Martin Griffin – författare

ONE DETECTIVE. ONE MURDERER. BUT WHICH IS WHICH?'Fresh, gripping and addictive! An absolute gem' ALLIE REYNOLDS'If there is a finer crime debut this year, it will be a surprise' DAILY MAIL'Clever and bold' LISA GARDNER'The book everyone's going to be talking about' KAREN DIONNE'A brilliant debut from an excellent new voice ' MY WEEKLY________________Remie Yorke has one shift left at the Mackinnon Hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands before she leaves for good. Then Storm Ezra hits.As temperatures plummet and phone lines go down, an injured man stumbles inside. PC Don Gaines was in a terrible accident on the mountain road. The only other survivor: the prisoner his team was transporting.When a second stranger arrives, Remie reluctantly lets him in from the blizzard. He, too, is hurt. He claims to be a police officer. His name is also Don Gaines.Someone is lying and, with no means of escape, Remie must work out who. If the cold doesn't kill her, one of these men will get there first . . .And don't miss Martin Griffin's unbelievably tense and explosive new thriller, The Last Visitor, out now________________What real readers are saying about The Second Stranger'Plenty of heart-stopping moments, twists and turns. A fast-paced story, atmospheric, intriguing, with a great ending. I loved it' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I enjoyed the excellent descriptions of the hotel, weather and conditions . . . I felt every gust of wind and slammed door' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'A swiftly moving and menacing plot. The remote, atmospheric and unsettling backdrop make this eerie, chilling and unpredictable suspense' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The suspense and drama build throughout . . . Very clever and unexpected' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

The story of arts and cultural policy in the twenty-first century is inherently of global concern no matter how local it seems. At the same time, questions of identity have in many ways become more challenging than before. Narrative, Identity, and the Map of Cultural Policy: Once Upon a Time in a Globalized World explores how and why stories and identities sometimes merge and often clash in an arena in which culture and policy may not be able to resolve every difficulty. DeVereaux and Griffin argue that the role of narrative is key to understanding these issues. They offer a wide-ranging history and justification for narrative frameworks as an approach to cultural policy and open up a wider field of discussion about the ways in which cultural politics and cultural identity are being deployed and interpreted in the present, with deep roots in the past. This timely book will be of great interest not just to students of narrative and students of arts and cultural policy, but also to administrators, policy theorists, and cultural management practitioners.

The story of arts and cultural policy in the twenty-first century is inherently of global concern no matter how local it seems. At the same time, questions of identity have in many ways become more challenging than before. Narrative, Identity, and the Map of Cultural Policy: Once Upon a Time in a Globalized World explores how and why stories and identities sometimes merge and often clash in an arena in which culture and policy may not be able to resolve every difficulty. DeVereaux and Griffin argue that the role of narrative is key to understanding these issues. They offer a wide-ranging history and justification for narrative frameworks as an approach to cultural policy and open up a wider field of discussion about the ways in which cultural politics and cultural identity are being deployed and interpreted in the present, with deep roots in the past. This timely book will be of great interest not just to students of narrative and students of arts and cultural policy, but also to administrators, policy theorists, and cultural management practitioners.

The story of arts and cultural policy in the twenty-first century is inherently of global concern no matter how local it seems. At the same time, questions of identity have in many ways become more challenging than before. Narrative, Identity, and the Map of Cultural Policy: Once Upon a Time in a Globalized World explores how and why stories and identities sometimes merge and often clash in an arena in which culture and policy may not be able to resolve every difficulty. DeVereaux and Griffin argue that the role of narrative is key to understanding these issues. They offer a wide-ranging history and justification for narrative frameworks as an approach to cultural policy and open up a wider field of discussion about the ways in which cultural politics and cultural identity are being deployed and interpreted in the present, with deep roots in the past. This timely book will be of great interest not just to students of narrative and students of arts and cultural policy, but also to administrators, policy theorists, and cultural management practitioners.

