In order to attract teachers to our channel, we also made a series of Positive Teaching Tips – little nuggets of wisdom in simple 2 to 3 minute presentations. These included hints on improving reading, questioning skills and classroom management. 

We were expecting a couple of hundred views at the most, and guessed that we would make a few friends and get a couple of subscribers too. 

One year on and all our expectations have been exceeded.   

This is a letter to say thank you.

Thank you for your hard work

The 2010 - 2011 academic year has been manic: government cuts, austerity measures and a host of reforms have made this school year a bit more challenging than most.

One thing that will never change - no matter what the political and economic climate - is the dedication and hard work of passionate teachers, determined to improve the quality of teaching and learning for their students.

We here at Positively MAD understand and applaud your efforts, knowing, as we do, how even the smallest victories (like getting a one student to read a bit more) can take a huge amount of commitment and energy.

Thank you for your passion

Which is why we would like to thank you for being passionate about what you do.

You see, it's because you genuinely care about raising standards that you chose to bring in a company like ours to help make learning more fun and creative.

We love enhancing the learning potential of students, and to be invited to deliver training events at your school - well, that was an honour and privilege indeed.

It is because of passionate people like you that Positively MAD was invited into over 400 schools this year. That's over 20 000 students who have enjoyed our courses and techniques.

For a company that is passionate about making a difference, these kinds of numbers are very encouraging. Thank you for allowing us to  make a positive impact on the confidence levels, aspirations and learning abilities of so many students.

Thanks to your wonderful students

We would also like to thank all the students who experienced our learning events for making our presenters feel so very welcome and appreciated.

For our presenters, who deliver to hundreds of students each day,  it is always a pleasure to engage with teenagers who are well-behaved, attentive and appreciative.

The student feedback comments are incredibly positive and encouraging - so, we would like to thank all of them for taking the time to review our events with such candour and praise.

Commissioned and sponsored by Aimhigher Suffolk, the workshop is part of the Learning to Remember Tour (which includes a teacher training event called Teaching to Remember) created and delivered by Positively MAD’s senior presenter, Alan David Pritchard.

The aim of the tour is expressed in the title of the course: to show students how to remember things more easily in ways that are highly memorable and fun.

Alan returned from Suffolk yesterday after delivering the course to  10 schools across the county, and is delighted with the very positive feedback he received.

99.9% of the students who experienced the course would highly recommend it to others.

And this is what they had to say about the event: 

•  I was able to remember more things than I thought. Our group managed to remember almost 140 things without writing it down. It shows that this strategy works. – CM
• It is a good way to learn because you don’t write loads of facts. You learn by doing drawings or using your body and I learn a lot by doing this. – AW
• It was exciting and it helps you to remember. – G.D
• It was more interesting than writing things down. – VH
• To start off with, I didn’t believe him that I would remember 100 things but I did. – S.M
• It was very good and interactive! – G.M
• It was good and interesting. – SB
• It involves everyone, no writing and also keeps you alert with different, interesting things, but not a 5 stars because sometimes it was confusing. – JTC
• It is interesting and fun. – JC
• It was very helpful to remember over 100 facts. – CW
• It was helpful to remember facts easily. – KP
• We learnt a lot more than we would than in a normal lesson and it was much funner which made us want to listen and learn more. – BE
• It was very good.
• It was fun but really helpful at the same time.- Liz
• It is outstanding how many words you can remember without writing them down. – SM
• It’s fun and really easy to remember random facts. – CH
• It’s very entertaining and helpful! I will use these techniques again. – CAP
• It was really interesting and informative and taught me loads, but wasn’t boring. I run a website and this will really help me remember stuff to do on it and help in school. – DF
• It helped us learn how to remember things and showed us that we don’t need to write things down. – NM
• It does help you to remember and is a lot of fun
• It was helpful for exams. And it was fun. – LC
• It gives you other helpful ways of revising. It’s fun! – AT
• It was interesting. – TY
• It makes you think of lots of crazy things. – JD
• It was good but it could have been a little bit better – like more interesting things to help you remember. – OMB
• I remembered a lot of things. It was enjoyable and it annoyed Lois muchly. – CC
• It was a very effective way of remembering things for a test. – GM
• I actually managed to remember things and it can help other students remember facts for their exams. – GR
• It showed me ways to remember things in a lesson. – LA
• At first I was apprehensive but as the presentation progressed, I began to realise I have a better memory than I thought. It really helped. – CTG
• It was fun, funny and we learnt things. VR
• Funny, interesting. – UU
• Very funny. Learned much. – MK
• It was fun. It worked! He related to things that we would actually like and laugh about. – JA
• It was funny. – M
• It was interesting and surprisingly, I learnt a lot. – ND
• It’s a really interesting way of remembering things, and it was funny. – EH
• Easy to understand. Made it fun. Definitely would do it again. It made me trust my memory. – LO
• It’s fun and helped you learn ways of remembering things. – PR
• It was funny and I learnt a lot. It’s useful for school in Germany too. – SP
• It’s very funny and interesting. It isn’t boring. – Cara
• It was fun, energetic and interesting. It helped develop my studying and memory skills. – HM
• I always thought I had a bad memory but I was surprised at how I can remember all these things. – MC
• This course helps you remember 100 facts. This course is beneficial in every lesson. – MC
• It was funny and I learnt a lot about how to revise. – KB
• It was interesting and I actually remembered everything he said. It’s also fun. – DC
• It was funny and interesting and the man was cool. – TW
• It was unbelievable that we remembered 100 facts. It was very funny. – RK
• Very funny and useful. – TM
• It was funny and interesting. I think now I can learn my vocabularies faster and better. Thanks! – V
• It was interesting and funny. You learned a lot of things about remembering and it wasn’t boring. – JW
• Very funny, interesting, we learned a lot. – HK
• It was funny and interesting and I learned very much. – MP
• It was fun and very funny and really did work. – J
• It was very effective and will help to make revision easier. – D
• I learnt a lot and didn’t get bored. I think other people should get a chance to listen to you.- DK
• It was interesting and you learn lots of things. There were also some jokes, which made the presentation funnier.- M
• It was interesting and funny and fast-paced. –LR
• We learned much about learning for our study and it was fun. – VK
• This could help people with their test and could help remember things. – JM
• Interesting. We learnt a lot. Funny. We could understand everything. – AS
• He is very funny and he explains very well. – SK
• It was genius! - FK
• It was fun and enjoyable. – ZH
• It was fun and enjoyable. – TG
• It was fun and very enjoyable. – RH
• I learnt loads of things but we couldn’t do everything. – JM
• It was fun and funny. It helps you to remember stuff, like remembering the first 20 of the periodic table. – BP
• It was interesting and a different way of learning. – HF
• We didn’t only learn, it was fun and enjoyable too! – RW
