the learning to learn and thinking skills work that I have developed. I have already adapted the Multiple Intelligences lesson for a half-term worth of tutorial work in years 7 and 8. I will be coming back for more and recommending sections to different departments and year terms. Overall, an excellent book that already has a permanent place on my desk!
John Harris, Assistant Headteacher, Cheslyn Hay Sport and Community High School
We want children to learn more than knowledge. They need skills and they need to develop personal qualities. The aptitudes and outlooks they develop will help them to acquire knowledge and to become the sort of people that most of us identify as asuccessful'. Confident, able to bounce back, willing to try, thoughtful, reflective, compassionate, helpful, co-operativeathe list goes ona This book supports the new Secondary Curriculum in its efforts to promote Personal Development and links diversity to the Social Emotional Attitudes to learning (SEAL) Framework for secondary schools. It give teachers ideas, starting points, plans and examples to help them use their own ideas to support the progress of young people in the most vital of all areas of learningahow to cope with and contribute to the world in which they find themselves.
Mick Waters, Director of Curriculum