Reading Espionage Fiction: Narrative, Conflict and Commitment from World War I to the Contemporary Era probes the ways in which the struggles and loyalties of political modernity have been portrayed in the espionage story over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Reading works by authors such as Somerset Maugham, Helen MacInnes, John le Carre, Sam E. Greenlee and Gerald Seymour as popular literature deserving of sustained attention, this book shows how these narratives have both created a modern genre and, at the same time, sought an escape from its limitations. Martin Griffin takes up the importance of plot and character and argues that, in this branch of fiction, the personal has always and ever been political.

Reading Espionage Fiction: Narrative, Conflict and Commitment from World War I to the Contemporary Era probes the ways in which the struggles and loyalties of political modernity have been portrayed in the espionage story over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Reading works by authors such as Somerset Maugham, Helen MacInnes, John le Carre, Sam E. Greenlee and Gerald Seymour as popular literature deserving of sustained attention, this book shows how these narratives have both created a modern genre and, at the same time, sought an escape from its limitations. Martin Griffin takes up the importance of plot and character and argues that, in this branch of fiction, the personal has always and ever been political.

She left him to die. Now he's back from the ashes.Twelve years ago, firefighter Jude Welbeck watched a man burn. Curtis Houle was a criminal - a killer - and although Jude didn't start the fire, she let it finish him.Now Jude has built a new life as a wildfire lookout in British Columbia, thousands of miles from the memories that haunt her. She has finally escaped her past.Until a plane crashes in the forest. As fire rages and a bear circles the dead, one survivor clings to life in the wreckage.Curtis Houle.Jude's orders are simple: guard the wreck and protect the bodies. Until she knows the truth, she must keep him alive - because she can't kill the same man twice. No matter what secrets he carries . . .PRAISE FOR MARTIN GRIFFIN 'Inventive, thrilling and with a fine sense of place, it glistens with menace' DAILY MAILClever and bold . . . Anything you think you know, you don't LISA GARDNER'Tense and absorbing . . . Stylishly written' WALL STREET JOURNAL'Fresh, gripping and addictive! An absolute gem of a crime novel! ALLIE REYNOLDS'An excellent new voice in the world of crime fiction' MY WEEKLY'A perfect locked room mystery, with believable characters, razor-sharp dialogue and a desolate island setting that proves to be the stuff of nightmares' KATE RHODES

She left him to die.Now he's back from the ashes.Twelve years ago, firefighter Jude Welbeck watched a man burn. Curtis Houle was a criminal - a killer - and although Jude didn't start the fire, she let it finish him.Now Jude has built a new life as a wildfire lookout in British Columbia, thousands of miles from the memories that haunt her. She has finally escaped her past.Until a plane crashes in the forest. As fire rages and a bear circles the dead, one survivor clings to life in the wreckage.Curtis Houle.Jude's orders are simple: guard the wreck and protect the bodies. Until she knows the truth, she must keep him alive - because she can't kill the same man twice. No matter what secrets he carries . . .PRAISE FOR MARTIN GRIFFIN'Inventive, thrilling and with a fine sense of place, it glistens with menace' DAILY MAILClever and bold . . . Anything you think you know, you don't LISA GARDNER'Tense and absorbing . . . Stylishly written' WALL STREET JOURNAL'Fresh, gripping and addictive! An absolute gem of a crime novel! ALLIE REYNOLDS'An excellent new voice in the world of crime fiction' MY WEEKLY'A perfect locked room mystery, with believable characters, razor-sharp dialogue and a desolate island setting that proves to be the stuff of nightmares' KATE RHODES

ONE DETECTIVE. ONE MURDERER. BUT WHICH IS WHICH?'Fresh, gripping and addictive! An absolute gem' ALLIE REYNOLDS'If there is a finer crime debut this year, it will be a surprise' DAILY MAIL'Clever and bold' LISA GARDNER'The book everyone's going to be talking about' KAREN DIONNE'A brilliant debut from an excellent new voice ' MY WEEKLY________________Remie Yorke has one shift left at the Mackinnon Hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands before she leaves for good. Then Storm Ezra hits.As temperatures plummet and phone lines go down, an injured man stumbles inside. PC Don Gaines was in a terrible accident on the mountain road. The only other survivor: the prisoner his team was transporting.When a second stranger arrives, Remie reluctantly lets him in from the blizzard. He, too, is hurt. He claims to be a police officer. His name is also Don Gaines.Someone is lying and, with no means of escape, Remie must work out who. If the cold doesn't kill her, one of these men will get there first . . .________________What real readers are saying about The Second Stranger'Plenty of heart-stopping moments, twists and turns. A fast-paced story, atmospheric, intriguing, with a great ending. I loved it' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I enjoyed the excellent descriptions of the hotel, weather and conditions . . . I felt every gust of wind and slammed door' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'A swiftly moving and menacing plot. The remote, atmospheric and unsettling backdrop make this eerie, chilling and unpredictable suspense' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The suspense and drama build throughout . . . Very clever and unexpected' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