• It is very effective and you can remember everything. – JL
• It helps you remember stuff and it is fun. – XG
• Fun and very interesting and effective. – HPR
• It was interesting and I remembered things without even realising. – MB
• It is fun and has helped me remember different facts. – GB
• It was easy to remember in a short amount of time. – HG
• The man (Alan) is funny and smiley and we understood him. He said no big words and showed us good reasons to revise. We learnt 103 facts! Wow! – JS
• It is a very good way to help you remember. – JM
• It was a lot of fun and we learnt a lot of facts and how to use it to help exams and stuff. – HB
• It is fun and Alan made me laugh and we learnt loads of things. 103 to be exact. Wow! – SF
• You were funny and made it interesting. – K
• I learnt over 100 facts without writing them down. It was fun! – TK
• Learnt and remembered a lot. Helped methods to revise without reading notes. It was fun! – KB
• It actually worked. He said that we can ‘remember 100 facts.’ I thought, ‘No way.’ But in the end, we remembered 103!  Amazing! Can’t believe it! – RC
• Funny, very educational and interesting. – D
• I can remember things in a more efficient, fun way.
• It was funny and helpful.- DF
• I was actually surprised at how much I can remember and I also found the videos funny. – FS
• I was amazed by how many things I learnt today. – JR
• We learnt 116 facts in about 100 minutes and we remembered them. – ES
• In the end we remembered 116 facts in total. – ST
• It helped me realise that my memory isn’t as bad as I thought it was. – G
• It helped quite a lot and I think it will help me remember! – GP
• I would never have believed that I could have learnt 116 facts in 90 minutes. Incredible! – CB
• I learnt a lot and you helped me to remember. – JT
• It was fun and helped me remember stuff! The videos were good. – ZM
• It’s interesting and enjoyable and it works.
• It’s fun and it really helped. – H Davies
• It was very funny and it simply amazed me. I loved it! – LS
• It was really fun and we learnt loads. – JM
• It was incredible. I never thought it was possible to learn so many things in one lesson. – HS
• It was fun and I learned a lot. – BT
• It was fun and I learned a new technique to help with my GCSE’s. – JH
• It is helpful. – JF
• This course is a lot of fun and you can remember a lot of things. – CM
• It was very fun and interesting! – LF
• I learnt 116 facts today without writing them down. I was really impressed! Thanks. – KM
• It didn’t feel like we were remembering things. – BGS
• 5 stars
• Alan is just brilliant! Made me laugh so much, and I actually remembered everything! – Cheers Alan. – BB
• It is absolutely amazing because I remembered 105 facts!!! And I still remember 20 of the elements. Thank you. – CS
• It was very fun. You wouldn’t think that you would be able to remember 105 things. – CG
• It actually does help you with remembering things. Plus it has been fun and enjoyable.- LW
• I understood a lot and learnt a lot. It helped me. – BC
• It was a fun and creative process which was very helpful and the ways to remember were positively mad. – SN
• It opened my mind to new opportunities, understanding new ways to achieve when in my GCSEs. – WES
• It was interesting and very simple to learn. – JAM
• It was really fun and amazingly I remembered over 100 facts!!! JCM
• I found it very interesting and very helpful. – BRG
• I gave you 5 stars because I didn’t actually know that I was remembering over 100 facts. – EJL
• It helps you remember loads of facts easily which can be useful for revision. – HLK
• It was weird and wacky. I loved it! I will also use these strategies to help me with my GCSEs. – PMB
• It was quite strange but helped me and was quite fun. I will be using these methods in the future! – LGS
• The course was very useful for remembering things and helping in the exams. – JD
• Well, I didn’t really enjoy it because I am in a mood and he was too hyper for my liking but if I was in a better mood, I probably would have enjoyed myself. – HL
• It was educating and enjoyable. – TJ
• It makes you realise that in the exams you can remember things using pictures.- CMC
• It was really funny and we learned a lot of stuff. – TY
• This could help you a lot in your exams and it’s really easy to remember things. And it was fun. – AF
• It helps you to remember things to help with your exams and stuff. – MAB
• It helps you to remember things for GCSEs and is very useful. – SD
• It is fun and very very effective. – RA
• It was fun. I had fun. It helped me. – MV
• I found it really useful and it was really fun. It helped me remember 107 things without writing them down. – CA
• I really enjoyed this course and I realised my memory is a lot better than I thought. – Ellen D
• It was entertaining, funny and helpful. I managed to remember all of the answers. – SJ
• It was positively brilliant. I really enjoyed it. We were learning 100 facts but we didn’t know it. – JB
• It was fun but really inspiring. It improved our confidence, our creativity and addressed our ability to memorise things. I remembered 107 new facts. – EL
• It’s fun, inspirational and teaches new learning techniques that can help with education. – DOG
• At first, I didn’t think I would remember 100 things in 2 lessons, but using Alan’s techniques, it helped in many ways. – GB
• At the start I thought I had a rubbish memory. After doing this course, I know I can remember loads. – ME
• It is amazing what you can remember if you think about it. – DK
• Very enjoyable. Made me laugh all the way through and it’s taught me how to help remember things. – JK
• I learnt more facts without writing them down than I have ever learnt. And it was fun! – Geg
• It was funny and it made me laugh. It also helped me learn techniques to remember facts. MDWS
• It was interesting and fun how easy remembering stuff etc can be. – HH
• It helped me remember a lot of facts easily. – DS
• It helped me a lot and I am feeling much more confident for my exams. – KS
• It taught me a lot about how to remember things. – RBN
• He explains and shows the fun side of learning. – Peter H
• I memorised 115 facts which proves it helps you to remember. – LC
• It helped me remember more than I am used to and it was fun. – CL
• Learnt more facts without writing them down that I have every learnt. And it was fun! – G
• It was funny and it made me laugh. It also helped me learn techniques to remember facts. – MS
• It was interesting and fun how easy remembering stuff etc can be. – HH
• The course was fun and we learnt how to remember stuff for our exams. – M
• He is funny, helps people learn simple things a lot easier, increases creativity. Lots of knowledge. – KB
• It was very interesting to watch and it has really helped my memory. – PB
• We learnt to remember 100 facts without writing them down and it will help people learn. – CR
• The videos were great and we remembered 115 things and my memory is as good as a goldfish. – JS
• It really boosts your confidence and helps you to do things you thought you couldn’t do before. – JCM
• He made learning fun. He broke it down into little bits that made us learn loads. And we all learnt and remembered 115 facts without writing them down. – CH
• This session has taught me a good way to remember more things for my exams. So it is actually helpful.- LP
• It was very funny and I learnt so much more than I would in a normal 2 hour lesson. –SB
• It helps you find out more things. – Lola M
• I learnt easy ways of remembering things and how much you can remember without much effort. – CB
• I normally find it hard to remember stuff and in the space of 2 hours, I’ve remembered 115 things. – LH
• I learnt a huge amount of facts that I feel will really help me with schoolwork and exams. – KH
• You learn things easier than school work and I learnt easier ways to remember things. – MB
• We learnt about 100 facts in2 hours. It was fun and I learnt more in 2 hours than I do at a whole day of school. – AH
• It was interesting and helped me learn how to remember things easily. – CO
• It helped me and surprised me that you can remember so much stuff just from having fun and no writing. – LD
• It helped boost my memory and was very entertaining. And surprising when he showed us how much we learnt. – JP

