401 Courses in Cardiff delivered Live Online

Read and discuss this witty, best-selling murder mystery - clever and compelling Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Read this amusing book to develop your understanding of colloquial English Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 7 week English book club course using the Richard Osman's new series after The Thursday Murder Club, We Solve Murders. Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club book This is the first in a new series for detective duo Steve and Amy Wheeler. Steve is happily retired and likes his routines: the pub quiz, sitting outside, his cat. His past was full of adventure, but now he likes a quiet life. His daughter-in-law Amy, however, loves adrenaline. She's a private security officer, protecting a world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio on a remote island. It should be a simple job, until there's a murder, a lot of money and someone trying to kill Amy. This thriller is filled with action, amusing lines and warmth. And you need to work out "whodunnit" - who committed the crime! 'The thing that shines through in Osman’s writing is that he really likes people and revels in all their foibles and eccentricities. All of which makes for a delightful read' THE OBSERVER Geoff says: "Richard Osman is the famous author of the best-selling Thursday Murder Club series. This new book has broken all records as the best-selling adult hardback fiction book in the UK. It is full of action, yet witty, with interesting characters, and full of British English idioms and colloquialisms - great for improving your knowledge of how English is actually spoken!"

Read and discuss this modern retelling of The Iliad by award winning writer Madeline Miller Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Discuss this modern retelling and develop your cultural knowledge Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 7 week advanced English book club course reading and discussing the modern best-selling novel The Song of Achilles by award winning writer Madeline Miller. Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club book A gripping tale of love, ambition and immortal fame. This book was the winner of the Orange Women's Prize for Fiction and has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. It retells the story of The Iliad for modern times. The young prince Patroclus is exiled to the court of King Peleus, and is befriended by his son, Achilles. As the young men learn of war and medicine, their bond deepens, in spite of Achilles's mother Thetis. But when news reaches them that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must fulfill his destiny and go to war in far off Troy. Not knowing what will become of them Patroclus accompanies him, and the years that follow test everything they value. 'Captivating' DONNA TARTT 'I loved it' J K ROWLING 'Ravishingly vivid' EMMA DONOGHUE Geoff says: "Modern day retellings of the stories from the classical Greeks have become very popular over the last decade - and this is the book that started the trend!"

Read and discuss this novel of what it is to be human Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Read this contemporary novel and discuss love, emotional intelligence and humanity Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this course featuring Matt Haig's The Humans. Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club book From the writer of The Midnight Library and How to Stop Time comes The Humans - a funny novel about alien abduction, mathematics, and what it is to be human. It combines hilarious moments with thought-provoking insights into how we interact. Maths professor Andrew Martin, is dead. His body is now taken over by an alien, who discovers that the professor wasn't very nice. The alien finds himself learning more about the professor, his family, and “the humans”. When he starts to feel for his own wife and son - who have no clue he’s not the real Andrew- the alien has a decision to make - complete his mission or abandon it and start a new life with the humans. Geoff says: "I laughed out loud reading this - but it also addresses serious themes. It shines a light on what it means to be human, and gaining emotional intelligence."

Read and discuss this beautiful story of friendship, love and truth set in London, Tuscany and Florence Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Discuss this novel of beauty, love and art over 4 decades Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 7 week advanced English book club course reading and discussing Still Life by Sarah Winman. Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club book In Italy in 1944 two strangers meet in a Tuscan villa. Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner a free-thinking independent-minded 64-year-old art historian, come to rescue paintings from the war and relive her memories. This chance meeting with Evelyn will transform Ulysses’ life – and everyone who knows him. ‘THE most beautiful book … it will stay with me a long time’ SARA COX, BBC TWO’S BETWEEN THE COVERS Geoff says: "This is a lovely novel, with references to the great writer EM Forster and his masterpiece "A Room With A View". Much loved by readers, the characters of this novel stay with you for a long time."

Read and discuss this beautiful story of friendship, love and truth set in London, Tuscany and Florence Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Discuss this novel of beauty, love and art over 4 decades Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 7 week advanced English book club course reading and discussing Still Life by Sarah Winman. Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club book In Italy in 1944 two strangers meet in a Tuscan villa. Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner a free-thinking independent-minded 64-year-old art historian, come to rescue paintings from the war and relive her memories. This chance meeting with Evelyn will transform Ulysses’ life – and everyone who knows him. ‘THE most beautiful book … it will stay with me a long time’ SARA COX, BBC TWO’S BETWEEN THE COVERS Geoff says: "This is a lovely novel, with references to the great writer EM Forster and his masterpiece "A Room With A View". Much loved by readers, the characters of this novel stay with you for a long time."