ONE DETECTIVE. ONE MURDERER. BUT WHICH IS WHICH?

''Fresh, gripping and addictive! An absolute gem'' ALLIE REYNOLDS

''If there is a finer crime debut this year, it will be a surprise'' DAILY MAIL

''Clever and bold'' LISA GARDNER

''The book everyone''s going to be talking about'' KAREN DIONNE

''A brilliant debut from an excellent new voice '' MY WEEKLY

________________Remie Yorke has one shift left at the Mackinnon Hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands before she leaves for good. Then Storm Ezra hits.As temperatures plummet and phone lines go down, an injured man stumbles inside. PC Don Gaines was in a terrible accident on the mountain road. The only other survivor: the prisoner his team was transporting.When a second stranger arrives, Remie reluctantly lets him in from the blizzard. He, too, is hurt. He claims to be a police officer. His name is also Don Gaines.Someone is lying and, with no means of escape, Remie must work out who. If the cold doesn''t kill her, one of these men will get there first . . .

And don''t miss Martin Griffin''s unbelievably tense and explosive new thriller, The Last Visitor, out now

________________

What real readers are saying about The Second Stranger

''Plenty of heart-stopping moments, twists and turns. A fast-paced story, atmospheric, intriguing, with a great ending. I loved it'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''I enjoyed the excellent descriptions of the hotel, weather and conditions . . . I felt every gust of wind and slammed door'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''A swiftly moving and menacing plot. The remote, atmospheric and unsettling backdrop make this eerie, chilling and unpredictable suspense'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''The suspense and drama build throughout . . . Very clever and unexpected'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend!'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Inventive, thrilling and with a fine sense of place, it glistens with menace' DAILY MAIL'Grips you from start to finish' KATE RHODES__________The island was abandoned for fifty years.So how did the body get there?Navigaceo: a tiny island five hundred kilometres from land in the Atlantic Ocean. Hastily deserted fifty years ago, it has been uninhabited ever since. Until now.Tess Macfarlane is part of the very first return expedition and, as a documentary filmmaker, her job is to record everything she sees. Whatever Tess is expecting to find, it is not a body. Recently killed and wearing the uniform as her.It soon becomes clear that someone on Tess's team is a killer. With five days until she can return to the mainland and no idea who to trust, can Tess avoid becoming the next body discovered on the shore? __________REAL READER REVIEWS OF THE LAST VISITOR'A great book for those Looking for an intriguing, well plotted mystery' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'My heart was racing, and I couldn't put the book down. Lucky this was such a fast paced and quick read!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The huge twist later on kept me right on the edge literally of those rocky escarpments' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Completely devourable. I haven't read anything by Martin before, but I will be sure to now' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The writing is atmospheric and the description of the isolation of the location is superb' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Griffin demonstrates a talent for captivating readers and holding their attention with compelling characters and a well-crafted plot' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

''Fresh, gripping and addictive'' DAILY MAIL

''Tense and absorbing . . . Reminiscent of And Then There Were None'' WALL STREET JOURNAL

''Grips you from start to finish'' KATE RHODES

___________

The island was abandoned for fifty years.

So how did the body get there?