(These comments are from students at: Deben High, Ipswich Academy, Leiston Community High School, Chantry High School and 6^th Form Centre, Stowmarket High, Sudbury Upper School, The Benjamin Britten High School)

Alan would like to thank all the pupils for their excellent behaviour and the way they made him feel welcome and appreciated. He would also like to thank Helen Full at Aimhigher Suffolk for the opportunity to develop and deliver this event.

The course is designed to show students how powerful their memories are and to provide them with simple but effective techniques to improve recall. Alan was very impressed with the behaviour, attitude and response of the students who participated with gusto and tried their best.

“I remembered more than I thought I would. It’s fun and I like the techniques he used and the videos we watched in between. It was the first time I have paid full attention in a 100 minute lesson,” remarked one of the students afterwards.

Another student reported:

“Alan proved that everyone has the ability to use their brain well, even if you struggle normally. He also helped by giving us useful techniques to help us in the future with our learning.”

From the feedback received, over 94% of the 78 students who attended the course would recommend it to others, with 91% awarding the event 4 Stars or more.

Read on to discover what the students had to say about this enlightening learning event.

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

• I really enjoyed it. It was fun. – Imogen B
• It was really fun and there was minimal writing. – Dominic H
• It helped me a lot and it was very informative. – Serena A-W
• It was useful. – Shane B
• I enjoyed it. It was funny and easy to follow. – Matthew H
• I enjoyed myself a lot and I remembered everything he said we would. – Georgia E.H
• It is funny and everyone can get involved. You can also remember things more easily. – Laura W
• It was really helpful to learn by putting it with fun. Thank you! – Shannon S
• It was really funny and you learn things that you never knew before and the students get involved. – Ashley N
• It was very funny and the videos were enjoyable. Also, I found it a lot easier to remember the facts. – Andrew Y
• Involved students, was funny but also educational. – TE
• The presentation and jokes and way of learning were extremely brilliant. – William A
• It is strange how you can remember all the things you get told. – Connor C
• This is so awesome! – Blade C
• It was fun and enjoyable. – Ethan S
• I remembered about 130 things which I never thought I could. – Joe W
• Alan was well good and fun and we learnt 130 facts! – L.H
• It’s weird how you can learn all of that in so little time and it will help with my exams. – Logan A
• It was really fun and I have learnt a lot more than I would have done in a term of school work! It was awesome! – Sophia C
• It was really good and helpful. I wish all lessons were like this as I learnt and had fun and it made me remember everything. – Jasmin L
• I really enjoyed it and it helped us to remember. It was really fun! – Ellie M
• I have learnt how to remember better and I can use these skills in my revision next year. Thanks. – Olivor W
• It was funny and different to normal lessons! – Sam D
• It is surprisingly interesting and amazing. – Ryan W
• It was helpful and helped us remember things and be clever. – Tiff
• It was useful and funny and very clever! – Megan
• I have remembered so many things. – Megan P
• Alan is cool. – Lucy
• It was entertaining.
• 5 Stars. – Lauren
• 5 Stars – Joff
• It really helped me learn and everyone can remember. – H
• I found it very funny and enjoyable. Also informative and will help me to remember stuff. – Steve N
• The thing Alan did helps a lot not just for remembering things but ti also helps me solve a maths problem in 5 seconds without using a calculator. It gives you an idea on how you could remember things without writing them down. E.G
• It is a fun way of learning difficult things. – Tasha F
• I reckon I can use a lot of this stuff later on. – Chris
• Alan is positively mad, funny and we learnt loads! – Emma B
• 5 stars plus – Robert T
• I have learnt amazing things that I thought I would never be able to do. I have learnt a lot. – Dylan T
• Alan is extremely funny. His technique for getting me to remember was great! I have improved and the presentation was outstanding. He knew what he was doing. Amazing.
• It was fun and informative at the same time. It was also really funny. After this experience, my memory has definitely improved and I know how to revise and trigger information.
• This was very good and it was very surprising how much it improved my memory. – Jake W
• I remembered more than I thought I would. It’s fun and I like the techniques he used and the videos we watched in between. It was the first time I have paid full attention in a 100 minute lesson. – S.W
• Alan is possibly the funniest man I have ever met. I hope I meet him again. – J.L.K
• It was so amazing and funny and educational. It was mind-blowing! Thanks! Rebecca P
• It taught me how to remember more about lots of different things, and also made me more confident about my work. – Ella M
• Alan proved that everyone has the ability to use their brain well, even if you struggle normally. He also helped by giving us useful techniques to help us in the future with our learning. – Holly S
• I have learnt more today than I have in the last week. Also, Alan is funny and I loved it so much I wish every lesson was like this. – Kerry B

Mark was at the Q3 Academy in Birmingham last week, delivering Super Speed Study Skills presentation to year 9 pupils.

“Today taught me how to study better “reported one of the students afterwards, with another adding, “Mark Kennedy was great and made it exciting!”

“It was awesome,” was another of the comments received. “It was fun and interesting.”

We asked the teacher observers to rate the presentation. Read on to discover that they had to say:

Did you enjoy today’s presentation?                      5/5

Was the content useful for your students?          5/5

Did the presenter engage the students?                              5/5

Did the presenter pitch the material at the appropriate level for the audience?               5/5

Did the presenter effectively manage any challenging behaviour?                          5/5

“The Gifted and Talented students were given skills to further develop their activities.” Dave L, teacher

Congratulations Mark on making such a positive impression!

Creative Approaches to Learning consists of 2 presentations to Key Stage 2, showing audiences how to use effective memory-improvement techniques to learn in ways that are more fun and creative.

From the feedback she received, it is clear that Rachel made a wonderfully positive impression on both teachers and pupils.

Read on to discover what they had to say about this event.

1. Did you enjoy today’s event?                                     5/5

2. Was the content relevant to your students?                 5/5

3. Did the presenter engage the students?                      5/5

4. Was the material pitched at the appropriate level?       5/5

Describe the benefits of this course for your students:

• Helped them to focus on remembering important things through pictures and rhymes and understanding a bit about your brain.
• Fabulous interaction with all involved. Clear controlled speech. Full of character to enhance the pupils’ understanding and learning. All round educational entertainer.
• Hopefully they will be able to use the memory techniques shown, taught to them. I feel that the mind map will be immensely useful with literacy.

(Teachers, Belvedere Junior School).

Bookings for this fantastic learning event are now being taken for July, September and October. Book early to avoid disappointment – this is a popular and sought-after course.

Call 0800 809 4850

Fantastic session – the Positively MAD presenter motivated me to remember to include the ideas and techniques in my own teaching. The pupils were engaged and excited to see quick results in their learning and confidence. Thanks!  Nicki C, Teacher, Sutton Coldfield

The seminars were fast paced and entertaining, the presenter (Andy) kept the students thoroughly engaged from start to finish. The students left with skills and strategies to boost their revision and the motivation to achieve.  J Sale, Pastoral Manager, King Edwards VII, Sheffield

Positively MAD never fail to deliver, the presenter’s enthusiasm is infectious! A lot of ideas and strategies for learning that we will implement in our teaching and revision classes.   T Elsden, Key Stage 4 / 5 Learning Manager

Many thanks for your contribution to the Cardiff High School Year 12 Induction Course last week. The session taken by Joe was a great success and they responded very well to the skills highlighted. The feedback from the students at the end of the session reflected their great enthusiasm and appreciation for the content presented. Year 8 also greatly enjoyed their workshop and gained a great deal from the experience. Thank you again and we hope to see you in school in the future.  Mrs Katherine Dilks, Year12 Achievement Leader

After speaking to the children about the workshop, it was all a very positive impression. The students loved the whole idea of relating numbers to words and words to objects. They told me that they could see themselves using this technique when revising at home. Jay who presented the workshop was great with the kids, got them very well engaged into the activities and was very professional. As a member of staff watching in the hall, it was great to hear the kids feeding back to Jay ( for me i knew that it had been a successful workshop) and remembering shopping lists and certain numbers. It was very good. Hopefully with their mock exams coming up they have used these useful techniques when revising. Thank you. Shrona Moores, Aimhigher and AGT Co-ordinator
Marsden Heights Community College

I am pleased to say that the day went very well and our students and staff had a fantastic time. In addition students were full of new information which had been presented in a new and exciting way. I hope that you found the experience to be a positive one and will consider visiting us again soon. I believe that by combining our resources and delivering information in this way it has a massive impact on our students and also allows you to see them in a different light. Ms McGowan – Head Teacher

Many thanks for a great week. The positive feedback we have had from the pupils who attended your Year 10 & Year 11 study skills workshops was quite overwhelming. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and remarked on how they will be using mind mapping to help them with their school work & beyond!! Here is a little taster of some of the feedback we received… “It was fantastic, I always thought mind mapping was confusing & difficult to understand, but once it was explained it seemed very easy…I was amazed how much I remembered”….”It has made me realise how mind mapping can help in my revision. Jill Yeowell – Aimhigher Manager

The LEARNING TO REMEMBER workshop is a 2 hour in-class learning event created specifically to help students improve their memories and boost their learning ability. It’s a multi-sensory, multi-media experience that leaves students amazed at the power of their brains and surprised by the ease with which lots of information can be remembered.  The ultimate objective of the LEARNING TO REMEMBER course is to show students that they are able to remember over 120 facts about memory and studying – without writing any of them down.

Alan David Pritchard who created and delivers the course is delighted with the feedback received after delivering the event to well-behaved and appreciative audiences at Westbourne.

“With all new courses, you are never sure,” says Alan, “of how well they will be received. Well, after reading the reviews and comments for the 2 sessions, I needn’t worry. The kids loved it.”

“It is an excellent course for teenagers or anyone else. There are so many ways to memorise. It was an outstanding experience, one of the best of my life. Just breath-taking!” (Zeinab, Year 9 pupil).

 The Learning To Remember Suffolk Tour has begun, and Alan will be delivering this engaging memory improvement course to other schools in the area between now and the middle of July.

Read on to discover why so many students awarded this course 5 stars:

• It’s funny and interesting.
• It’s very helpful and I know how to keep things in my memory so much better now. – Luke H
• It was an exciting course and has shown me some good techniques. – Connor S
• I thought it was interesting and never thought I could remember so many facts! – Marley W
• It’s good and interesting. – Toby S
• It worked well and was very enjoyable. – Andrei S
• It helped you to remember more and new methods for remembering. – Diae
• It was hilarious and I actually did remember over 100 facts! – Adam L
• It was fun and even I, with my memory loss, learnt to remember. – Joe
• It’s fun, helpful and interesting. – Alex M
• It’s fun and exciting and also helps with remembering. – Athaur R
• It was fun and enjoyable to find out different ways to store our brains with over 140 facts for 2 hours! – Megan R
• It was very entertaining, funny and very helpful in any way possible! – Sky W
• It was fun, interesting, funny and cool. – Hannah V
• Teaches you things you didn’t know. Helps you learn differently and teaches you to keep things you remember. – Wahinda
• It was fun and exciting and we managed to remember everything easily and we learnt and remembered over 100 facts. – Siobhan R
• Well-presented and I really enjoyed watching the videos and learnt loads from the course. Thank you. – Rebecca Mason
• It was fun, kept me entertained. – Tori M
• It was fun and I achieved a lot from it. Trust your brain. – Stacey R
• It was funny and informative and fun.
• It wasn’t boring. Quite interesting and we actually learned.
• It was great. – Sam
• It has helped me with my memory. – Abi G
• It is a different way of learning and remembering loads of different facts and things I didn’t know. – Jordan B
• It was really fun to learn things that I didn’t know about my brain. – Shannon
• It was really funny and I couldn’t believe I could remember all them facts. – Taylor B
• I actually never knew I could learn and remember over 100 facts in the space of 2 hours without writing them down. – Sophia Y
• Reminds me of Willy Wonka. – Tara S
• It was really funny and interesting and exciting and the man made it really funny and entertaining. It was really good. I learnt a lot. – Rasheda B
• It was really good. – Sophie L
• It’s fun, easy and you learn quite a lot. – Tre F
• It was funny! Easy to learn. – Liam B
• It was really great, really worked! It was fun and held my attention the whole time! Bethany S
• It really makes you think and remember things in ways you wouldn’t think of doing. – Vickey H
• It did work and you actually remembered over 100 facts. It really makes you think in so many different ways. – amber G
• It’s an outstanding experience that captures the mind and unlocks skills you never knew you had. – Todd G
• It is an excellent course for teenagers or anyone else. There are so many ways to memorise. It was an outstanding experience, one of the best of my life. Just breath-taking! – Zeinab F

 “Year 11 students who are due to sit their GCSE exams this summer got valuable revision tips  during an energetic presentation by Positively MAD, an educational training company.

The presenter, Jay Shirley,  took the students through a range of study skills, memory techniques and revision hints during the two-and-a-half hour ‘Exam-Busters’ session which built on an earlier Super Speed Study Skills workshop which took place in February.

He also ran a 45-minute session for parents, taking them through the recall process and the dos and don’ts of revision so that they can support their child’s learning at home.

Jay said: ‘Previously with the students we did study skills when we looked at mind maps whereas today we looked at memory techniques. I showed them how they can remember things for their exams by creating a mental image using a familiar place, like their bedroom.’

This technique of linking a concept to an actual physical location is used by world memory champions and is an effective way to recall a string of facts. During the sessions Jay got the students to remember the 19 countries of NATO using symbols which they mentally ‘placed’ around the lecture theatre. For instance a church bell represented Belgium while a red maple leaf helped them to remember Canada.

Jay also ran through revision techniques, which mean that students revise for half an hour, take a five minute break then re-read the previous information briefly before studying something new. This cumulative approach means that information is far more likely to be absorbed and then recalled when needed.

He also recommends that students do a quick mental review of what they have been studying before they go to bed and again when they wake up the next morning, just to reinforce the main facts.

He said: ‘Key revision techniques include not panicking … these memory and mind mapping techniques are very important because the students can use them at home and build on them as they go along. The idea is showing them that the more times they go over what they have learned then the easier it is to remember.’ ”

The Exam Busters Student Seminar is a 2½ hour presentation providing exam support to large groups of up to 150 students. Usually run twice in a day, the course is an affordable way for schools to impact entire year groups at a time. During the course, Key Stage 3 and 4 students improve learning by:

1. How MEMORY works
2. MEMORY SKILLS
3. RECALL: short-term to long-term memory
4. Effective REVISION techniques
5. Good EXAM practice
6. Dealing with STRESS

It is not just the content that makes this course so appealing to students and teachers all over the country – it’s also because it’s presented in a style that’s pupil-friendly, entertaining and engaging.

Read what other schools have had to say about this 5 Star Course

*****

The students engaged really well and I think that the energy, enthusiasm and entertainment helped. The interactive nature of the session was really good and was helped by a confident and charismatic presenter.                        Natalie Williams – Alder Grange Secondary School

The Key Stage 4 students left in a positive frame of mind - equipped to prepare for exams/tests etc much more than when they arrived. They described the sessions as fun, worthwhile and valuable. Thank you!                                                         Andrew Browne – King Alfred School

I think the students realised how certain memory tools can have a dramatic impact on their revision. The techniques your presenter used were realistic and readily useable. Overall it was very student friendly.                                                                    Ben Abbott - St. Martins School

Considering the students were sat on their seats for a long period of time they remained engaged for the whole session. Most participated in answering quick fire questions and were challenged to devise their own ways of remembering facts. The feedback has been positive from all those involved.

Mary Tattersall - Head of Year 10

Many thanks for excellent ‘Exambusters’ sessions delivered to all our Year 11 Students. It was extremely well received by not only the students but staff helping with supervisions as well. I am sure it will ‘make a difference’ and we are full of admiration for the energy and enthusiasm of the presenter.                                                                                                                              Brian Roe - Assistant Head Teacher

Aimhigher works with youngsters who wouldn’t usually think that university is an option for them. The focus of the Exam Busters day is to help students get the best possible exam results. We found that the workshop raises the students’ confidence and motivation through active and fun practical sessions. By the end of the workshops, the students have real tools and techniques that work for them and they feel that exam success really is possible. We were really impressed with your efforts.                          Neil Stock – Aimhigher Manager

Positively MAD is one of the UK’s leading providers of dynamic presentations and workshops for schools. Specialising in personal development and personalised learning for students, the company has delivered its courses to over 1 million students across England and Wales.

Exam Busters is a highly-interactive, multisensory learning experience shows students how to prepare for exams by equipping them with a range of very effective learning tools and exam preparation skills. It’s a refreshing 2½ hour presentation for students who need to boost exam performance. Run in your school hall to groups of 150 students at a time, this course shows students how to reduce exam-related stress by preparing more efficiently. Especially useful for students in Key Stage 3 and 4.

“I got everything he said and it sunk in. It was mint!” said Katie, a Year 11 student.

The aim of the course is to show students how to remember over 100 facts needed for their English exam – without writing them down or remembering them through rote learning.

“This course shows students that they are more than capable, that they have the ability and brain-power to learn in ways that are effective, quick and interesting,” comments Alan, who created the course to help students achieve a C grade and above.

Read on to discover what the other students thought about this empowering learning event:  

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

• It was fun and rewarding as I learnt a lot for my exam. – Lydia H
• Actively involved, not just writing all the time.
• Helps with the basics of English and the exams.
• It was helpful.
• It’s fun and interesting.
• It was helpful and enjoyable at the same time.
• Full of revision techniques.
• Very fun, and everyone gets involved. – James
• I learnt a lot and it was a great experience.
• I have learnt a lot and also enjoyed myself and found it humorous. – Kaitlin
• The course is interesting, and provides a newer and interesting way of learning.
• Remember stuff without writing it down.
• Good at explaining things, gets you thinking. – Becky
• It is unique and entertaining and unusual.
• It shows a new way of learning. – Rees
• It is helpful, fun ways to remember key things you need for your exams.
• Four stars
• Funny and entertaining. You also learn a lot. – Aaron W
•  I enjoyed the course and I am sure many others will too. 4 Stars because it is not the best course ever, but to me it was brilliant. – Jeff M, Year 11
• Made you think and remember revision techniques.

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

• It was so much fun to whatever else the school has given us. It was funny and it allowed us to be open and ourselves and it actually helped.
• It was fun.
• The course was educational but at the same time so very interesting and fun. – Ryan
• You had a lot of good methods and the session was good. – Rob
• When I went into this, I was expected the usual stagnant talk but I was proven wrong. – Sam Jones
• Fun, educational.
• Showed a variety of techniques that will help with the exams and it is entertaining. – Steven L
• I really enjoyed the workshop. It was funny and informative. It was interactive, which kept it interesting. - Sylvia W
• Really interesting and useful.
• It was not boring. We were involved with the activities and did not get bored. – Ruth B
• I know understand you should read the question carefully. Plus it was funny. – Suzanne S
• Very enjoyable and not at all boring. Would recommend this to other students. It’s brilliant. – Amy R
• I actually learned new techniques and will use them because I didn’t get bored. – Emma T
• Helpful, interesting.
• He’s the best speaker we have ever had in school. He made learning enjoyable. – Sophie R
• Seems to help a lot unlike other courses which do nothing for you. – Robert
• It teaches you a different way of revising.
• Easy learning without writing and good fun. – Scott
• It’s fun but also educating at the same time. – Matthew
• It was fun, engaging and I learnt a lot. – Luke R
• He got everyone involved and it was actually a good way of learning and you remember it too. – Lauren
• It’s a fun way to get the class involved and you can learn a lot from this.
• It was very interesting and we all got involved. It was very fun.
• It was awesome”
• I learned 100 things in 2 hours.
• It was fun, everyone joined in. The time flew by. – Kayleigh
• Interesting. It didn’t feel like a lesson and never dragged on. I didn’t feel put on the spot.
• It wasn’t boring. It was a really fun way of learning how to revise. – Kayleigh H
• It got you involved and you weren’t just sitting bored. – Emily T

One student reported that the course ‘changes your view and makes you realise what can be achieved’, while others were impressed with the way the event made them overcome negative thinking habits.

