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Testimonials

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Feedback from educational psychologists undergoing training from Dr Fraser Lauchlan:

“I would like to thank Fraser and Clare for an excellent two-day training course. I have shared my experience of this course with many colleagues and you have inspired me to consider using DA more often in my work. I aim to continue to build my confidence in the approach in order for me to be able to support adults to think about how children learn best” (Sarah Murray, Northamptonshire Educational Psychology Services)

“This training got me enthused again about DA. Excellent!” (Vicky Greenwood, Glasgow Psychological Service)

“Highly recommended. There were so many useful parts to this training: the learning principles linked to practical examples, the video clips, going over the strategies and materials from the book. I will definitely implement it in my practice” (Dalida Kinniburgh, North Lanarkshire Psychological Service)

“A great day, really helped my understanding of DA – feeling optimistic and ready to use next term. Thanks Fraser” (Marek Rzepecki, Educational Psychology Service, Angus)

“Great training. I came a long way but it was worth it. There was a good balance between time to listen and time to work in smaller groups” (Ann Chidgey, Independent Psychology Services – Shropshire).

“A really inspiring and interesting day which provided many opportunities to reflect on flexible and practical ways to use dynamic assessment in practice” (Jodie Lambert, Educational Psychologist, Central Bedfordshire)

“Great day. I loved your honesty about aspects of DA and I found it useful to have the opportunity to discuss ideas in groups. The video footage of what DA looks like in action was very helpful” (Annie Paterson, North Lanarkshire Psychological Service)

“The best training day I’ve been on for a long, long time! The training brought together lots of “bits” and immediately triggered new patterns of thoughts with immediate application to practice” (Karen Bennett, Independent Psychologist)

“The training was delivered in a very understandable way. The videos were particularly helpful for understanding how to put it into practice. Thank you” (Hollie McClintick-Greene, Renfrewshire Psychological Service)

“This training provided some practical examples of how to use dynamic assessment using a variety of tools. I would recommend this training to colleagues” (Josie Richmond, Senior educational psychologist)
“A very inspiring training day. You were very clear and concise and made dynamic assessment understandable and accessible. I really enjoyed it and look forward to implementing it in my practice” (Regina Seymour, Educational Psychologist, Wrexham County Council)
“The training was useful to see dynamic assessment applied in practice, the use of mediation skills, identifying leaning principles and the use of the learning profile. Recommended! ” (Susan Pollock, Educational Psychologist, Swindon)
“I have come away with some very positive ideas for recommendations in my reports, and also some more ideas about using dynamic assessment generally. This training has been practical and I’m more likely to apply it because I’m not overwhelmed by the time required” (Teresa Bliss, Educational Psychologist)
“A very enjoyable day. Given me a lot to reflect on! ” (Amanda Hayllar, Educational Psychologist, Swindon)
“Excellent training. I recommend this to trainees and also qualified EPs” (Laura Barnsley, TEP, Cardiff University)
“Thank you – a fantastic training day due to your engaging character and passion for DA! It was also made more accessible due to your knowledge and experience of being a ‘real life’ EP! ” (Beth Cartwright, Educational Psychologist, West Berkshire)
“Thank you – fantastic training. Can’t wait to go away and use dynamic assessment in my practice” (Kate Pike, Educational Psychologist, West Berkshire)
“A brilliant introduction to an assessment methods that is in line with the core values of the profession. A positive and accessible approach to supporting children and young people. Thanks so much” (Tom Lewis, rEducational Psychologist, Coventry)
“A very interesting day, thank you. I will use the training in my practice straight away” (Hannah Parnes, Educational Psychologist, Islington)
“It was very useful to get a clear idea of the principles and practice of DA. Linking this to a clear framework for intervention will help my practice in schools” (Simon Higley, Educational Psychologist, Islington)
“Very practical and engaging training. Informal and relaxed. Recommended! ” (Kate Allison, Educational Psychologist, Cheshire East Council)
“I found it useful to watch the videos, apply the checklist of learning principles and matching with the resources in the book” (Marcia Mota-Kerby, Educational Psychologist, Surrey)
“I found this training to be much more ‘user-friendly’ than previous DA training. I like the application of DA to practice, particularly the learning principles and the profile” (Kate Clissold, Educational Psychologist, Coventry)

“I am very new to DA so I have taken A LOT away from the training. The most useful part for me was where we looked at what mediation looks like. The video footage of real cases reinforced a great deal for me. I liked the theory as an introduction also” (Aideen McGillicuddy, Trainee EP, Galway City)

“Excellent training. The in-depth examples of DA in practice and the background theory were helpful, as were the take-away resources and the translation of the jargon into a more accessible format. Fraser’s understanding and experience were also helpful – he answered all our questions comprehensively” (David Walsh, City of Edinburgh Psychological Services)