Five-hundred kilometres from land in the middle of Atlantic Ocean lies Navigaceo, a tiny island hastily deserted fifty years ago and uninhabited ever since. Until now.Tess Macfarlane is part of the very first return expedition and, as a documentary filmmaker, her job is to record everything she sees. Whatever Tess is expecting to find, it is not a body. Recently killed and wearing the uniform of the expedition team.It soon becomes clear that someone on Tess''s team is a killer. With five days until she can return to the mainland and no idea who to trust, can Tess avoid becoming the next body discovered on the shore?___________

REAL READER REVIEWS OF THE LAST VISITOR

''A great book for those Looking for an intriguing, well-plotted mystery''''My heart was racing, and I couldn''t put the book down. Lucky this was such a fast paced and quick read!''''The huge twist later on kept me right on the edge literally of those rocky escarpments''''Completely devourable. I haven''t read anything by Martin before, but I will be sure to now''''The writing is atmospheric and the description of the isolation of the location is superb''''Griffin demonstrates a talent for captivating readers and holding their attention with compelling characters and a well-crafted plot''

'Fresh, gripping and addictive' DAILY MAIL'Tense and absorbing . . . Reminiscent of And Then There Were None' WALL STREET JOURNAL'Grips you from start to finish' KATE RHODES___________The island was abandoned for fifty years.So how did the body get there?Five-hundred kilometres from land in the middle of Atlantic Ocean lies Navigaceo, a tiny island hastily deserted fifty years ago and uninhabited ever since. Until now.Tess Macfarlane is part of the very first return expedition and, as a documentary filmmaker, her job is to record everything she sees. Whatever Tess is expecting to find, it is not a body. Recently killed and wearing the uniform of the expedition team.It soon becomes clear that someone on Tess's team is a killer. With five days until she can return to the mainland and no idea who to trust, can Tess avoid becoming the next body discovered on the shore?___________REAL READER REVIEWS OF THE LAST VISITOR'A great book for those Looking for an intriguing, well-plotted mystery''My heart was racing, and I couldn't put the book down. Lucky this was such a fast paced and quick read!''The huge twist later on kept me right on the edge literally of those rocky escarpments''Completely devourable. I haven't read anything by Martin before, but I will be sure to now''The writing is atmospheric and the description of the isolation of the location is superb''Griffin demonstrates a talent for captivating readers and holding their attention with compelling characters and a well-crafted plot'

The story of arts and cultural policy in the twenty-first century is inherently of global concern no matter how local it seems. At the same time, questions of identity have in many ways become more challenging than before. Narrative, Identity, and the Map of Cultural Policy: Once Upon a Time in a Globalized World explores how and why stories and identities sometimes merge and often clash in an arena in which culture and policy may not be able to resolve every difficulty. DeVereaux and Griffin argue that the role of narrative is key to understanding these issues. They offer a wide-ranging history and justification for narrative frameworks as an approach to cultural policy and open up a wider field of discussion about the ways in which cultural politics and cultural identity are being deployed and interpreted in the present, with deep roots in the past. This timely book will be of great interest not just to students of narrative and students of arts and cultural policy, but also to administrators, policy theorists, and cultural management practitioners.

During their combined 40 plus years of teaching and coaching, Steve and Martin have discovered something important: those students who make real and sustained progress at A level aren't necessarily the ones with superb GCSEs. Some students leap from average results in Year 11 to outstanding results in Year 13, while others seem to hit a ceiling. But why?It was in trying to answer this question that the VESPA system emerged. Steve and Martin have cut through the noise surrounding character development and identified five key characteristics that all students need in order to be successful: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude.These characteristics beat cognition hands down. Having pinned down the core traits that contribute to student success, the authors have developed a range of practical activities to help every student develop the A Level Mindset: 40 concrete, easy-to-use and applicable tools and strategies that will supercharge learners' ambition, organisation, productivity, persistence and determination.And in this revised edition Steve and Martin present a range of case studies and useful advice on effective implementation to guide schools towards putting the VESPA model into practice. Furthermore, they have also revamped the introductions to each aspect of the VESPA model with updated insights and references.Suitable for teachers, tutors, heads of sixth form or anyone else who wants to help A level students achieve their potential.

