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For students

How do I get the most out of The Guide to Greatness?

There’s guidance on how to use the book in the book. Here’s a summary:

  • To navigate your way around the book – the 3 simple questions at the start of the book give you suggestions
  • To improve your literacy, but you don’t know which bits – complete the quick surveys at the back of the book, which also give you the page references you need.
  • Know which bits of literacy you need to improve – look up page references in the Contents and detailed chapter contents.
  • Short on time – read ‘If you only have time to do 5 things to improve.’
  • All the time in the world – read from start to finish (breaking to eat, sleep, wee etc.)
  • Especially important – own your book: write in the margins, highlight best bits, add personal notes, doodles even, returning to it time and time again.

What age group is it for?

It’s written for 11 – 18+ year-olds. The ‘+’ appears because ‘grown-ups’ tell us that they’ve learnt so much by reading it, and would have liked a copy when they were in school!

Which subjects does it help?

All subjects. The skills are also invaluable outside and beyond education. The skills last a lifetime.

Is it easy to use?

It is written and designed for an 11 – 18+ readership. Students tell us that it’s easy to use and that they love the friendly, non-judgemental tone. For more information on how to use it, see the top question in this FAQs section.

For parents

Which age groups use The Guide to Greatness?

The Guide to Greatness is for ages 11 to 18+. Parents find it invaluable for brushing up on their skills too.

Will my son/daughter be able to use it by themselves?

Yes, The Guide to Greatness is written and designed for an 11 – 18+ readership. Students tell us that it’s easy to use and that they love the friendly, non-judgemental tone, some even find it funny! Having said that, lots of parents tell us that they enjoy reading it too, discussing it, and using it when helping their child study.

What does The Guide to Greatness improve?

The Guide to Greatness improves communication, so your child’s ability to think, speak, listen, read, and write – vital learning skills.

Your child needs the ability to read and listen to learn, speaking to discuss and further improve their knowledge, understanding and ideas, and of course, writing to consolidate their thinking and knowledge, as well as showing off their learning in assessments and exams. And that’s just in education!

As parents/carers, you’ll appreciate the importance of good communication in life: relationships, friendships and of course, work!

How will The Guide to Greatness help my child?

The Guide to Greatness will improve communication, knowledge, confidence, and achievement.

Communication: The Guide to Greatness improves all aspects of communication: speaking, listening, reading, writing, and thinking, as well as the range of skills that lie within all of these!

Knowledge: The book improves the skills essential for learning and exams, so that your child has a better chance of getting the results they need for the further education, university, training place or job they want, and importantly, to excel at it once they get it.

Confidence: The Guide to Greatness is a constant study companion, sharing simple and effective strategies of dealing with the demands of studying any subject, improving essential learning skills, increasing confidence to engage with their learning, and their own lives.

Nobody likes doing things they’re not good at. If your child struggles to write essays, for example, this affects their confidence and aspirations for the future. The Guide to Greatness demystifies all those common confusions and frustrations that students are often too embarrassed to ask their teachers about, or, in some cases, have never been formally taught.

Achievement: The Guide to Greatness covers what needs to be done before, during and after an exam to maximise success, and make the most of your child’s subject knowledge.

All this in, as you see from the sample pages, an easy to digest format.

Is it available digitally?

No, not yet.

We intend to make it available digitally. However, parents tell us that they like the fact that it’s a book. Jim, a writer, sums this up well – funny that!

‘I love A Guide to Greatness for two reasons: firstly, it’s great for gauging how literate your children are, and secondly, it helps me engage with my son’s education. His school has online resources that he can access. This technology alienates other parents I know and me. This book does the opposite; we can both read it, talk about it, and I can help him using the information in the book to guide me.’ (Jim Nally – Writer, Film/TV Producer/Director)

How do I/my child/ren use The Guide to Greatness?

There are lots of ways to use The Guide to Greatness, use it the way that most suits your needs:

If you or your child wants guidance, there’s plenty. For general advice, there’s a series of questions at the start of the book which suggests a road map. For specific guidance, your child can complete quick surveys to identify strengths and areas they need to develop, with page references.

