Julia,

Hope everything goes well. Would love to include some photos of the displays etc on the website if you get the chance to take some. If we can be of any assistance, let me know.

Regards,

Curtis

love that this is working with special schools too and that through this site Andrell staff are making links

This thread makes me giggle (doesn't take much at my age...) How come Tracey S is getting all the fun meeting these great people... Great when VCOP advocates have the hair to match the process....WE LOVE PURPLE! Ros

the back of my hair is purplish, the rest is pinkyred, and at the moment is immortalised in possibly the most frightening display i have managed yet (am bound to clash with whatever book cover you choose for the sen case studies!)

thank you for giving me tracey's contact details ros, i spoke to you briefly at the leeds training day in july - i was the only one from key stage 3, and the only one with abnormally bright hair

curtis, thank you for your offer of help if needed - when my displays look a bit more polished i will get photos to you (i advise alcohol consumption beforehand) - do i email them to you at the andrell education address?

Hi Folks
Glad to be back in, I've been blocked out for a week (thanks Curtis for sorting it).
Sulkycat looking forward to seeing you and your kids in action. We now have a merry band of getting on for at least 15 special schools (that we know of) who are really into the BW methodology. I am hoping our case study schools will also start to show themselves very soon.

Waves to the crowds (as one of the case study schools).

One of the boys stuck his hand up yesterday and asked if 'nemesis' was a good enough word to go the display - I said it most definitely was but only if he could explain it; 5 minutes later we were still all giving examples of the word nemesis in use, then back on with what they were originally doing (which had absolutely nothing to do with the word nemesis).

In context: all permanently excluded, very volatile, damaged, vulnerable, often extremely violent boys who have bought in to a display with me knitting, surrounded by guinea pigs, without question. (Enid, my guinea pig, will only allow words on the wall if they are fabulous).

Something's going right / write!

PS Tracey - you spoke briefly to my lovely boss when you rang me last week, she said you sounded as enthusiastic as I do about Big Writing, and she is looking forward to meeting you when you come in. Chocolate biscuits will be provided

Love it Sulky. Is it OK if I call you by your first name??
Looking forward to the biscuits- oops sorry I mean very professional visit to cover research into BW and learning!!

Absolutely fine to call me by my 'real' name, or sulky, or anything vaguely polite- 'sulkycat' is my sewing label! (i tend to stick with it because its usually pretty memorable)

just (literally, am grabbing 2 minutes to myself) did the second big writing session with the boys - and in the midst of what is a very difficult morning (without exception the boys are struggling at the moment, plus a new pupil straight out of secure), an oasis of calm, focused, confident teenage boys

they have not only listened to, and remembered, every target - they have used all the basic grammar / punctuation points we have covered recently

within 2 weeks there is a very noticeable improvement in the quality of their big writing - i am thrilled to bits, and told them to be very proud of themselves

now - back to the reality that is a difficult morning in the madhouse ....

That's fantastic! What a brilliant teacher you must be... say hi to your class for me, Ros

thank you ros, i most certainly will!
we now have an ongoing pupils - v - staff battle on a friday before our insane version of bingo- last week it was who could come up with the most words for said in 60 seconds - but they had to be excellent words, the boys get to choose who they want to be in the staff team
i was unsure as to whether they would buy into it, but so far so good (staff won, by 2 words, but all agreed that the boys words were better)

tiny steps ...

one difficulty is that our pupils come to us with minimal experience of mainstream, & its not unuual for them to have been out of school for 18 months - i have to hammer in what a recount is etc before doing it for big writing, they have pretty much missed the entire literacy strategy (i am very glad that my background was primary and sen)
plus because of the nature of the beast i have to keep the pace as lively as possible, if i kept going back to the same thing they would become disinterested very quickly- then we have the explosive behaviour

i am spending a lesson on quite intensive 'this is an example of...this is how to write a good ... but this is how to write an excellent'; then the next day ... can you remember what a ... is, can you remember how to write an excellent ... as a starter, then moving onto something that isnt overtly a repeat of the previous lesson - then using a thursday lesson to come back to eg a recount to brainstorm ideas and phrases for the bw wow display, and having bw on friday

its working, but by hell its tricky trying to combine my version of key stage 3 coverage, bw opportunities, basic grammar / punctuation and what sometimes feels like the entire key stage 2 primary strategy - as well as all the myriad behaviour strategies we use every single minute of the day

sorry, i have written a lot here, i hope thats ok
am now going to play with my spinning wheel and think happy thoughts

hi tracey - great to meet you, and thank you for all your help - i was/ still am battling ME at the time, ended up having to give in and take a few days off, and am very glad its the holidays so i can sleep for 2 weeks ... we had 3 permanent exclusions last week following some serious assaults on staff - and amongst all this madness, BW continued! (except the very last one of the year as i was off work)

have yet to assess their most recent piece of writing in detail to check progress over the term, but i suspect it will be good - will send our SEF info to to update your questionnaire as soon as i go back after christmas

happy (peaceful, relaxing) holiday to you and all at andrell!