In The A Level Mindset, Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin share the secrets of coaching students to develop the characteristics, habits and mindsets which will help them realise their potential. Those students who make real and sustained progress at A level aren''t necessarily the ones with superb GCSEs. Some students leap from average results aged 16 to outstanding results aged 18. Others seem to hit a ceiling. But why? It was in trying to answer this question that the VESPA system emerged. Steve and Martin have cut through the noise surrounding character development and identified five key characteristics that all students need to be successful: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude. These characteristics beat cognition hands down. Successful students approach their studies with the right behaviours, skills and attitudes: they understand how to learn and revise effectively, they''re determined and organised, they give more discretionary effort and they get top results. Success at A level is a result of character, not intelligence. Much has been written about growth mindsets and character development in recent years, but teachers are still left wondering how to apply these ideas in their contexts: how can these theories help learners in practice? Taking cues from the work of Peter Clough, Carol Dweck and Angela Lee Duckworth, and informed by their collective 30 plus years of teaching and coaching, Steve and Martin have spent years researching how character and behaviours affect student outcomes in their sixth form. After identifying the core traits that contributed to student success, they developed practical activities to help every student develop the A Level Mindset. Discover 40 concrete, practical and applicable tools and strategies that will supercharge learners'' ambition, organisation, productivity, persistence and determination. Suitable for teachers, tutors, heads of sixth form or anyone else who wants to help A level students achieve their potential, The A Level Mindset offers 40 easy-to-use activities to develop students'' resilience, commitment, buoyancy, motivation and determination. It could be your key to transforming student outcomes.

Successful students approach their studies with the right behaviours, skills and attitudes: they understand how to learn and revise effectively, they're determined and organised, they give more discretionary effort and they get top results. Success at A level is a result of character, not intelligence.The A Level Mindset Student Workbook offers students a structured way to work through the 40 activities in The A Level Mindset ISBN 978-178583024-2 by Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin. It coaches students to develop the key characteristics which will help them be successful at A level: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude. With space for students to record and reflect on their answers, along with plenty of advice for improvement and self-development based on the authors' experience as heads of a successful sixth form, the student workbook is an essential tool to help students with their time management, commitment, motivation and study habits which will ultimately help them achieve.Sold in packs of 25, the workbook sets are ideally suited for A level class teachers, and heads of sixth forms or colleges, who want their classes to benefit from the A level mindset and are using The A Level Mindset ISBN 978-178583024-2

The GCSE Mindset: 40 activities for transforming student commitment, motivation and productivity, written by Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin, offers a wealth of concrete, practical and applicable tools designed to supercharge GCSE students' resilience, positivity, organisation and determination.At a time when GCSE teaching can feel like a conveyor belt of micromanaged lessons and last-ditch interventions, Steve and Martin - acclaimed authors of The A Level Mindset - suggest a different approach, underpinned by their VESPA model of essential life skills: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude.These five non-cognitive characteristics beat cognition hands down as predictors of academic success, and in The GCSE Mindset Steve and Martin take this simple model as their starting point and present a user-friendly month-by-month programme of activities, resources and strategies that will help students break through barriers, build resilience, better manage their workload and ultimately release their potential - both in the classroom and beyond.The book's forty activities, while categorised thematically under the VESPA umbrella, have been sequenced chronologically by month in order to better chart the student's journey through the academic year and to help them navigate the psychological terrain ahead. Each activity can be delivered one-to-one, to a tutor group or to a whole cohort, has been designed to take fifteen to twenty minutes to complete, and has been written with a pupil audience in mind. However, to complement the tasks' practical utility, the authors also explore the underpinning research and theory - including the pioneering work of Angela Duckworth, Dr Steve Bull and Carol Dweck - in more detail in the introduction to each section.Informed by the authors' collective thirty-plus years of teaching and coaching, this essential handbook for GCSE success also suggests key coaching questions and interventions for use with pupils and includes expert guidance on how schools can implement and audit the core components and outcomes of the VESPA approach in their own settings. Additionally - and indeed pertinently in the present educational environment where empirical data is valued so highly - the book features a chapter dedicated to the measurement of mindset, written by guest contributors Dr Neil Dagnall and Dr Andrew Denovan from Manchester Metropolitan University. They present the twenty-eight-item VESPA questionnaire, which they helped Steve and Martin to design, and take the reader through the research process behind its origins before going on to describe how it can be used to identify areas for development and to measure the impact of interventions.Suitable for teachers, tutors and parents who want to boost 14-16-year-olds' academic outcomes and equip them with powerful tools and techniques in preparation for further education and employment.