Read on to discover more about the feedback received for this energetic and uplifting learning experience.

• Good behaviour management and some very unusual but engaging images. Very student- focused.  (Teacher)
• Made me realise the different factors that could affect my future. (George P. Year 12)
• Good presentation. Very informative and encouraging. (Kieran S, Year 14)
• Good, motivating, uplifting. (Laura M)
• Interesting information, Changes view. Makes you realise what can be achieved. (Alice R, Student)

5 Stars:

• Professional presentation. Informative. Helpful when looking at achieving your goals. (Tony, Year 14)
• Very professional attitude. I would recommend this especially for people who lack confidence. Very interesting. Have learnt a lot today. (Marius A, Student)
• Excellent presentation and ideas. (Nick, year 14)
• Makes you analyse the feelings which you put off and try to forget. Once you overcome those feelings, nothing but success and positivity left.  (A Level student)

Vicky’s delivery of the Exam Busters and Super Speed Study Skills events has prompted many to write to attest to the positive impact she has made and to rave about the way she inspires and motivates her audiences.

We have pleasure in publishing the many positive reviews she has received in the last two months for her outstanding delivery. Well done to Vicky on making such a terrific impression on all who are lucky enough to attend her courses.

Longslade Community College: Exam Busters event

5 STARS:

• Vickiwas really funny and just a fun person to listen to. It’s really helped me. Thanks. (Georgina V, Yr 11)
• It was entertaining. She fits it all in on time and it worked. Thank you! (Mccroy, Becky, Chantelle, Yr 11)
• It was funny and fun and it got us involved. Used real life situations and made things easier to remember. It was awesome. (Oscar W, Yr 11)
• Really interesting and engaging. Very well delivered. (Joe C, Yr 11)

Stratford School: Super Speed Study Skills Event

4 STARS:

• Lots of stories made it interesting. Funny, so keeps it interesting. Telling us something in a way that it relates to us, e.g. when we talked about body image. (Tony C, Yr 10)

5 STARS:

• It was interesting, attention-grabbing and different. Vicki was really lively and made the topic exciting – really good presentation. It was good to hear about something which is positive and can help us now. It related to us. (Olivia G, Yr 10)
• Made it fun, gave us lots of advice. (Luke H, Yr 11)
• Made me think I could do things I thought I couldn’t. It was fun. (Amy H, Yr 11)
• Very enjoyable. Fun. (Amber M, Yr 11)

St Illtyds School: Super Speed Study Skills event

5 Stars

• Pupils responded well to Vicky’s attitude and stories, especially the boys – all engaged and keen to participate. Got them thinking about different ways to revise. (E. Davies, Teacher)
• Thank you for the presentation. It promoted self-belief that all could succeed. Provided students with useful techniques. Inspired students to overcome challenges. Provided opportunity for less able to participate as a year group. (Lynda Duffy, teacher)
• It was good because she gave techniques but made it a fun experience. (Matthew B, Yr 10)
• I learnt how to scan throughout text effectively. I will go on and use the method of mindmapping. I definitely feel more confident in my revision and think that these techniques will help improve my memory. Thanks. (Chloe, Yr 10)
• I thought that Vicky’s teaching was good. Her sense of humour also added to the quality of what you put forward. It was unorthodox but it helped me. (Kieran P, Yr 10)
• It was very fun and the info was easier to learn with Vicki’s methods. It was very fun and Vikki has a great sense of humour and it was great getting involved. (Joshua W, Yr 10)

Bridgeworth Endowed: Exam Busters Event

5 STARS

• I have been using some of these methods before, but you have given some really good tips for them. (Fern, Yr 11)
• Interesting, relevant, funny, very useful. Thanks. (Yr 11 students)
• Funny, insightful, incredibly helpful, inspiring. (Yr 11 students)
• Funny, interesting, enjoyable, well explained. (Beth, Amy, Yr 11)
• My own daughter had this talk a few years ago. I know it works! It was great. (Nikki Bills-Brown, Teacher)

Stratford Upon Avon Girls’ Grammar: Super Speed Study Skills Event

5 STARS

• Outside speaker so students more attentive. Excellent use of humour and self-reflection. Great mixture of activities. Made them think. Gave them lots of ideas to try out. (Heather Bendle, Teacher)
• The girls were actively engaged for the whole session, which was brilliant! I even remembered things myself. Thank you. (Carole Bradshaw, teacher)
• Easy to understand, interesting, appealing. (Year 10 student)
• It was very interesting and fun and I have learnt a lot about the way the mind works. I will certainly try some of the techniques I have learned in my revision. Thank you! (Rebecca J, Yr 11)
• Really interesting, mad and a great way to learn. This will really help when it comes to revising. (Olivia, yr 10)
• It was really useful and gave good tips on how to revise. It was also fun and hilarious which kept my attention. (Rebecca, Yr 11)

  Delivered by Alan David Pritchard, the course creator, this inspirational learning event was run as a Saturday revision class, attended by over 70 enthusiastic and well-behaved students – all of whom provided very positive feedback indeed. 

  “It is amazing,” reported one student. “There are so many exam tips that can help us understand things and overcome our fear of exams.” 

  The course shows students how to use the Number Rhyme Memory Hook System to encode and recall over 100 facts needed for the English exams. It shows them how to avoid the common errors that usually prevent students from achieving a C grade in the exams. 

  “It was more like a show rather than a study revision session. Alan made it funny,” reported another student. 

  Read on to discover what the rest of the students thought about this inspirational event. 

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

• It was interesting and interactive. 
• It was lively, non-stop action, interactive and it wasn’t boring. – Louis W

• Made it fun and easier to remember.
• Alan made it fun and more interesting.
• It was different. It was very entertaining. Some good tips to remember and pass on. Revision in only 100 facts. Just amazing. – Suyasanga B
• It was very good and was learning and having fun at the same time.
• Learned good techniques and key tips to help me with my exams.
• It was very good and he made the lesson interesting. 

