The Moggies are coming!

I've used children's picture books so much over the past 20 years of P4C in schools.  Classics such as Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and Donaldson's The Gruffalo, to less well-known ones (but adored by those that read them) such as Silverstein's The Giving Tree and Fox's Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge.  These books are not only engaging stories with wonderful illustrations, they're a window into the world beyond the pages and into the lives we lead - hence my advice to teachers of P4C, that we look for the 'leap into life' such books offer.

It's high time then for me to walk that path myself and to write stories that specifically provide this opportunity, and the first has just arrived - Meet the Moggies.  Picture books rely on, well, pictures!  I'm fine with words but it's only through meeting the fabulous artist Jane Fraser that the Moggies have seen the light of day, and I feel very fortunate that Jane has breathed life into my writing and created images that reflect the beauty of the location in which the books are set (a real place) and the personalities of the characters.

This first book in a series encourages readers to reflect on the concept of 'noticing', which, as with all philosophical concepts, gets more interesting the more you think about it!  The stories aren't a philosophy lesson though, they're 'just' stories, but ones which I hope you will enjoy reading and discussing.

I'll post details of how to buy the books shortly.  

Thinking Moves - Metacognition Made Simple

 

I've been working so much, along with my DialogueWorks colleagues Bob House & Roger Sutcliffe, on Thinking Moves over the past couple of years and it's wonderful to see so many people and schools adopting this apporoach.  More training courses are being announced on the DialogueWorks website, along with P4C Plus and Whole School Values - Whole Person Virtues courses.  Contact me here or there for details!

A very different start to the new year

My best wishes go out to everyone who has started, or is about to start, their new school year.  I'm fortunate to have worked in schools around the world and all are concerned with getting students back to school but I know the reservations that come with that.  

I've spent the majority of the school closure time running courses online and developing materials but I'm very happily having a return to training in front of teachers rather than in front of a screen, starting at the beginning of September.  That said, the new normal has highlighted the various benefits of online training so I'm continuing with that too (see the DialogueWorks website for details).

I'm very much looking forward to continuing my work with all the schools I've been fortunate to be involved with over the years.  Needless to say, don't hesitate to be in touch if you need any advice.

In the meantime, have a happy, safe and enjoyable reunion!