real
I present the mnemonic "easypass" to improve exam technique.
education
I learned alot while I was doing supply in London. I did this over a few years, interrupted with a TEFL teaching stint in Greece. Then I taught maths in Scotland for three years. Then I taught in Penzance for a year. I quit as a normal maths teacher in summer 2008.

My teaching practice has been unconventional and the results amazing. I would like to offer education something which can benefit heads, teachers and most importantly, students:
.                               -- exam technique to shift from D to C with easy pass, or achieve an A*
.                                     -- a "phase shift" in learning algebra, english literature, or meta-cognitive skills
.                                   -- self-discipline techniques to improve social dynamics in any classroom
first came up with this...
well, actually it was a huge poster, but you get the idea
Each node was a concept, and was represented by a few paragraphs. For example,                            , worked really well.
ABC Classes
The whole thing centres around the child,
"child-centred learning"
wait a moment -- so where's the centre...?
which is fine until you realise there are a lot of centres in the room.
And another thing, every school had a discipline policy, to deal with things when kids stepped out of line.
No-one had a self-discipline system.
hmmm... let's look at a self-discipline technique...
then wrote up my experiences...
self-discipline
system
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/educare/4152745
and another two years before someone else read it...
The art of a Classroom Coordinator is to be present, to deal with the situation as it occurs, live. It is not employing a system blindly, nor is it treating people the way they were yesterday. The job of teacher is to provide students with the skills and values to be able to deal with life as an adult. Their orientation is futurewise. Hence, children make mistakes, in maths, in english, in their behaviour, and even in their values; these are the results of past actions. We may present them with an expert to teach them skills such as maths or football, english and dance, and we may draw their attention to their behaviour so that they self-correct to the values to which they aspire. Teaching values should be left to the interaction between one another, a process formed and reformed very much ‘in the now’. The hardest lessons are those which we confront within ourselves, those we accept with our own free will, when we confront ourselves and attempt to modify deeply ingrained prejudices. A Classroom Coordinator needs to be present, without baggage, in order to take advantage of any moment when a student enlightens, their awareness expands as they exhibit the courage to overcome internal fears, as they learn something new, as they form themselves.
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/inspiring-change/10279963
here's an example, page 127
Classroom Co-ordinator
The                                               integrates many new learning technologies, performs the role of facilitator, and is the in-class individual who can give accurate feedback to students and teachers alike. They embody the principles of "life-long learning". What they say and what they do match. They are the central trust point in the network between kids, families, teachers and social workers.
each section has this dry kind of description and then a description of a real life experience..
‘You are good. You are real good.’

Their eyes were on me, their attention direct and calm. It was like looking at the sea, sparkling with sunlight, the air completely still. Such a rare thing.

‘I didn’t have to ask for your attention. I certainly didn’t need to demand it. You gave me your attention.’

They all sat forwards in their chairs, leaning toward me. I pointed at them.

‘All of you, everyone one of you. This class is good. You’re gooooood.’

How did it come to this?

It was my first lesson with the class. I don’t really plan anything, nominally I know what the work we might do, but I place the liveness, the relationship which we form as paramount. So I don’t think about anything much.I stood at the doorway as they arrived. This is standard practice, to greet the class, but the actual practice is the living of it. I would say hello, and engage them. A few confident students blossoming into young adulthood or perhaps in the innocence of childhood would return my greeting, but only a few. Quite a lot would acknowledge my existence, but not directly, perhaps look at my shoes as they walked by, or glance back at me, or hold onto their books a little tighter. Slightly less confident, becoming aware of themselves in that peculiar way we have all experienced at some time in our lives. These I would follow... I would move with them for a step into the class, trying to catch their attention, encourage them to give me eye contact, just indicate to them that Yes, I had noticed them, Yes I am alive, and Yes we are going to be together in a room. And the rest of the students just flit by oblivious to my greeting, often caught up in their incredibly important social lives; but even some of these glance back, as if double-taking.