Read and discuss Jane Austen's first published work, 250 years after her death! Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Study this classic novel and increase your knowledge of British culture Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this 7 week advanced course using this classic novel by one of the greatest British writers - Jane Austen. Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club book Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility is a subtle and intelligent story of secrets and lies, and wonderfully shows a world where fixed social rules meet the feelings of the heart. Two very different sisters find themselves in a new world when their father dies. Marianne, wild and emotional, falls dangerously in love, while Elinor suffers heartbreak but hides what she really feels, even from her closest friends and family. Geoff says: "I chose this book because it is beautifully written. Jane Austen really understood human nature and delightfully describes characters and human situations."

Read and discuss these two gripping stories of race, identity and sexuality Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Read and discuss these important novels about race, identity and sexuality Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Practise and develop your English online in this advanced course featuring Passing (1928) and Giovanni's Room (1956). Each week you read some chapters, discuss them in class and improve specific areas of vocabulary or grammar while also examining literary aspects of the novel. Personalised feedback improves your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The Book Club books Passing by Nella Larsen: Clare Kendry "passes" as a white woman. She is married to a white man who is unaware of her African-American heritage. On meeting her childhood friend Irene, both women examine and reassess their marriages, confronting their past lies & fears for the future. Nella Larsen's intense, gripping story & insight into identity established her as a key author of America's Harlem Renaissance. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin: David, a young American in 1950s Paris, plans to get married. However, while waiting for his fiancée to return from holiday, he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, starting a passionate affair. Tortured by his sexual identity, he has to decide who he is and who to spend his life with. 'Audacious... remarkable... elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips 'Gorgeous, fearless, tempered by dark knowledge and pain ... the greatest American prose stylist of his generation' Colm Tóibín Geoff says: "These two short novels are both important contributions to literature by black writers. Passing (1929) established Nella Larson as one of the most important black female novelists in American history. Recently made into a Netflix film, Passing is the second and last of Larson's novels, and considered a classic work. She was a pioneer in writing about sexuality, race and the secret suffering of women. James Baldwin's powerful and controversial second novel is his most sustained treatment of sexuality, and a classic of gay literature."

Read and discuss the Queen of Crime - Agatha Christie! Highlights Join this book club and gain extra motivation to read in English 7 hours of live classes to help you develop fluent speaking in English Study this classic detective story and work out the clues by understanding the text Be corrected by an expert English teacher to remove errors and mistakes Learn English online using this great story from Agatha Christie - the most widely published author of all time and in any language. This is an 7 week online Zoom course with an expert English teacher from the UK. The Book Club book In Death on the Nile Poirot finds himself in the middle of a confusing murder while on holiday in Egypt. What reason would anyone have to murder the beautiful victim? And will they kill again? With an intricate plot, this is one of Agatha Christie's finest murder mysteries. Geoff says: "Agatha Christie is known as the Queen of Crime. She is the best-selling novelist of all time, writing 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. This one stars her much loved detective, Hercule Poirot."

