Tutorials & Mentoring

Individuals

Celebrating individuality – You are unique.

Footnotes can provide very important one2one support to individuals who can sometimes feel quite isolated in their learning or working experience. We see a diverse range for this: from young children being booked in for support with spelling, through to business folk dealing with large documents that need to be in by a certain deadline. Footnotes Facilitators are trained to give that flexible and specific input with the various modules available.

If you would like Footnotes to provide business or student mentoring support (such as the type funded through the Disabled Student Allowance) please get in touch to find out more. We have various structures of support available.

Family Support Sessions

Meeting all thinkers with a truly intergenerational programme.

Footnotes VMT tutorials for families have proved to be invaluable for all kinds of domestic situations. For example, when a parent doesn’t understand their child’s learning or behavioural needs, or where individuals want to gel better together in their family setting. The opportunity to use strategies to better manage time together around the home can also be covered in a Footnotes tutorial. Tutorials quite often start as a family session, for example, so that a young person can feel included and safe to proceed, once the family has agreed as to what is going to happen. Family tutorials can lead into individual tutorials, and we are happy for a family session to be booked and then be broken down into segments of time, where individuals can privately work through some of their issues. This can obviously be helpful when, for example, a family is using the mediation grid.

Small Groups & Teams

We offer training sessions for those wanting to train together online There can be lots of advantages to doing this, eg sharing the training costs + learning Footnotes together can often enhance and speed up the learning experience for all involved. We support students in university situations and also professionals in the business/market place.

If you would like to book a session for an existing group or if you are an individual wanting to join a FootnotesVMT group training session please contact us to discuss your requirements.

We look forward to meeting you!

Tutorials and Mentoring Sessions, as and when you need them! 

These visual learning techniques are available to anyone, anywhere in the world, where an internet connection is possible.

Because FootnotesVMT is very flexible, it can be tailored to individual requirements. 

You can choose to book one-off sessions, or you can opt for a series of scheduled sessions. 

Tutorials can run from as little as 10 minutes through to 90 minutes.

If you already know the Grid Modules that you would like to have training in, you might like to book three sessions in one go, so as to complete the module training within a set time frame.  3 x 60-minute sessions is normally enough to complete a module training. In some cases, two modules can be learnt together within the same time frame  ( £10 = 10 minutes and so on)

Once you have clicked and paid via the button below, we will contact you via the email you provide to arrange your session/s 

Looking forward to meeting you online soon! 

Training Programmes & Workshops

Celebrating Multi-layered thinking. It’s so worth seeing the details

A Visual approach that helps you discover your multilayered ways!

This training gives an awareness of just how many thought processes one might be juggling within any given moment, and how to manage them. It offers guidance to help understand and harness the best of a person’s learning and thinking styles, and in turn, use this knowledge to better navigate their learning/working environment. We offer engaging input, sharing relevant and inspiring examples that are humorous, heartwarming, challenging and empowering.

An opportunity to learn about the Footnotes Programme and its 30+ grid uses, to see the impact and benefits of its simple application whilst demonstrating the breadth of its relevance across many walks of life. This training offers a good foundational understanding of the Footnotes techniques and also gives an overview of some specific strategies, chosen according to your own needs or interests.

This often also forms the first step of the Facilitator Training Programme, see below.

FootnotesVMT – Tools for sharing ideas beyond description

Teaching peers is one of the best ways to develop mastery, and not only is Footnotes an ideal vehicle for peer mentoring, but peer mentoring is ideally suited to Footnotes! Peer teaching is not a new concept; it can be traced back to the times of Aristotle. Over the past 30-40 years, peer teaching/mentoring has become increasingly popular. It is a method by which one student instructs another student in material on which the first is an expert and the second is a novice.

The main benefits of peer teaching include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Students receive more time for individualized learning
  • Direct interaction between students promotes active learning
  • Peer teachers reinforce their own learning by instructing others
  • Students feel more comfortable and open when interacting with a peer
  • Peers and students share a similar discourse, allowing for greater understanding
  • Peer teaching is a financially efficient alternative to hiring more staff member

Research also indicates that peer learning activities typically yield team-building spirit and more supportive relationships; greater psychological well-being, social competence, communication skills and self-esteem; and higher achievement and greater productivity in terms of enhanced learning outcomes for both tutor and tutee.

If you are interested in a ‘train the trainer’ approach, do contact us for more information.

Footnotes Facilitator Programme

If you would like to train to be a Footnotes Practioner, Please read on!

About the Facilitator Programme

A module-based international facilitator training award, providing tailored qualifications in the delivery of the Footnotes Visual and Multilayered Thinking Programme.

This international training programme allows interested individuals to become accredited Facilitators of the strategy, equipped to deliver Footnotes within your organisation or in a self-employed context. Once established as a Footnotes Facilitator, you can go on to qualify as a Facilitator Trainer, enabling you to offer this programme to a global audience.

Footnotes time and time again proves to bridge the huge divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, the highly trained and the unskilled.

Building on an understanding of how the Footnotes grid works, a trainee will specialise in different modules, as they choose. To find out about the 30+ different module options that Facilitators can train in, from spelling, to essay writing, to presentation giving and much more, please see our list of modules.

If you are would like to find out more about this training opportunity, please explore the following pages, all of which can also be accessed through the drop-down ‘Facilitators’ menu.