In The Student Mindset: A 30-item toolkit for anyone learning anything, Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin provide clear, effective and engaging tools designed to help students plan, organise and execute successful learning.Successful students find a way to succeed. They get the results they want. And they achieve this not by superior ability, but by sticking to habits, routines and strategies that deliver those results.By cutting through the noise surrounding academic success and character development, bestselling authors Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin have identified the five key traits and behaviours that all students need in order to achieve their goals: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude (VESPA).These characteristics beat cognition hands down, and in The Student Mindset Steve and Martin provide a ready-made series of study strategies, approaches and tactics designed to nurture these qualities and transform your motivation, commitment and productivity.The book's thirty activities, while categorised thematically under the VESPA umbrella, have been organised around six key phases of learning so that you can recognise which phase you're in before choosing from the range of tools and techniques to help you get through it. The six co-existing key phases are: preparation; starting study; collecting and shaping; adapting, testing and performing; flow and feedback; and dealing with the dip. At each phase you'll experience challenges and discover new ways of working, and this book's activities have been designed to help you gain control and become a better learner by sharing workload management tactics and revision strategies associated with calm, purposeful study and - ultimately - getting good results. These tools include a range of effective prioritisation, stress reduction, procrastination-busting and mindset development approaches - all neatly packaged into this outstanding practical guide to becoming a successful and confident student.Suitable for all students.

A practical workbook of activities designed to supercharge GCSE students’ resilience, positivity, organisation and determination.Successful students approach their studies with the right behaviours, skills and attitudes: they understand how to learn and revise effectively, they’re determined and organised, they give more discretionary effort and they get top results. Success at GCSE is a result of character, not intelligence.The GCSE Mindset Student Workbook offers students a structured way to work through the 40 activities in Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin’s The GCSE Mindset (ISBN 978-178583184-3). It coaches students to develop the key characteristics which will help them be successful at GCSE: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude (VESPA). Based on the authors’ collective 30-plus years of teaching and coaching, this practical workbook will enable students to break through barriers, build resilience, better manage their workload and release their potential.While categorised thematically under the VESPA umbrella, the activities have been sequenced chronologically by month in order to chart the student’s journey through the academic year and to help navigate the psychological terrain ahead. Each activity has been designed with a pupil audience in mind, takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and allows space for students to record and reflect on their answers and to organise their thinking.Sold in packs of 25, the workbook sets are ideally suited for GCSE teachers and tutors who want their classes to benefit from the GCSE mindset and are using The GCSE Mindset.

In The Student Mindset: A 30-item toolkit for anyone learning anything, Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin provide clear, effective and engaging tools designed to help students plan, organise and execute successful learning.Successful students find a way to succeed. They get the results they want. And they achieve this not by superior ability, but by sticking to habits, routines and strategies that deliver those results.By cutting through the noise surrounding academic success and character development, bestselling authors Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin have identified the five key traits and behaviours that all students need in order to achieve their goals: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude (VESPA).These characteristics beat cognition hands down, and in The Student Mindset Steve and Martin provide a ready-made series of study strategies, approaches and tactics designed to nurture these qualities and transform your motivation, commitment and productivity.The book''s thirty activities, while categorised thematically under the VESPA umbrella, have been organised around six key phases of learning so that you can recognise which phase you''re in before choosing from the range of tools and techniques to help you get through it. The six co-existing key phases are: preparation; starting study; collecting and shaping; adapting, testing and performing; flow and feedback; and dealing with the dip. At each phase you''ll experience challenges and discover new ways of working, and this book''s activities have been designed to help you gain control and become a better learner by sharing workload management tactics and revision strategies associated with calm, purposeful study and ultimately getting good results. These tools include a range of effective prioritisation, stress reduction, procrastination-busting and mindset development approaches all neatly packaged into this outstanding practical guide to becoming a successful and confident student.Suitable for all students.Shortlisted for the Non Obvious Book Award.