Circle of Friends is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream setting, of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in school because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The ‘circle of friends’ approach works by mobilising the young person’s peers to provide support and engage in problem solving with the person in difficulty. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Creating Circles ofFriends Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Inclusion Peer Support Behaviour and Relationships Autism and Communication Description Circle of Friends is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream setting, of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in school because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The ‘circle of friends’ approach works by mobilising the young person’s peers to provide support and engage in problem solving with the person in difficulty. ‘Circle of friends’ is not the same as ‘circle time’ but many of the skills and techniques used by teachers in ‘circle time’ can be used to support the ‘circle of friends’ process. Over the past 12 years Colin Newton and Derek Wilson have been encouraging the use of ‘circle of friends’ in a wide variety of primary and secondary schools, often with very successful outcomes. Some of these are described in their books ‘Circles of Friends’, (Folens, 1999) and ‘Creating Circles of Friends’ (Inclusive Solutions, 2005). This is an excellent opportunity to learn from Colin Newton and Derek Wilson the educational psychologists who brought this Department of Education endorsed approach to the UK. Learn how to build teams around challenging pupils by drawing on a resource which is always there…. other children. Enjoy participating in a multi media workshop that will challenge, entertain and reach for your emotions. Circles of support are for us all, for life…. and they work! Testimonials ‘Absolutely fantastic session – so thought provoking and positive.’ ‘Well presented excellent course’ ‘Wonderful, mind blowing day. Lots of children and young people there we need to really see – not treat’ ‘Excellent presentation, lively, modern, current – definitely got the attention. Course gave great food for thought and I feel confident that this way of working will have a place in the future of our school. Learning Objectives To be able to understand the values and wider context of inclusion To be able to set up and run a ‘circle of friends’ to reduce likelihood of a pupil being excluded or segregated To understand and be able to maximise the power of the peer group in supporting relationships, achievement and behaviour Who Is It For ? Primary and secondary teachers Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support and Guidance staff Advanced Skills Teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Community Development workers Early Years and School based Practitioners Course Content The course answers the questions: What do you do with the child who is isolated by their aggression and anger, through being different, disabled or new to the school or community? Practically how do we go about including high profile children or young people? How can we help some children be friends? We will cover: The importance of Welcome Inclusion values underpinning this work The Intentional Building of Relationships – ‘Circle of Friends’ work as an example Not doing it alone – The Importance of Teams in developing inclusive practice Practical setting up of circles of friends Lessons learned Stories of circles in primary and secondary mainstream schools ^ Circles of Friends Training in Kiev, Ukraine

Inclusion Facilitation (IF) is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream community of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in the world because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The IF approach works by mobilising the young person’s natural supports to provide support and engage with the person in difficulty. Inclusion Facilitation is designed to create a better life for an individual by the provision of an intense input designed to being about social change. This usually entails a series of visits focused on getting the person out and about to increase confidence, social skills and presence in their local community and to pursue goals and dreams. Uniquely, the work is carried out under the close clinical supervision of a practicing psychologist. What is Inclusion Facilitation Work? ‘We do whatever it takes!’ Usually a Person Centred Planning event would be carried out using the PATHor MAP process – majoring on dreams and goal setting leading to precise action planning.  An experienced psychologist alongside the inclusion facilitator would carry out a PATH. A large graphic will be one of the outcomes of the meetings this is a great visual record and a shared memory of the event. This will also inform the priorities for the inclusion facilitation work Optionally following the PATH event a ‘scoping report’ is created outlining what Inclusion Facilitation could offer and highlighting what dreams and goals the individual has. The PATH is also provides a good opportunity for the Facilitator to meet the focus person in a comfortable positive environment. 12 weekly visits from the Inclusion Facilitator followed by 5 monthly visits is our preferred model but we can be flexible with the delivery of this input. This is just a guideline, however we have received good results using this time frame. After this intensive input the Inclusion Facilitator will hand over to the existing family, carers and PA team to carry on where he or she has left off. This transition time is planned from the outset. An experienced psychologist is there to support the facilitator at all times and will guide all work done by the inclusion facilitator.  Is this just Support work? No! This is proactive engagement – doing whatever is required. We are not just passively or reactively providing what is asked for – we are actively pursuing a good life for the individual. Our work is built on careful research around a person’s interests and what opportunities exist locally. We carry out community mapping.  We actively work to tackle an individual’s own resistance and reluctance to engage more socially. We actively engage with people in social settings that the individual attends to build bridges and connections – we are bridge builders. We build circles around a person. We create the conditions in which friendships can flourish. We have direct psychological supervision and support throughout. This work is short term and intense. Enjoy participating in a multimedia workshop that will challenge, entertain and reach for your emotions. Learning Objectives 1.To be able to understand the values and wider context of inclusion. 2.To be able to set up and run an ‘Inclusion Facilitation project to improve the life chances and connections of a child or young person. 3.To understand and be able to maximise the power of the peer group in supporting relationships, achievement and behaviour. Course Content The course answers the questions: What do you do with the child who is isolated by their aggression and anger, through being different, disabled or new to the school or community? Practically how do we go about including high profile children or young people? How can we help some children be friends? We will cover:  Inclusion values underpinning this work The Intentional Building of Relationships –‘Inclusion Facilitation’ work as an example Not doing it alone – The Importance of Teams in developing inclusive practice Practical setting up and running of IF work Lessons learned Stories of IF work