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

• Helped me know the important things without having to write it down and it also made me realise how smart I was. – Lorrie A
• It’s awesome. Very engaging and helpful. – Chris K
• Alan told me something that I didn’t think I could do but I did better. Thanks. – Mercy E
• Great fun. Great tips on how to memorise 100 things without realising it. – Curtis L
• It gets the students involved in the activity and you learn in a fun way. – M Lazarus
• Fun and interactive.
• It helped me learn how to revise the important things and kept me motivated. – K. S
• It was a lesson which I learnt new things and was able to have fun at the same time. – Tristan B
• I learnt so much in little time and didn’t even have to write anything, plus it was fun. I would do this again. – Bisi A
• Alan is very very good and he shows a large amount of respect and has a great teaching method. – Kamarl R
• Alan has a good sense of humour and he is funny and enjoyable. Also, I have remembered over a 100 things that I couldn’t do before. – Ellie W
• It’s a great session. Helps you to think and understand how it all fits into the exams. – Esther
• Alan used interactive ways of involving and engaging the students. I will advise this to other people.
• I found it fun and enjoyable. I also learnt a lot within this time. – Georgia-Jayne
• It made me realise that everything is easy if we say so and commit to whatever we do. – Maica S
• It is amazing. There are so many exam tips that can help us understand things and overcome our fear of exams. – Milanca S
• It was a very funny and different way of learning. Very amusing and enjoyable. – Daniel W
• You can easily communicate with each other, it’s relaxed. NO writing. – Charlie S
• Interesting and unique way of learning that encourages everyone to learn. – Ryan K
• It was engaging, fun and interesting. Learnt useful tips for the exams. – Daniel C
• Entertaining and you remember 100 things in an hour and a half. – Jamie P
• Funny, mad, good teacher. – Josh C
• Brilliant. Great fun and made me think by using my head. Best so far. Thank you! – Glen A
• Alan made it fun and made me realise that no matter what, I should keep trying.
• It was a good session. It helped me. Also, he made it fun and I feel more confident. – Jordan C
• He helped me learn how to revise and much more. I feel more prepared for my exam now. – Shannon D
• You could interact with everyone and we all learnt so much. Best revision. – Mikki B
• Brilliant. Nothing like a typical lesson. Learnt more than I would in class. – Abbie M
• I enjoyed the session. It was great fun and beneficial.
• It was entertaining, funny and very interesting. I was surprised by the 100 facts. The session was great. Thanks. – Danielle R
• Alan made it fun and educational and interesting. – Laura H
• It was an entertaining session and I was able to remember a lot in a short amount of time. – Tinike S
• It was made fun and interesting. – Paige
• Really funny and I wanted to understand and learn. – Jess T
• Really enjoyable and I learnt a lot from this session. – Elly P
• Enjoyable way of learning and helped me understand learning properly. – Emily D
• It was more like a show rather than studying. He made it funny – Billy B
• It is really useful as he recommends useful skills that I never knew.
• Really useful information and very entertaining.
• It really showed me that revision can be fun. – Leighton P
• It’s funny and worth your time. Do it – you’ll regret it if you don’t. – Tom Moran
• It was very funny and it’s better than normal school lessons. – Connor B
• Good techniques for when revising. It shows you can really learn a lot from a little bit of revision. – Amy B
• It’s interesting and worthwhile and fun. Learnt a lot. Really did. – Josh H
• I would definitely recommend this! Really enjoyed every minute of it and learnt a lot. – Mackenzie B
• Alan is funny and gives you a lot of information and tips to help you with your exam.
• The guy is jokes and isn’t as boring as a lot of the teachers in the school. – Mitchell B
• It’s funny, keeps you entertained. You actually learn unlike in class. Everyone do it if you have the chance. – Jack B
• It helped me learn a lot and it wasn’t boring but funny and exciting to learn. – Hanifa
• It’s fun and you get to remember 100 facts! How good is that? The teacher is funny as well. Revise + have a laugh = revising is fun. – Zahra
• It was entertaining yet educational and very helpful at the same time. – Lavender N
• The techniques taught will definitely help me in my end of year exam. – Daniel
• It was a great way to learn and revise for exams. Really helps you. – Anxhelo
• It’s fun and helps you learn in a better and more entertaining way.
• It really helped me find a good way to help myself prepare for my exam and with my revision. It was really fun and I wasn’t bored. – Alexandra
• It’s funny and gets you thinking. – Anthony V
• It was hilarious. I felt comfortable and everything was relaxed. I had fun learning and he made us feel like we could do anything we put our mind to. Thank you! – Renee I
• You don’t realise how much you’re learning because you are having fun. I also know loads of ways to remember techniques. I feel more confident for my exam now. – Stevie D
• It was funny and he made us think about things in a different way. Rather than basic boring going-through revision, there wasn’t time to get bored.- Kirsty H
• It was mad, fun, interesting and I actually learned something. – Alex G
• It was entertaining and I learnt a lot in a short space of time. Overall, it was educational, factual and fun. – Lee Brown
• It was very entertaining and made revision fun. – Jack M
• This course allows you to have fun, whilst learning at the same time. – Leighanne K
• It was funny, interesting and I remembered everything. – Charlie

Using his talent for delighting audiences with real-life anecdotes, and mixing common sense with highly motivational content, Mark challenged his audience to think about what they really want in life and how to motivate themselves to achieve their goals.

Staff, parents and students all found the presentation to be entertaining, enlightening and very worthwhile.

Here is a sample of the feedback that Mark received for this inspirational learning experience.

• Just taught me about life. – Salmaan, Year 7
• It gave our parents alongside our pupils to refocus their thoughts and plan for their futures. Super feedback. Positive parent comments. –Sue S, teacher
• Very good. Good examples. Inspiring. Gives you a flash forward of what to experience in life. – Jameel, year 9
• I thought it was good. – Suleman, Year 9
• It was excellent. – Anishah, Year 7
• It opened our eyes.  Fun, laughs and energetic. Advice to help us in life.  – V- Mizan, year 11

 4 Stars 

• Gets you motivated, you know what you want. – Suleman, Year 10
• It was very interesting and made you think. Very helpful. – Ansar, Yr 11

Many thanks to all involved for making our speaker feel so welcome and appreciated. We look forward to making more of a positive difference to the Birmingham community soon.

The 'Mastering Student Motivation' seminar begins with developing an understanding of what is at the core of our behaviour. The course then moves each student towards creating and sustaining a powerful inner drive and motivation to improve classroom performance and exam results.

Students are more likely to see the benefit and worth of applying themselves to achieve success in school if they can place it within the context of their own aspirations. The ‘Mastering Student Motivation’ programme allows students to regard exams and tests as necessary stepping stones to future attainment.

By reinforcing positive beliefs and challenging unhelpful paradigms students are encouraged to becoming self-aware. This enables them to take ownership and personal responsibility in all areas of their lives.

The course is presented at schools across the country and has already received many positive reviews:

Sam Baker - King Alfreds School

I would like to personally say a big thank you for the wonderful day we had today. Your talk on motivation was brilliant and had so many useful tips and bits of knowledge that I'm sure our students and staff will remember for a long time. It really did seem to mesmerize so many of our students; if only they acted like that in all of their lessons!

 I hope they will have taken away with them a more positive outlook on themselves and their goals as many of them are capable of so much; they just need to realise it! Hopefully you have shown them this can be easily done, especially with your final task of self-believe and positive thinking (I just hope they won't try to repeat that at home *the board-break*  or if they do that they are successful!).

     Once again many thanks for a great day!

Sabana – Key Stage 4 student:

     After the workshop I decided that I will grab every chance that comes my way and will ignore the risk of failure or rejection. The most important thing is to try.

    I hope that everyone has the chance to be involved. Shoot your hand up to attempt to break the wood, trust me, it is one unforgettable experience. I think everyone can do it. You just need to believe in yourself and remember the two words “I CAN”.  At the beginning I seriously thought the presenter had completely lost it. Crashing your hand through a piece of wood???? Talk about pain!!

     But, who knew confidence could grow so fast, in just two hours. All I can say is missing the opportunity of attempting something due to fear of failure is actually failure itself!

Cheryl Proctor - Head of Year 11:

      I invited Positively Mad to come to our school to deliver The Mastering Student Motivation Workshop to my Year 11 students. I decided to hold this early in the new academic year to give a positive focus to my students in this very important year for them.

     Jay, the presenter, was just what the students needed. Approachable, humorous, patient and realistic. The two hours flew past and the students were made to feel valued and were fully engaged throughout.

     The feedback from my students has been very positive and it has done what I hoped it would – it has given them a focus, helped them set targets and reminded them that their time is NOW!

M Woodall -   Head Teacher:

Positively Mad spent the whole day at Northfield Road. From our initial communications, the company were very professional and enthusiastic about their day visit. They organised the day superbly and wasted not one minute of time.

Vicki who visited our school, came in early to set up her equipment and to discuss the day ahead. She was extremely flexible and accommodated ‘extra children’ at short notice. She captivated an audience of 150 9-10 year olds (and their teachers) for nearly three hours.

The children were engaged, enthusiastic and learning! After all that she then presented a shorter 2 hour long version to our 7-9 year olds just as enthusiastically! The day was jam packed full with learning, smiles and positivity with a capital P! The day also included staff INSET session after school. It was a great day. Thank you!

Natalie Williams – Aimhigher co-ordinator:

      I would like to take the time to thank you for running the Student Motivation Seminar in our school, Alder Grange. I thought I would write to pass on some student feedback on the event.

      Almost 100% of the students rated the event as beneficial and stated that they developed new skills during the activity. They said that the best part of the seminar was the activities and the presenter, Joe; and stated that their confidence, ambitions and motivation to achieve have increased thanks to these factors.

     Staff opinion was also very positive on the event, with all staff surprised at the impact the presentation had on somewhat unruly year 10 students!

Jacoba Williams - Year 10 Student:

“I enjoyed the ‘Positively Mad’ motivation session very much because it helped me find my inner self belief and showed me that I could do anything I wanted if I put my mind to it. For example, I broke an inch thick piece of wood. The workshop was awesome!”

Dave Scotford - Red Hill Secondary School

I just wanted to say how brilliant the couple of hours were; the course was brilliantly presented and awesomely mixed in with masses of laughs. I have never known the school assembly hall to be so engaged.  To be bluntly honest it inspired me, like nothing has ever before, and I believe will ever again.

