Flying Start
Heather Pollitt
- Develop personal, thinking and learning skills
- Reduce tutor contact time
- Support independent learning
- Ease the transistion after GCSE
Build essential skills
The recent QCA secondary curriculum review identifies personal, learning and thinking skills as the main way of ensuring that students learn to be:
- independent enquirers
- creative thinkers
- reflective learners
- team workers
- self-managers
- effective participators.
Flying Start enables you to develop these skills in your students, through dedicated material and guidance on:
- researching information
- making convincing arguments
- extended writing
- speaking and presenting
- time management
- coping with stress.
Key support for Years 10 and 11 and sixth form
Flying Start is an exciting, involving set of CD-ROM-based materials, covering the key academic, personal and social issues that students must address if they are to progress successfully. It sets out to help them become better independent learners prepared for the challenges of GCSE and beyond.
At sixth form level
It is ideal as the basis for an intensive induction course, a tutorial programme or a series of study skills sessions. All the material can be accessed through an attractive interface (that can be personalised) or printed out.
For Years 10 and 11
It can form an effective element within your school’s Gifted and Talented programme.
A comprehensive programme
Flying Start is practical and engaging throughout. The disc-based material provides a series of assignments, each well supported by explanation, activities and sample answers.
Inherent flexibility
Flying Start can be teacher-led, but focusing on supported self-study, contact time can be as low as 15%. The detailed teacher’s material is ideal for use by tutors, learning mentors and specialist staff. It offers a range of delivery options: via CD-ROM or intranet; through computer or print-based activities. It is flexible enough to suit a wide variety of timescales and approaches. By selecting material carefully and varying the delivery model, Flying Start can be used for:
- learning mentors creating IEPs
- gifted and talented cohorts
- sixth form induction
- tutorial and enrichment programmes, helping students to progress from GCSE to AS or ACVE, or from AS to A-level
- FE colleges working with students to increase engagement, retention and achievement
- refresher courses for adult learners returning to formal education.
The support you need
The invaluable tutor guidance section helps you to consider a variety of topics, including:
- Your delivery model
- Involving colleagues
- Approaches to assessment
- Supporting students.
Flying Start is modular and is designed for maximum flexibility, with each part student-centred and activity-led.
Available online
To help students to take full advantage of this valuable resource and to let parents feel more involved, Flying Start can be accessed online. The price (£395+VAT) includes a CD-ROM with a full site licence, plus online access for 12 months. Thereafter the online access can be renewed £195 per annum. Please call 01223 350555 for details.
Contents
Section 1: Getting started
- Introduction
- Assess your strengths
- Your learning style
- Using ICT
Section 2: Essential skills - A series of supported activities on fundamental skills:
- Note-taking
- Skimming
- Scanning
- Plagiarism and referencing
- Analyse vs describe
- ICT and information handling
- Understanding statistics
- Presenting your work well
- Presenting data
- Convincing arguments
- Speaking and presenting
Section 3: Extended writing - A selection of subject/discipline-specific tasks, all based around the multi-stage process:
- Making a start
- Analysing assignment briefs
- Gathering information
- Organising materials
- Ordering information
- Writing your response
- Checking and editing
Section 4: Personal development
- Time management
- Being organised
- Assertiveness
- Coping with stress
- Looking ahead
Section 5: Test your knowledge
Funding
Colleges running Flying Start as an OCN-accredited course (Level 2/Level 3) can claim a substantial amount of Learning and Skills Council funding for the course.



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