Site Update (May 12th)

I have checked all links on the main activity pages, English, Maths, ESOL Grammar and End Tests, removing dead links as well as adding a few new ones.

I have also checked some of the general pages and will try to cover as many as possible in the coming weeks.

All this activity is in preparation for imminent retirement at the end of next month. I don't know what will happen to the site in the future; I expect it to remain available but not to be updated.

Site Address Change

The Skills for Life Website will soon change its address (url) to the following:
http://learning.themanchestercollege.ac.uk/basic_skills
Please change all your bookmarks accordingly.
This is part of the ongoing incorporation of what was City College Manchester into The Manchester College.
The old links will work for a few days or even weeks, but they will disappear.

Updated links (April 23rd)

I have updated as follows:

• Activities Maths - changed all links for NNS activities (Primary National Standards), and added some interesting Java based activities from NCTM Illuminations
• I have updated some of the links on the Background page (as websites change and evolve)

More details on the Maths activities on the Skills for Life Blog.

New Links, March 12th

I've added the following links:

• QIA New Interactive Tool for (all four) Core Curricula to Background and the related Embedded section to Embedded
• Bling It On - a downloadable program - To English and Maths
• NCETM Workplace Mathematics to Work-Based Learning
• Houghton Mifflin Reading Practice Tests (American) to End Tests and to English

ESL Bits (23rd Feb)

I've added a link to BITS Interactive Exercises on End Tests and Interactive English. These use British texts and can provide good practice for meaning and gist for Level 1 literacy tests, though the questions are on the easy side. Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for this.

Online Dictionaries (Feb 5th)

I've reviewed and updated the dictionaries section on the General English page. New links include the Shahi page which links to Flickr photographs.

More thoughts on the Skills for Life Blog.

Dyscalculia Page (Jan 6th)

I have updated the dyscalculia page. Since I last did this - over three years ago - there are now useful information pages from The BDA and from SEN Teacher. I have also found a good research site from New Zealand and an American forum which is both informative and contentious.