Thank you so much, and I can now go through school knowing how confident I am with the knowledge I picked up during the presentation, and I can sit down in the exams in the summer and remember how to be calm and relaxed.

There is no way that I can say thank you enough times - THANK YOU!

 For more information about this remarkable course, click here.

The event was part of the Lewisham Challenge Network Meetings where aspirational events are part of the programme. Positively MAD had a really positive impact at Bonus Pastor – so much so that the event was featured in the Lewisham Challenge Equalities and Achievement Spring Bulletin.

“I thought it was interesting because I learnt to appreciate my education and to be more positive with my learning.”

Mastering Student Motivation is a dynamic and engaging seminar course which introduces young people to the concept of personal responsibility. It encourages Key Stage 3, 4, and 5 students to take a proactive approach to life, rather than just reacting to things around them.

From the report in the Lewisham Spring Bulletin it is clear that Positively MAD had another successful delivery and we would like to thank all the parents and students for making our presenter feel so valued and appreciated.

Using a memory hook system, students were taught how to remember over 100 facts without writing them down. Covering basic skills to writing improvement techniques, the course demonstrated alternative approaches to revision and showed students how powerful their abilities really are.

After the course, the students were asked to rate the course using a 5 star rating system.

The majority of the students rated the course as 4 and 5 stars, reporting that they had a great deal of fun while learning how to remember better.

Read on to discover what the students had to say: 

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

Year 10

• “It helped me remember more, others should take this course because overall it does help you.”

• “Helped me to understand what to do during exams and why. Also helped with spellings.”

• I think the morning was a good session. Some of the things we did helped me to remember what to do in exams.”

• Had a good laugh which made it easier to learn. Thanks.”

• “I liked this course, it was good.”

• “I found it helpful and interesting.”

• “I’ve learnt different ways to remember other than just reading facts.”

• “It was quite good and a good laugh, very enjoyable.”

• “I liked the course. I will have a look at the website. I learnt how to spell independent haha.”

• “I have learnt a lot about exam techniques and revision techniques. Also Mark made it funny so it was interesting, thanks (and it got us out of three lessons).”

• “I think this has helped me in some things. I enjoyed the course as well and it was really worth coming to.”

• “I enjoyed the day and it has helped me with spelling, argumentative writing and how to structure

paragraphs.”

• “This course has taught me a lot about how to remember techniques in my English exams.”

• “This course has taught me some techniques to help do well in my exams and it was funny.”

Year 11

• “I learnt how to break up words to help me with spelling.”

• “Learnt some good revision techniques• “Beginning was a bit boring but was really good at the end.”

• “All good.”

• “It was slightly confusing at first but ultimately I remembered everything.”

• “It was okay, I got confused at the start but then got it as it went on.”

• “Helpful and great for exams.”

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

Year 10

• “Because I have enjoyed the course it made it easier to understand.”

• “Because I learnt how to remember important things.”

• “I would give this course 5 out of 5 because I found it really interesting and helpful. I have learnt a lot and it will help me achieve the grades I want. I would definitely recommend this course to others as I think they would really enjoy it and learn a lot.”

• “Thank you.”

• “I have learnt different ways to revise, thanks.”

• “Good.”

• “I really enjoyed this session and learnt a lot.”

• “I enjoyed this session as it was funny but also helpful with my English. Don’t change you crazy man.”

• “It was fun.”

• “It was funny and we learnt a lot of things.”

• “We learnt a lot of stuff and it was funny.”

Year 11

• “I would give it 5 because I now know how to spell independent.”

• “I would give the course a 5 because it was excellent. I will definitely recommend this course to others.

The presenter was funny and helped me a lot. Thanks.”

• “I thought it was good because I learnt a lot.”

• “I think that I have learned something whilst having a lot of fun.”

• “I learned a lot and would recommend this to others.”

• “Because it was entertaining and grabbed the attention of pupils.”

• “I learned a lot and it was entertaining.”

Presented at the Marwell Hotel in delightfully pretty surroundings, the course was delivered by senior Positively MAD presenter, Alan David Pritchard.

“It is always a pleasure,” reports Alan, “to deliver courses to passionate and enthusiastic people, and this year was no exception. All the delegates on the course engaged fully with the activities and really seemed to enjoy their day.”

The teachers were asked to provide a star rating for the event, and to provide a brief reason for their ratings. From their feedback, it is evident that they found the course to be enjoyable, practical and worthwhile.

Read on to discover what teachers had to say about this remarkable learning event.

4 stars:

• “Kept my attention. Not passive learner. Gave ideas I could take away. Thank you.” (Suzanne Thomas)
• “Lots of good ideas. Very relevant for the classroom.” (Andrew W)

4 ½ stars:

• “It was extremely well packed with ‘thinking’ ideas...Thank you.” (Deb Field)

5 stars

• “Lots of practical ideas that you can use straight away in the classroom. A practical, fun, active day! Links together lots of ideas about thinking skills.” (Clare Garner)
• I learnt. I can apply what I learnt. Genuinely purposeful, well-paced and engaging. The jokes were so crap that they were funny.” (Len Leigh)
• “So much packed into one day! Ideas that can be used in many ways and on many levels. Very good value.” (Jean Filtness)
• “Lots of great ideas to use in school. Presented in an entertaining and informative way.” (Phyllis Warren)
• “It was engaging, well-paced, entertaining with lots of great ideas that are simple to use.” (Nicky)
• “Lots of practical ideas and inspirational content.” (Owen T)
• “It’s a real course. Real ideas. Real help and a fast pace so I didn’t get bored. Loved the technology.” (Sarah Donaghy)
• “So many practical things to take back into the classroom. There’s a lot I now want to share with other colleagues.” (Suzanne Ovenden)
• “Some excellent ideas that I can already think of ways to use in the class. Inspiration and enthusiasm to make me get more creative.” (Beverley Dunford)
• “Lively and interesting throughout. Inspirational both as strategic thinking level and for instantly useable classroom ideas. Great understanding of power of learning through humour.”
• “It is refreshing to have a course delivered by somebody who has the experience of being ‘on the front line’, not just somebody with an idea, agenda and no to limited classroom experience!” (Peter Moseley)

The presentation aimed to stimulate a positive attitude towards revision and to provide simple but effective techniques to improve exam preparation. From the feedback Nick received, it is clearly evident that both aims were well and truly met. In fact, Nick received 4 and 5 Star reviews for his delivery at this school.

 Read on to discover how the students felt about this remarkable presentation.

• “It was exciting, energetic, interesting.”  Bethany, Year 11

5 STARS

• “Students were totally engaged.” M Egger, Teacher
• “I really enjoyed this session and feel like it will help me with my own revision.” Charlotte, Year 11
• “It was really good and fun and helpful and interesting.” Jack, Year 11
• “It was really helpful and I have learned loads of tips for revision that I hadn’t heard of before.” Lucy, Year 11
• “Introduced me to loads of different techniques which work because I find just reading from a book doesn’t always work.”  Jo, Year 11
• “It was fun and interesting and useful.” Will, Year 11
• “Absolutely fantastic skills which I would not have found otherwise and I am going to use them!” Sam, Year 11

Rachel, who has had previous experience working in television, delighted her audience and kept them totally engaged for two hours, using wit, humour, passion and her genuine enthusiasm for performance and delivery. We asked a random sample of students to provide star-rated reviews for the course, and this is what they had to say:

4 STARS

• “Interesting and funny. Wasn’t all boring information. Helpful information and techniques.” Crystal, Year 11
• “Interesting, informative, fun, helpful.”  Jodie, Year 11
• “Good, useful information and a fun, relevant presentation.”   Craig, Year 11

 5 STARS

• “New and innovative ideas. I have benefited as well as the students.”  Susan Taylor, Teacher 

• “Fun.” Alice, Year 11
• “It was explained. It helped. I know how to revise.”  Devon, Year 11
• “Gave me different techniques, rather than spending hours revising.” Will, Year 11

I found out about your organisation at an Aim Higher conference and the reality was even better than the promise. Over far too many years I have witnessed many presenters attempting to motivate students and of them all Vicki was by far the best.  She overcame the usual student hostility and left them buzzing. I have since  interviewed a number of students who have all been extremely positive – and one (who skived the session) was really remorseful because of what he had heard from his mates!

A result.

Thanks."

Charlie Corcoran

IAG Coordinator

Longslade CC

This is amply demonstrated in the feedback that Kim Shirley recently received for her delivery of the Mastering Student Motivation course at schools in Leicester and Tonbridge last month. Students who experienced the course all agreed that it’s a course worth recommending to others, and their post-course comments all mention how much fun they had. The teacher reviews are equally positive and encouraging.

