Across Paragon Skills and Shaping Lives, we have a team of Functional Skills experts who deliver around 20 workshops each week, to support the learners we have on programme. We try to accommodate our learners, so 4 of these are delivered on evenings. 

The workshops we deliver for maths and English different from most other providers. We use a platform called Nearpod, which allows us to deliver content in an interactive manner, through use of quizzes, open-ended questions, draw activities and more. What makes our workshops different though, is that through using Nearpod, we can assess and monitor learners’ progress and confidence, without learners having to verbally contribute. Nearpod allows the tutor to have sight of all learners’ answers to each activity, without learners being able to see each other’s. Whilst we do encourage verbal communication throughout the workshops, as we recognise that learning from one another is always important, we also appreciate that many learners have pre-existing fears of maths and/or English, or barriers to learning, and therefore we never want to make any learner feel uncomfortable during a learning opportunity. 

Following the workshops, each learner receives specific, tailored feedback to report on their understanding and progress, as well as their Nearpod report, and resources for further study, if needed. 

If you’d like to try a workshop, you can book here: 

English: https://paragon-skills-workshop.appointedd.com/booking-widget/683070742267300d38a83362 

Maths: https://paragon-skills-workshop.appointedd.com/booking-widget/69c151bc757d8f3b6a2dbf53 

 

Here are some examples of feedback that our Functional Skills team have received recently regarding the workshops: 

‘Really helpful and understanding and was happy to go over questions if we were still confused.’ 

‘The tutor used simple language to explain, which made the session interactive and easy to follow.’ 

‘It was good to be able to go over this that I have forgotten from school and used properly for a long time.’ 

‘She made me comfortable and I didn’t feel nervous during the workshop.’ 

‘I would recommend anyone my age to go for it – nothing to lose and lots to gain. I have learnt so much and I am happy to continue my maths journey’.