Martin Griffin and Jon Mayhew''s Storycraft: How to teach narrative writing is an inspiring and practical resource to support secondary school teachers in developing their students'' creative writing.This book is not a style manual. Authors Martin Griffin and Jon Mayhew think there are plenty of those about. Instead, it picks apart the craft of narrative writing and equips teachers with activities designed to help their students overcome the difficulties they experience when tasked with creating something from nothing.Written by two fiction writers and English teachers with over forty years'' combined experience in education, Storycraft packs in expert guidance relating to idea generation and the nature of story and provides off-the-peg writing prompts that teachers can immediately adopt and adapt in the classroom.The book breaks down the simple components that must be in place for a narrative to work the crafting of character, setting, shape and structure and shares fifty-one stimulating activities that will get students writing narratives regularly, more creatively and with greater confidence.Martin and Jon also include helpful advice in a chapter dedicated to the process of editing in which they provide activities designed to help students diagnose and improve misfiring narratives, and they close the book with invaluable tips for GCSE exam preparation written directly for students and with an impending creative writing exam in mind.Suitable for English teachers of students aged eleven to eighteen.

Written by Steve Oakes and Martin Griffin, The VESPA Handbook: 40 new activities to boost student commitment, motivation and productivity offers 40 concrete, practical tools and activities that will supercharge learners' ambition, organisation, persistence and determination.

The Vespa Handbook builds on the success of Steve and Martin''s acclaimed books, The A Level Mindset and The GCSE Mindset, by introducing 40 new activities that will help teachers improve the grades of their students. The handbook is a perfect introduction to the VESPA approach, as well as a practical addition to previous resources. Just like their previous books, The Vespa Handbook will help teachers develop the five key characteristics and behaviours that students need in order to regulate their own learning: vision, effort, systems, practice and attitude. When it comes to achieving academic success, these characteristics are crucial. The ability of students to have a vision, commit the effort, be organised, practise and revise well and have a positive attitude and good work ethic are vital to their success.The 40 activities included are set out clearly and categorised thematically under the VESPA umbrella, making them easy to navigate and use in any setting. Each activity can be delivered one-to-one, to a tutor group or to a whole cohort, and is designed to take fifteen to twenty minutes to complete. These activities will help your students to set goals, work more efficiently, organise their resources and manage their workload.The Vespa Handbook will empower learners to unlock their potential, overcome obstacles and take control of their own knowledge and skills. It has been written with students in mind and includes spaces for them to record and reflect on their answers and organise their thought process. The book offers a comprehensive toolkit of study techniques, strategies and approaches that can be applied for effective learning, planning, organization and execution. Steve and Martin share practical advice and valuable insights for teachers looking to improve their students'' resilience and ambition, based on their combined 40-plus years of experience in teaching and coaching.Suitable for teachers, tutors and parents who want to boost academic outcomes in 14-18-year-olds and equip them with powerful tools and techniques in preparation for further education and employment.

University is an adventure waiting to happen and this book will be your guide, offering encouraging and friendly advice to help you navigate the journey like a seasoned backpacker.

Over the years, the university experience has changed for young people; higher education study is expensive, graduate employment isn't guaranteed in an age of fast-evolving technology, and the stakes feel high. In The Backpacker's Guide to University, Dr Jo Phillips and Martin Griffin draw on their collective 45 years' experience teaching undergraduates and sixth formers to bring students the ultimate guide to making the most of their time in further education. Written in a warm and approachable style, they offer clear and practical guidance supported by key research in the field. Together, Jo and Martin demystify the language of university and offer the very best advice on adjusting to university study, campus life and independent learning. They share clear and easy tasks, structured so that students can work through them sequentially from pre-arrival to the end of the first year and beyond. This book urges students to embrace the 'backpacker approach', a transformative mindset that will empower them to immerse themselves in the spirit of adventure and seize every opportunity that university life has to offer. Essential reading for students applying to university, current undergraduates in the early stages of their course, their parents and teachers.