Maybe I have done enough. I have engaged those who wish to, gently woken up those who are trying to avoid things, and I hope enough people are aware. I don’t know how to put this experience, this sensitivity into words...

I return to my desk, fiddle with a few things, go back to the door and wonder out loud if that is everyone.

‘Everyone's here,’ says one of the girls sitting next to the door.

I thank them, politely, but don’t give them my full attention. I stand at the door, out into the corridor, grasp my hands with anticipation of the work ahead. Go back into the class, wander a bit more... I think I go to the board and write up the date... This buys them time, to get ready, to see if they are self-automated, if they require me to discipline, to remind them what to do, and so on. I don’t really focus on them, just let them get on with their things, as I get on with mine. Preparing.

I eventually stand in front of them. My head down, I take a breath, lift up my head, ready to launch into some kind of introduction... and they are all looking at me. All seated. It is silent, and completely calm. This is a standard state-run school, second years, aged about thirteen-fourteen, third set of six. It is remarkable.

They give me their attention, and I returned it graciously, remarking on its fine and valuable quality. I was lucky, I noticed it.

‘You are good.’ They were all present, and I was shining back to them. ‘You are real good.’
it may not look like much, but it is
this was after 6 years of experience
this was after 8 years of teaching experience
learning_upgrades
and now i am offering this...
but before going into this, some things which might be troubling you...
Why am I not in a school teaching, and happy?
Why haven't my books been printed?
Why isn't there evidence of my success?
and the rather pithy -
...am i right?!
The successes have not been mine.
I thought about producing evidence as I went along, between jobs mostly. And while teaching, as everyone who teaches can testify, it's a more than a full-time job. Healthy class dynamics is the "product".
here's some evidence...
I am more concerned with producing good results in the class than I am in writing about them. I am not interested in being an expert. And I have not specialised in terms of educational pyschology, for example. I have practiced on the front line, and my solutions have all been found in the field, as it were.
Self-promotion has never been my strong point.
you can buy them now, if you are asking, or have i mentioned that already?
Although I enjoy teaching, I find the job-description of traditional teaching, too restrictive. I learned about group work during my PGCE from the excellent Mark Humble, studied NLP with Richard Bandler, and have been applying processural tools like Theory of Constraints from year dot. The speed of implementation is slow, as any head teacher knows, and only now is policy beginning to reflect the shift from content to process. It will be another five to ten years before the social agenda is properly dealt with. And to be brutally frank, in a full-time position, even the kids respond to new, demanding ideas with skepticism -- they just want an ordinary teacher, not an innovative one.
I have been living ahead of my time.
test me - go ahead!
I can catch the minds of the students!
their own minds!
1o minutes (to an hour)
I can shift students' thinking to a higher level in english.
By simplify the conceptual principles of algebra in mathematics.
I can reflect student's awareness to improve their attitude to their own work, each other, the teacher and the exams.
exam_upgrade
but what does this mean...?
outcomes?
in terms of practical
e  a  s  y
p

s
s
estimate
ask yourself
simplify
you know everything already
prepare
be present
ask aggressively
search
systematically
second voice
Students know a simple mnemonic to help them in all exams.
Students have confidence in their mathematical ability.
Students are authorised to think at a higher level.
Students improve their attitude to themselves and others,
for themselves!
it's innate!
performing better in all classes.
performing better in exams,
and getting the grades they deserve.
hurrah!
teachers will like this!
as a consequence
consequently
learning_upgrades
while in thailand, i also wrote this...
it's about another side of maths...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkl69cqKPAo
happyseaurchin
http://www.davidpinto.org/brow/brow.html
educare_upgrade
self-discipline system
english_upgrade
1 hour (or a set of lessons)
maths_upgrade
1 hour (or a set of lessons)
metacognitive_upgrade
1 hour
Introduce self-discipline techniques such as ABC-classes, all the way up to a new role -- the "classroom co-ordinator".
educare_upgrade
1 hour (to a year!)
exam_upgrade