MINDSET MATTERS!

There is a great difference between failing to achieve a result and the conclusion you draw about yourself. In Carol Dweck's book 'Mindset' she explains that those who stay down after a setback make a judgment that they have failed, not just that their attempt failed. Moreover, people with a 'fixed mindset' often generalize from their “failures” to conclusions such as, “I am a loser,” and “I will probably always fail. Therefore, they assume, there is no point in getting up and working at problems and issues. So they quit, they give up and they seek a more comfortable option such as eating, drinking, shopping whatever to avoid facing what they consider to be their personal failure.

THE LITTLE THINGS MATTER!

If like me you are fed up, with the vacuous celebrity culture that dominates everything in this country and the way the media and the rich and famous take advantage of the rest of us, you probably need encouragement to get you through the dark days. So, it was a lovely touch to get this card at the 'Made in Barnsley' celebration recently.

WHAT WORKS... WHAT DOES THE EEF TOOLKIT SAY?

The EEF Toolkit highlights the aspects that make a difference:

• Peer tutoring… learners work in small groups to provide each other with explicit teaching support.
• Small group work… professional educator working with two, three, four, or five students. 
• Collaborative Learning… where students work together in a group small enough for everyone to participate on a collective task that has been clearly assigned. 
• Digital technology… where learners use technology in problem solving or more open-ended learning.
• Feedback… information given to the learner about their performance relative to learning goals.
• Homework… including more extended activities to develop inquiry skills.
• Mastery learning… breaking subject matter and learning content into units with clearly specified objectives, which are pursued until they are achieved.
• Learn to learn approaches… teaching students specific strategies to set goals, and monitor and evaluate their own development.
• Outdoor and adventurous learning… involving collaborative experiences with a high level of physical (and often emotional) challenge. 
• Parental involvement… the active engagement of parents in supporting their children’s learning.

This research and guidance has driven the development of the “Better Learners, Better Workers’ programme over the last six years.

WHAT WORKS... WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY?

Importantly, we know what works and the latest research on education and employer engagement suggests that we should:

• Do a lot of things… the more the better!
• Do a lot of different things… business mentoring, coaching, employer talks, work place visits, enterprise challenges, work experience, project work, team building etc. 
• Start young… the younger the better!
• Be coercive… “young people don’t know what they don’t know”!
• Be professional… quality matters!
• Ask the students what they think!

This research and guidance has driven the development of the “Better Learners, Better Workers’ programme over the last six years.

WORK MATTERS!

”Work is important to help us reach our targets and goals in life, our dignity, and our happiness and well-being. We know that work helps us meet our most basic and complex needs, providing a path towards financial security, securing our mental and physical health, and giving our lives meaning. The prospect of a good job that pays a fair wage should be part of our promise to all our young people.”

The world of work is changing fast and employers are increasingly looking for people with the right skills and attributes to succeed in the workplace. These skills, the ‘Better Learners, Better Workers’ skills, help improve productivity, create great teams and generate the ideas that every business needs to be successful. The ‘Better Learners, Better Workers’ programme develops the skills that matter in the world of work!

ONTARIO... WHERE SKILLS MATTER !

BACK AT DARTON COLLEGE THIS MORNING!

I was at Darton College this morning to talk to Year 9 students about the 'Better Learners, Better Workers: Made in Barnsley' programme. Dave Bond had organised the Y9 assembly this morning and the young people were a real credit to Darton College and their behaviour shows the work the team put in to make the College such a great place for learning.

There was a lot of immediate interest and I hope that initial interest continues and Dave and his colleagues identify a good and carefully targeted group for us to work with at a workshop at the College next week before we ask the students to complete an application for the ambassador roles.  We will then be interviewing to select our twelve ambassadors. Exciting times!

CELEBRATING SOME AMAZING YOUNG PEOPLE AT BARNSLEY TOWN HALL!

I was at Barnsley Town Hall last night with about forty of our Year 10 'BLBW: Made in Barnsley' ambassadors and their parents and carers to celebrate their achievements with the Mayor of Barnsley...

They are some amazing young people who it has been a real pleasure to work with over the last year and who have changed so much in such a short time... growing in confidence and developing the skills that matter in the world of work! I am really looking forward to seeing what these young people achieve this year as they explore in more depth their chosen employment sector... construction, engineering or healthcare and continue to develop their skills and abilities.

CONTACT ME!

OUR WEB-SITE!

THE NEW BLBW SKILLS!

BLBW BUSINESS CHAMPIONS!

BLBW GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Parents and carers are partners in the learning their children experience and we are keen to work with our parents and carers throughout the BLBW programmes. We provide briefing sessions, updates and regular opportunities for parents and carers to see what their children are doing and who they are working with.