HSDC Havant campus Economics Course Manager Simon Foster uses his knowledge as a licensed Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master practitioner to make sure his students receive their course information a myriad of different ways. These have included newsletters along with messages and announcements in Google Hangouts, mentions in digital lessons on Google Meet, and individual emails to students.
Simon explains more:
“Multiple channels of communication are all crucial because NLP teaches us that people view time in different ways. Therefore, the newsletter is valuable in that it allows us to refer back to all previous work (revision work, reminders of deadlines and work previously set) as well as foreshadowing work and lessons coming up in the future. Examples of the latter include a clear plan for the booklet project until the end of term, which students are doing in Economics for independent study, and work coming up next week. Hence the aim is often to send the newsletter out on a Friday, even in half term, so students can prepare for what is coming up the following week. A weekly email is also sent to all parents so they know what has been going on, is going on, and is coming up next week in Economics so they can check in with students.
“For the booklet project, students can claim the hours as work experience, but only if they record these hours on a timesheet with parents, and get the parents to confirm it by signing. This further involves parents in their children’s education and gives a more accurate record of what independent study is occurring.
“Finally, NLP teaches us that students learn best when they are having fun. Hence quizzes being advertised with prizes in previous newsletters along with the prize winners. We’ve held two so far in Economics and plan another quiz to round off the year at the end of the summer term. We start most lessons with a Kahoot quiz and invite any student from any group to participate. This allows students to participate at the beginning of lessons whenever they are free, rather than being restricted to their normal timetable at College. This has particularly helped key workers who have shifts in their normal lesson times for Economics.”