Kim is one of Positively MAD’s longest-serving presenters and consistently receives high praise for her unique delivery style and the effortless way she engages her audiences with her radiant personality and enthusiastic manner.

Read on to discover what students and teachers have said about Kim’s delivery of the MASTERING STUDENT MOTIVATION course. 

• “The course helps students understand how their behaviour impacts their success.” (Teacher)
• “The presentation gave the students some positive tools to take away with them. It also made them think about how they learn and see things.” (Teacher)
• “The lady was fun. We did a lot of activities.” (Year 10 student)
• “The lady was really funny and I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the activities.” (Year 10 student)
• “It was entertaining and fun and made you think a lot.” (Year 10 student)
• “Fun and exciting, thinking all the time.” (Year 10 student)
• “Really funny, very interactive, very informative. Useful advice. Amazing.”  - Year 8 Students

 Well done Kim on helping students see the value of their time at school and for showing them how to inject fun into their learning.

The event even received mention in the Egham & Staines Newspaper, and for your reading pleasure, we have transcribed it below. Well done Natalie on once again making such a tremendously positive impact on young learners.

 “Children from an Englefield Green school spent a day experiencing new and fun ways to learn. The Positively MAD Day took place at St Jude’s Junior School on Tuesday, January 25.

Key Stage 2 pupils and teachers all got involved in the day of learning and ‘creative madness’.

The children were given two multi-media and multisensory presentations showing them alternative, fun ways to learn.

Year 5 student Isabelle Atkinson said the presentations had been entertaining. She added: “There were things which helped you remember, which made learning more fun.”

She said her favourite parts had been learning about vertebrates and invertebrates and the 3 different postage services used 700 years ago in China.”

SOURCE: EGHAM & STAINES NEWS

Alan created these workshops to help students feel more confident about revising, and more interested in using effective and creative learning techniques.

He delivered an English session in the morning, followed by a workshop for Science students.  At first, when the students were told that they would be able to remember over 80 facts without writing them down, the students were somewhat sceptical. However, by the end of the sessions, they realised that they were capable of remembering a lot of information without making traditional notes or rote learning.

An analysis of the feedback shows that 100% of the students would definitely recommend the course to others.

Here is the collection of 4 and 5 star reviews Alan received for the courses he presented.

 HOOKS, LINES AND THINKERS SCIENCE

Pupils who rated the course as 4 and 4½  stars justified their ratings as follows: 

• It was very helpful and a good way to memorise things without writing.  Also, was good fun!
• It was fun, we learnt some good techniques and I now know the first 20 elements of the Periodic Table. It has made me look at revision in a different way.
• Fun, funny, good techniques, useful. I will remember! – Hannah
• It’s fun, funny and I learnt things well.
• Funny, entertaining, useful for revision. – Rihanna
• Different, interesting and fun way to learn. Easy to remember. 

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

• Had great fun and enjoyed the tasks that were set. I also learnt a lot of facts and a variety of ways to revise! Would rather be here than in any school lesson. – Will T
• It helped me learn a lot of facts in a short period of time that I will remember for a long time. It’s also a fun way of learning and revising. – Gina S
• It is a very fun way to learn and makes you feel shocked that you can learn from pictures. It is easy to remember too. You can also use it for most subjects. – Maddy N
• Was very good, useful revision techniques are shown. Very good. Helped me a lot. – Ali Z
• We learnt by having fun. The funner revision is the more you learn. Very enjoyable. Gives revision techniques. – Jordan H
• Didn’t have to do much writing. Very enjoyable too. – Lucy S
• Helped me a lot with revision. – Tom L
• Didn’t have to do much writing. It’s fun and gets you out of lessons. – Cian L
• It was effective as it applied everyday life to Science which was easily related to. I effectively remembered. – Adil G
• It was highly enjoyable and was funny and gave ideas how to revise. – George K
• It was enjoyable and it gave me ideas about how to revise. – Daniel R
• It was a very good way to revise for subjects. Creative, enjoyable and a much more positive way to revise. Very fun to listen to and watch. – Jake T
• The course is very fun and has a positive effect towards remembering vital facts. Definitely better than sitting reading books all day! – Farrel H
• I learnt really good techniques on how to revise for my GCSE. – Lydia P
• Fun, easy to learn, good to watch. Better than school learning – e.g. books, etc. – Joe B
• It was fun, easy to learn and relevant facts, and showed me a variety of ways to learn and revise. – Jessica W
• You make it fun to learn things. I learnt different ways to revise. Also learnt a lot of things I didn’t know. – Amber D
• It teaches new ways to revise that are fun and where you don’t need to sit at a desk.
• I learnt how to revise properly and I didn’t realise how much I could remember. – Hayley

HOOKS, LINES AND THINKERS ENGLISH 

• This helps people as it breaks things down easier and easy to do it yourself.
• Very helpful for revision. The tips given were excellent. Will definitely help anyone in revision for GCSE’s or A Levels. – Laura M
• Different way of learning. Helps memorise hard words! Also fun. – Katie A
• It was alright and helps you remember.
• Made it easy to revise.
• It is a different way to revise which is easier for me.
• Funny, different, enjoyable.
• It is a different way of learning and it is a bit of fun.- L.H

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

• Very good revision techniques.
• I actually think I got something out of it, didn’t get bored or lose interest. Still remember most of it. – Connor G
• I remembered everything. I actually learnt what I was told. Was fun.
• It was really useful information. It was also fun and enjoyable. And it’s made me a lot more confident for my exams. – Carley P
• Really fun and enjoyable way of learning and helps revise skills for GCSE exams. – Danielle T
• Very helpful. Learned new revision skills that I can use for any subject.
• It really gets down to your level and makes it easier to revise and learn. – Jazz
• It was very helpful, interesting and has given me techniques.
• Thrash head harshly but good teacher. (?)
• Very easy way to remember everything mentioned. I find I learn better this way. – Brad G
• I remembered quite a lot and it helped me spell and was fun. – Kelsie F
• It’s fun and helps work your mind / memory. – Lizzy S
• It helps you with revising and shows you how to.
• It keeps you hooked and gives you a different approach to learning which is very effective. – Bryn G
• I couldn’t revise before but now I can. – George W
• As it is different and easier to understand, it made me remember a lot more than I thought I would. – Nafesa B
• Different way of learning to get you motivated to learn. – Toni L
• It helps me find ways of remembering revision and how to do it in a fun way.
• It was sick and easy to do.
• It made me realise how much I can remember in so little time. So next time, when I am revising, I know what to do. – Hayley

All the students who provided feedback would recommend the course to others, and Rachel received 4 and 5 star reviews for her delivery.

 Read on to discover the wonderfully positive reviews for these empowering learning events: 

 TEACHER FEEDBACK: 

• “This workshop was very entertaining and engaging but very relevant and packed with tips and information. Today the workshop helped with giving pupils focus and the pupils now know how to start revising and what to do. Excellent workshop.”  - Gavin Jones, Teacher, Hawthorne High
• “This benefited the students by giving them a wide range of revision skills and thinking techniques.” - - Richard Jones, Teacher, Hawthorne High
• “Provided a variety of methods for revising.” – Miss K Edmonson, The Piggot School
• “Positively enforces the need for pupils to revise and review work using simple techniques. All pupils engaged for the full 2 hours because of outside presenter.” – Mr A Demly-Wheeler, The Piggot School
• “Gave them tools to improve their revision techniques. Helped them to see they can succeed.” – R Tucker, The Piggot School

STUDENT FEEDBACK:

4 and 5 Stars:

• “It was good about how to revise properly and it was quite interesting.” – Dylan E, Year 11, Hawthorne High
• “Fun, felt involved, purposeful, helped by giving tips.” – Year 11 student, Hawthorne High
• “It makes sense and sounds useful to use those techniques during revision and exam periods.” – Shelly F, Year 11, Hawthorne High
• “I think the revision techniques could benefit me in future exams.” – Jenni a, The Piggot School
• “Very good, interesting.” – James H, The Piggot School
• “Really helpful, love the techniques.” – Naomi, Year 11, The Piggot School
• “It was informative.” – James B, The Piggot School
• “Learnt new techniques I believe will be very beneficial.” – Tony C, The Piggot School
• “Very funny. Made an otherwise boring topic quite interesting.” -  Kassie M, The Piggot School
• “Very useful. It works!”  - Tom, Year 11, The Piggot School