“Talking through the staged process and the videos were really valuable. Seeing DA in practice was very useful. I also found it useful to think about how the theory relates to practice. Overall fabulous” (Lynne Fernie, North Ayrshire Psychological Service)

“Very helpful training. Discussing video feedback and analysing videos were particularly useful” (Ben Levy, Norwood)

“Most useful parts of the training for me were the learning principles, looking at the resources in the book, and the vidoes!” (Alice Brown, The Wellbeing Treehouse, Northamptonshire)

“Great training. Viewing the clips of DA and discussing how learning principles/mediation strategies fit in to the videos were very helpful, i.e. putting learning into practice. Also getting an overview of the book and linking this to application of casework” (Hazel Davison, Kent Educational Psychology Service)

“This workshop was very helpful to my understanding of bilingualism, in particular the impact on theory of mind. The consideration of the wider practical implications were particularly useful” (Eveline an der Meer, Hounslow Educational Psychology Service

“The training was excellent. The session was all very useful and very well delivered” (Sahsa Hall, Educational Psychologist, Waltham Forest)

“Discussing the conceptual aspects of dynamic assessment helped to clarify why I should be using it. It was also useful in terms of how to feed back. The discussion of different resources was also helpful. Thank you!” (Brigid O’Leary, TEP, UCL)

“Taking time to look at the resources and strategies was very useful, alongside considering the pragmatic issues related to putting DA into practice” (Jenny Anderson, Educational Psychologist, Surrey)

“Fantastic training. Very interesting and useful, especially the resources from the book and the information on how to provide advice and implement strategies (i.e. how to report the findings of DA)” (Hannah Fleming, Croydon Educational Psychology Service).

“The case study was most useful for me and the “walk through” the interpretation of the video and then intervention. It was useful to have the book to accompany the training” (Orla Kenny, Newham Educational Psychology Service)

“It was a great idea to have a copy of the book to take away so that I can flick to appropriate page during the training. It was really useful to see the video clips to watch DA in practice. Thank you” (Ann-Marie Faughey, Sheffield University TEP)

“Looking at the learning principles was really useful as the ‘cognitive functions’ are hard to understand in terms of everyday classroom tasks” (Christine Williams, Bolton EPS and University of Manchester)

“Very helpful and informative, also pertinent given current restrictions on time and the drawbacks of traditional cognitive assessment. Also will help to inform the use of SEN Support Plans” (Ann-Clare Fourcin, Doncaster Educational Psychology Service)

“Really helpful training day. I feel well prepared to have a go at DA and it was great to have the text book brought to life” (Jo Patterson, Barnsley Educational, Child and Community Service)

“Seeing the videos and running through the stages of the assessment were really useful. It helps add context to what we’ve been learning” (Claire Leslie, Educational Psychology Service, Angus)

“Excellent training. Being guided through the book was particularly useful to me” (Nazim Bhuiyan, EP, North Lanarkshire)

“I found the video examples to model the DA process very useful as well as the approaches to mediation. The references to the book were helpful too” (Francesca Nagle, Glasgow Psychological Service)

“The video clips and working through a case study were most useful” (Katherine Vezza, North Ayrshire Educational Psychology Service)

“A great overview and gave me confidence to use DA more in my work” (Zena Lawrence, Croydon EPS)

“Many thanks. Thoroughly enjoyed the day – rekindled my motivation to use DA and made language much more accessible” (Angie Mudge, Independent EP)

“Inspiring! Reminded me of other ways of working. Useful to see DA videos and to go through the book” (Alison Whyman, Croydon EPS)

“Helped me to make links with what I do at the moment and how to provide more intervention and advice to children, parents and teachers” (John McKeown, Independent EP)

“The videos were really helpful for me in terms of observing the complexities and skills needed for a DA session” (Aneith Thomas, Surrey EPS)

“A really useful, real-life refresher. Very engaging speaker. Really useful to see DA in action. Thank you” (Jean McPherson, Lewisham EPS)

“Really enabled me to reflect on my own practice and how I can adapt the ideas and take them forward. A very engaging and thought-provoking day” (Nicola Tallis, Croydon EPS)

“It was useful to think about the rationale, how to explain the purpose of DA effectively to staff, and how to use the resources to inform planning. I really liked the chatty style and anecdotes provided. Thank you Fraser” (Helen Fahey, Lewisham EPS)

“Thanks for a great day, very much enjoyed the session and found it incredibly useful” (Sarah Luxford, Educational Psychologist, Oxfordshire EPS)

“I have a better understanding of why it is useful to use dynamic assessment. I also feel more confident in using it. I think the resources are very good and I’m looking forward to starting using dynamic assessment more” (Sophia Jansson, Octavo Partnership).

