2009 Review: New Challenges, New Triumphs 02 Dec 09

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 Early this year, we were approached by various National Challenge Co-ordinators to see how we could impact the targeted 653 schools that were identified as needing support in English and Science.
The aim was to help those students on the C/D borderline to improve their chances of getting A-C’s in their examinations. Positively MAD was asked to create courses that would revitalise the students’ interest in learning and boost their levels of confidence and enjoyment.

We responded to this challenge by creating the Hooks, Lines and Thinkers English and Science Workshops, which we piloted to a few schools in Surrey.

The response was remarkable: students loved every minute of these new courses, and wrote glowing reviews for each. Word of mouth soon spread, and more schools invited us in. Course creator and deliverer, Alan David Pritchard, was then sent to Liverpool and Preston where the reviews were equally impressive.

We were invited by the Key Strategy Advisor for Secondary Education in Kent to run the Hooks, Lines and Thinkers English courses to schools there, and again, the response has been very positive. Recently Alan was in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, where his running of the English workshops received the following 5-Star reviews from a group of Year 11 students:

• “It was helpful and witty and also helps with revision.” Kane M.
• “It was really fun and something fun will help you revise.” Matty H.
• “The actual activity was really good because the videos and jokes are funny and the whole thing actually helped.” Robert B.
• “It showed me the importance of supporting arguments and to read the question.” Ben V.
• “I know a lot more now than I did when I walked in. I had a good laugh.” Sam B.
• “With a mixture of humour and education, the things went in my head.” Jack.
• “Excellent. Really helped. It’s now easier to revise. It’s also very fun.” Wayne B.
• “It was funny and easier to understand than being sat in a classroom copying stuff out.” Vicky C.
• “It’s funny and I learned a lot from it!” Emma M.
• “It helped me understand some things about English that I didn’t understand before. It was pretty decent.” Harriet B.
• “It was good and made you learn a lot of things in a short space of time and in a fun way.” Billy.
• “You are mad. Very funny.” Toni F.
• “It’s cleverly made and performed very well. Helps a lot!” George R.

Because we were not the only organisation impacting targeted students, it is impossible to ascertain how Positively MAD specifically contributed to raised results. However, we when you read the feedback we receive for our courses, our immediate impact is enormous – with 100% of the students heartily recommending the workshops to other students.

• “It was thoroughly enjoyable if a little strange, but very funny and interactive. It was also very different to other workshops.” – Laura Moon
• “The course gives the chance for the audience to interact. The brains of the audience also get to be exercised whilst giving time for breaks and keeping the mood of the course not too serious.” – Roy Fielding
• “Better than throwing facts at you in the classroom because then you remember nothing, whereas facts in this you actually do remember.”
• “It was fun and interesting. It also gave valuable tips for English. It was very interactive and got the group involved a lot.” – Rebecca Towler
• “It is surprisingly effective, and entertaining at the same time. It really does work, and you don’t realise it.” – Ian Taylor
• “It is funny and opened my mind to other ways of learning. It really has helped me learn new and crazy things. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.” – Holly Jameson
• “It was funny and it helped me a lot to learn new things. It helped me to plan stories. It helped open my mind to new things.” – Wendy Taylor
• “I think that this will help me with spelling because I am dyslexic. Also it will help me doing essays and getting more marks.” – Andrew Winbow

More schools have booked the Hooks, Lines and Thinkers courses in the New Year, and reviews for these events will be posted in our NEWS section of our website.
We look forward to continuing our association with National Challenge schools and welcome all enquiries from others who wish to know more about our services and products.