There’s space to plan your progress and award stars (you could tie this into incentives at home), lots of motivational quotations from people who have accomplished great things in sport, business, exploration, science, and the arts.

If your children feel they’re short on time, there are ‘If you only have time to do 5 things to improve’, and if they like what they read, or indeed find themselves with the time (!) they could read it from start to finish.

If your child knows what they need to improve, then simply turn to the relevant pages, signposted in the content page and the detailed Contents at the beginning of each chapter. They won’t miss any vital information by using it as a reference, as we’ve cross-referenced related information throughout.

The most important thing is that your child owns their book: writes in the margins, highlights best bits, adds personal notes, doodles even, returning to it time and time again, until it’s imprinted in their memory.

Which subjects can The Guide to Greatness be used for?

All subjects.

How much is a copy of The Guide to Greatness?

£10

How long does it take to arrive?

It’s dispatched within 48 hours of placing your order.

For teachers

How do schools use The Guide to Greatness and The Literacy Handbook for Teachers?

In lots of exciting ways, here are a few examples:

  • The resource to accompany the literacy or teaching and learning policy
  • For high-impact professional development and training that is low in effort, cost and time
  • A tool to track literacy development and practice across the curriculum
  • A smorgasbord of literacy strategies and ideas to invigorate literacy, teaching and learning
  • An invaluable resource for parents and carers 
  • Essential pre-inspection reading
  • The resource for specific programmes or targeted interventions, e.g. exam literacy for year 10 and 11 students
  • A ready-made resource for literacy coordinators to hit the ground running
  • The ultimate student study guide
Which subjects use the books?

All subjects.

Which year groups use The Guide to Greatness?

The Guide to Greatness is for students in secondary and FE education (aged 11 to 18+). However, it’s also suitable for older primary school pupils and higher education students too. Parents, carers, teachers and non-teacher grown-ups tell us they find it helpful too!

Do I have to buy the student and teacher books?

The Guide to Greatness can be used independently of The Literacy Handbook for Teachers.

However, if you buy The Literacy Handbook for Teachers, we suggest you buy copies of The Guide to Greatness for your students too, because relevant content in the student book is cross-referenced in the teacher book, so your teachers may feel frustrated that they and their students don’t have access to the student resources.

Also, feedback from schools suggests that they find it most effective when students and teachers have a copy of The Guide to Greatness so that teachers can see what resources are available to the students.

If you’re interested in purchasing multiple copies for your school (30+), you may be pleasantly surprised how achievable it is to invest in the student and teacher books. Contact us for a quote.

Teachers signing up to our monthly newsletter get 10% off orders of 30+ copies.

 

Will staff need training?

No. The beauty of The Literacy Handbook for Teachers is that it requires no specialist knowledge. Teachers can pick it up and go!

Are the handbooks available digitally?

Not yet, but they will be! If you’d like to be informed when the digital versions are available, please let us know.

How much do the books cost for schools?

If you’re interested in ordering 30+ copies, please contact us for a quote. Teachers subscribing to our newsletter get a 10% discount on large orders.

If you’re a teacher wishing to purchase individual copies of both, please visit our shop

Place your order

The Guide to Greatness

The Guide to Greatness is an invaluable study companion.

It enables young people to be the best they can be in learning, exams, and life.

Communication is the key to success. This book improves communication skills: speaking, listening, reading, writing, and thinking, to achieve the life you want, and if that’s not success, what is?

Easy and simple to use, The Guide to Greatness works across all subjects and learning areas between 11 – 18+ years of age.

FREE delivery to UK addresses (Royal Mail in 2-5 working days).

Please allow for the potential of delay due to Coronavirus.

£10.00

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Teachers subscribing to our monthly newsletter receive free literacy ideas, resources and a 10% discount on orders.

Many thanks for signing up. We’ll start sending newsletters again once schools are in full swing. In the meantime, we’re running 10 Weeks to Greatness, a free home-study programme for ages 11-18+. Remember to join the 10 Weeks to Greatness Facebook Group

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