“This has been a really useful training session, thank you very much. I feel more confident now to use dynamic assessment in my practice” (Catherine Paxton, TEP, Nottingham University).

“I found the use of the text book to accompany the evaluation/discussion of the assessments very useful. The recap of the theory was also helpful for me. I’m really pleased I came. Thank you” (Nneka Ikeogu, NCI Psychology)

“It was very useful to see videos of dynamic assessment in practice, and to see a variety of mediation strategies. It was also useful to explore what is actually being said about different skills, e.g. “mediation enhances this skills” rather than “this skill is weak” (Richard Stollery, Stockton-on-Tees EPS)

“It was so good to have a deeper look at alternative assessment approaches and to have a look at a useful framework for this dynamic approach” (Rachel Baker-Taylor, Sarah Buckley Therapies Ltd.)

“The discussion of meta-cognition and the prompt cards were most useful. The event was well organised and the venue was excellent” (Carmel Rodgers, Independent EP)

“I have really enjoyed the day and feeling inspired to get back to a way of working that I had lost a little of” (Gemma Ellis, Luton EPS)

“You’ve given me new ideas to take things forward in my practice. Thank you” (Amanda Cotton, Herefordshire EPS)

“This has been a really useful insight into dynamic assessment. I will definitely use your ideas and what you have shared today will help me with my career path” (Karen Andrews-Longbone, Assistant EP, Lincolnshire EPS)

“I found the video clips useful as well as the opportunities to link theory to practice. I enjoyed your engaging style of imparting knowledge. Thank you” (Rachel Caldwell, Luton EPS)

“I really enjoyed the day. Your presentation style fitted neatly with the flexibility of the dynamic assessment approach. Thank you” (David Lamb, Applied Psychologies)

“The whole thing was useful: from the theory to applied practice. Now I can talk about dynamic assessment much more confidently” (Sarah-Jane Wooton, Swindon EPS)

“I enjoyed the videos, the discussion and the clarification of the underlying concepts, as well as the opportunity to talk through the book. This will help me with transferability from review meetings” (William Bulman, Southwark EPS)

“Seeing dynamic assessment in video was really valuable and has helped me to consider my own approach” (Gill Matson, Independent EP)

“I found it useful to see dynamic assessment being used in real-life cases. You demonstrated a clear process to follow when doing this kind of work. Thank you” (Kathryn Rees, Southwark EPS)

“Great, engaging and clearly presented session . Really enjoyed the day and look forward to putting some ideas into practice!” (Gemma Handelsman, Hertforshire EPS)

“Very well delivered. Pitched at a very good level for practising EPs. Highly relevant” (Helen Tyson, Sandwell EPS)

“As a newly qualified EP it was exactly what I needed to expand my practice. Thank you.” (Rodanthi Chatzinikolaou, Hounslow EPS)

“This has given me some food for thought about ways to enhance my practice. Thank you” (Nicky Weisfeld, Independent EP)

“Really enjoyed the day – really motivated to further develop with my schools” (Audrey Hunt, Carmarthenshire EPS)

Letters

Dear Fraser,

I am emailing to thank you, and Donna Carrigan for writing and publishing “Improving Learning Through Dynamic Assessment.” I have been an advocate of DA since qualifying as an EP in 2000. I have found that your book provides great accessibility to practitioners. I am working with a number of schools who are using learning principles to underpin their and the pupils own assessment of learning.

I currently work part time as a Specialist EP in Suffolk and I set up my own company in 2014 where I offer bespoke educational psychology, SEN-D training and inclusive school improvement services. As part of this I host a SENCO network which has 350 members. I promoted your book with the network and explored some of the resources with Colleagues, which was incredibly well received. I have also been asked to lead a practice innovation group for Suffolk EPs in DA, and they again hugely valued the resources in the book. I use your checklists to aid my professional evaluation of learning strengths and needs, and I remain a huge advocate of your work.

I wish you continued success in your career and I hope that our professional paths link at some point in the future.

Best wishes

Judith

(Judith Carter, Specialist Adviser Inclusion Educational Psychologist, Willow Tree Learning)

Dear Fraser,

I just wanted to say a big thank you for yesterday’s training here in Oxfordshire. Feedback from the Service has been universally positive and I’m sure that EPs will find that it helps them to broaden their practice and move away from the limitations of standardised cognitive assessments.

There was also some very helpful information about how to report the assessments back to schools in a concise way, with the key actions needed to help the child to learn.

It can be difficult to make the transition from long descriptive reports but this will certainly help.

Many thanks, with best wishes

Catherine (Catherine Roderick, Principal Educational Psychologist, Oxfordshire Educational Psychology Service)