FEEDBACK: Rave reviews for Hooks, Lines and Thinkers workshops 30 Apr 09

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AimHigher Surrey recently approached Positively MAD with a proposal to create new English and Science workshops to improve levels of attainment for students on the C/D borderline. These workshops have been run to Year 10 students at schools in Surrey and have thus far received very enthusiastic and encouraging reviews. 

The Hooks, Lines and Thinkers English and Science Workshops were created by Alan David Pritchard and are designed to show students ways to study using a variety of effective and innovative learning techniques. Each workshop begins with a promise that each student will be able to remember over 100 facts and ends with the class proving that they are capable of doing so.

“It is fun and you learn a lot in one day,” commented Ayisha Jamil, a year 10 pupil at Jubilee high School. “It will also help you in the exam and you can even teach the techniques to your family members and friends.”

In addition to learning innovative learning techniques, the students are also taught ways to revise basic English skills, with specific reference to spelling, punctuation, writing, reading, reasoning and persuasion.

Students at Jubilee High School recently experienced both workshops and reviewed them using a 5-star rating system while also providing reasons for their ratings. Here is what they thought about the courses:

HOOKS, LINES AND THINKERS: ENGLISH

Pupils who rated the course as 4 stars justified their ratings as follows:

• “It teaches you ways to help you with your GCSE’s, which is important – and it was very enjoyable.” – Dan Nicholls
• “It is very fun and active. It helps to increase your memory capacity and teaches you new ways to learn.” – Jake Jaslin
• “It allows you to find out new ways of learning and it’s funny because the man (Alan) is mad.” – Jazmine Blake
• “It was thoroughly entertaining.” – Doris Dolittle
• “We are guaranteed that we would remember 100 facts – and we did! I found the methods to memorise important techniques, both easy and extremely helpful. Thanks!” – Preetie Mohindru
• “It is good to help memory and to get us prepared for our exams. They are good techniques that are easy to use and remember.”
• “It helped to make me remember 100 facts, which I am very happy with. I would like to recommend this course to other students as it will help their English work a lot.” – Richard Burson
• “It was a good source of techniques that classroom teachers might not have time for. It was generally well thought out in a logical order. It shows details which my be useful in exam conditions.” – Adam Thomas
• “I learnt a lot about different techniques about learning. I found today’s workshop unusual but helpful with reading, memory and having fun.” – Lucy-Fishii

Pupils who rated the course as 5 stars justified their ratings as follows:

• “It helps you learn how to learn. You can find out many different things and find out that you can remember things really easily – it will be useful. Also, it is a VERY funny experience.” – Joshua C.
• “It is really fun and the activities are ones to remember. Also, the information given was clear and precise. Furthermore, the basic skills refreshed my memory and I wish more lessons were like this.” – Duckii Norris
• “It is good fun and has helped me to remember ways for writing for my GCSEs. I will be able to use them while doing my exams.” – Emma Mainwaring
• “It can help other students like it helped me as it has taught me how to remember things more easily and has taught me some useful English skills.” – Lauren Mullett
• “You learn lots of new techniques that help you A LOT! It was fun but we learnt a lot at the same time.” – Olivia Blanco
• “I enjoyed myself greatly and I truly believe that I have learnt a lot of skills that I know are going to help me in my future exams.” – Jessica Langley
• “The course was entertaining, useful and understandable.” – Thomas M.
• “It’s amazing! And crazy. Crazy is cool! Maaadness.” – Abigail Martin
• “It helped me learn some valuable techniques for exams, etc, and it wasn’t at all boring.” – Eleanor Grace Collier
• “It helps me remember things, and has given me a lot of revision tips. It does it all in an entertaining manner.” Frazer T.
• “It was very enjoyable and taught me how to remember different things.” – Ryan Ayres
• “It is mad and enjoyable and I learnt a lot from it.” – Ryan S.
• “It is fun and you learn a lot in one day. It will also help you in the exam and you can even teach the techniques to your family members and friends.” – Ayisha Jamil

HOOKS, LINES AND THINKERS: SCIENCE

Pupils who rated the course as 4 stars justified their ratings as follows:

• “I thought the teaching techniques were very fun – especially the number thing!” – Duckii
• “It highly introduced us to new techniques of memorising things which is very important for students.” – Ann Mary
• “It is really enjoyable and I have learned a lot of new things.” – Steph Marsh
• “It is fun and active. Involves the students by getting them to take part in physical activities. Very good!” – Jake Joslin
• “I enjoyed it and learned at the same time.” Stephen Lyndon
• “It was a great laugh and got everyone involved.” – Gary Green
• “The activities were fun and different to what I expected. I have learnt loads.” – Fishii
• “It will help us to get a better grade in our exams and it gave us different ways to take notes.” Danielle Taylor
• “It has good techniques.”
• “Full of information and useful for studying. The techniques are very creative and will be very helpful for mainly GCSE.” – Ruchika Mhaprolkan
• “It isn’t boring, it’s engaging and it’s not too hard and it actually works.”
• “It was an easy and useful way to remember.”
• “It was very enjoyable and I learnt a lot of new ways to study and remember things.” – Dan Nichols
• “I learnt how to remember things, that I forgot in the exam, so when I resit, I will hopefully have more chance of remembering.” – Jazmine Blake

Pupils who rated the course as 5 stars justified their ratings as follows:

• “The course was entertaining, useful and understandable.” – Thomas M
• “It is a great way to learn and have fun at the same time.” – Joshua C
• “I have enjoyed this one better than the English because it is more interactive and has definitely helped me learn so many more techniques so I can easily revise.” – Abigail Martin
• “This was better than the last session.” – Ryan Ayres
• “I learnt easy ways to revise and some facts.”
• “It was great fun and good. I learnt some great skills for later in life.”
• “It is very helpful and you won’t even get bored learning. Your brain gets strong.” – Ayisha Jamil
• “It is a fun way of learning and finding out ways to remember facts for our GCSEs.”
• “I found this course interesting and fun. I learnt lots of new techniques of how to learn.” – Olivia Blanco
• “I feel I have learnt some useful skills which other students can learn – so I do recommend the course.” – Lauren Mullet.

Students at Matthew Arnold High School rated the courses as follows:

HOOKS, LINES AND THINKERS: ENGLISH

Pupils who rated the course as 4 stars justified their ratings as follows:

• “I found it quite random, but then quite a lot made sense to me at the end, after it was all explained.” – Rosie Irwin
• “It’s a different and effective way of learning without realising.” – Rebekah Binley
• “The last two hours have been amusing and informative.” – Charlotte Devereux
• “It was interesting. I got a lot of good tips and it was quite fun.” – Flo Mascasil
• “I have learnt a lot and was amazed I could remember 100 things without writing anything down.”
• “I learnt a lot that will help me with my English exam and good techniques to remember information.”

Pupils who rated the course as 5 stars justified their ratings as follows:

• “I have never been very good at remembering words or sentence structure. This has helped me a lot in doing so. I think this is useful to anyone if they have trouble with memory.” – Joe Ash
• “Quite possibly the best lesson ever. I learnt a 100 facts. Whoo hoo!” – Phil Macorey
• “I learnt a lot from this course. It was fun-filled, weird, but very good.” – Dan Gleebles
• “It helps you remember complicated subjects.” – Tom Chisholm
• “It helped me to remember important facts and helped me improve my memory. It was fun and random. This is good because everyone got into the activities and worked as a team.” – Sophie Gray
• “It was interesting and a good way to train the brain.”
• “It was very interesting and was a good way of concentrating. You were able to listen and try understand each part.” Nicole Green
• “It was entertaining and useful.” – Mike Rouch
• “It was a lot more interesting than normal lessons.” – Andrew
• “It helps you remember new techniques for your important exams and they really work.” – Ashish
• “It gave me a new and unique way to memorise key stuff for my English exam without writing anything down.” – Ceri Cullinane
• “I thought it would be impossible to remember 100 facts but it has worked and I am over the moon. Really pleased with how it went. A real success.” – Adrain Stokes

HOOKS, LINES AND THINKERS: SCIENCE

Pupils who rated the course as 4 stars justified their ratings as follows:
• “I learned a lot of great study skills that I will continue to use.” – Kristian Biles
• “It was great fun and I remembered a lot of useful things.” – Roma Jones
• “It was helpful.”
• “It was quite random, but a good way to remember things.” – Rosie Irwin
• “I remember more of the periodic table than I have learnt in 5 years.” – Charlotte Devereux
• “It taught me good ways of remembering things for my exams.”

Pupils who rated the course as 5 stars justified their ratings as follows:

• “I learnt a lot from it, and new methods of revising.” – Mike Rutch
• “It was fun and enjoyable but you learn at the same time.” – Jake O’Leary
• “It helped me learn new techniques of learning and will be useful when revising for exams.”
• “It was fun and entertaining. It taught me a lot about Science and I find it easier to remember important facts.” – Sophie Gray
• “I can now remember things easier and can relate to things that I wouldn’t normally.” – Sam Hogan
• “I found it very useful and made me understand how I can memorise boring stuff in a fun way.” – Nicole Green