This international training programme allows interested individuals to become accredited Facilitators of the strategy, equipped to deliver Footnotes within your organisation or in a self-employed context. Once established as a Footnotes Facilitator, you can go on to qualify as a Facilitator Trainer, enabling you to offer this programme to a much wider audience.

Time and time again Footnotes proves to bridge the huge divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, the highly trained and the unskilled.

Building on an understanding of how the Footnotes grid works, a trainee will specialise in different modules, as they choose. To find out about the 30+ different module options that Facilitators can train in, from spelling, to essay writing, to presentation giving and much more, please see our list of modules.

We at Footnotes are passionate about spreading the amazing testimonies of hope and liberation that can come when these strategies are applied in real life situations. Facilitators play an integral role in the Footnotes story. These are mostly, but not soley, people who have discovered first-hand how powerful Footnotes can be. People who have experienced a measure of success in their own lives through using Footnotes, and who now want to help others to find and experience breakthroughs in their own lives. However, there are also busy individuals holding down jobs, who want a very specific application of Footnotes, which they can get in a matter of hours to directly impact their area of focus.

Over the years, we have also observed that Footnotes is often more effective when it has been delivered through a realm of influence or a relationship. Ie. in a work/school context, or through family or friends. This is due to the absolute transparency of the way that Footnotes operates: there are no hidden gimmicks or surprises; when a positive change in a person’s life is witnessed by others, the testimony speaks powerfully for itself.

If you are interested and would like to find out more about this training opportunity, please explore the sections below:

Overview

Following the success of the Footnotes Programme, our vision is to enable people to share their successes and experiences of  visual multi layered thinking (VMT) with others so that many more can be reached. Becoming a Footnotes Facilitator is that next step; being one would allow you to bring the Footnotes Programme into the field you work in, specialising in the strategies that suit your particular needs.

About

Footnotes supports individuals in the realms of:

  • learning
  • memory
  • entrepreneurial thinking
  • innovation
  • revelation
  • reconciliation
  • communication
  • language translation
  • organisation and productivity

This is relevant to both corporate,  education, and social settings. Many are surprised by how beneficial Footnotes is to their own existing skills base.

Because Footnotes has such a diverse set of applications, Facilitator training is delivered as a portfolio of modular techniques, which are tailored to the specific requirements of the user in accordance with their professional field, or personal interests. 

Who It’s For

With all that in mind, Facilitators can clearly come from many different contexts. Some may use Footnotes as a support worker within education; for others it might be offering training in a corporate setting, working within a social services role or enhancing your home schooling techniques.

The international community of Footnotes users includes:

  • Teachers, through from Pre-School to College
  • University Lecturers
  • Learning Support Assistants
  • Businesses looking to improve their creativity and innovation
  • Humanitarian Aid organisations helping people in crisis
  • Not-for-profit organisations helping to bring business regeneration
  • Private tutors & mentors
  • Counsellors
  • Health and well-being practitioners
  • Parents/guardians
  • Homeschoolers
  • Entrepreneurs needing help with personal organisation

The Benefits

No matter how you want to use your training, the Footnotes techniques that you gain will be an aid for life, and give you skills that benefit you personally, as well as professionally. As an individual, once qualified, you could use the training within your employer organisation, as part of the Footnotes organisation and affiliated charitable programme Footnotes Reach, or as a free-lance consultant. You might deliver the programme one-to-one or with groups, either in person or even via video tutorial. 

This training offers qualified Facilitators the opportunity to charge established tutor hourly rates for their services, and employers benefit from that added value within their organisation.

Additionally, It is often in the interest of an organisation, or school, to be recognised as specialising in the Footnotes Programme. You can read more about this here.

Independent Trainees

If you would like to become part of the Footnotes leadership community, but haven’t got a place within which to learn and develop your skills, please do not let that be a barrier. Get in touch to find out about placement (and potential employment) opportunities through our network of schools and other organisations. We can give you the support and encouragement needed to  get going as an independent trainee facilitator.

You may be looking to create self-employment within a local context, in a way that suits yours and your family’s routine. This might be in education learning support, or as a business mentor for budding entrepreneurs. Alternatively, perhaps you want to take some time to make an impact on a community away from home; if so, there are opportunities for you to take your training into global humanitarian contexts across many countries, or even new locations at your suggestion. 

Do read on, to find out about how flexible the training process is.

Become a Facilitator

Training Options

The process of becoming a Footnotes Facilitator is designed to be flexible, and easily adapted to suit the learning and life styles of those training. Essentially, there are a different streams to get to the same qualification:

One-to-one training  (usually online). This is available to anyone, anywhere in the world, and is tailored to your requirements, as well as your schedule and finances. You can book individual sessions as and when, or a set for a discounted rate. 

On-location Conference training. These events gather trainees together in one location, for intensive input into a shared field. A great way to accrue training and practise in a very short period of time, though you may still need to go away and evidence your understanding before receiving accreditation. We organise these periodically in various places but if enough like-minded people in a particular location wish to have a local training event we are happy to run additional ones. Prices vary depending on country and currency. For more information on prices please send us an enquiry.

Online Conference training. The most cost effective way to receive input. We use internet-based, conference calling technology to bring together trainees to gain training without the limitations and overheads of travel and venue. Usually 3 x 50 minute time zone relevant sessions.

In-house training with one of our trainers. Invite us to your organisation, to offer bespoke training to your staff according to your unique needs. Due to the variable nature of these venues, please contact us for more information regarding prices.

Your Modules

When you have decided to become a Footnotes Facilitator, generally you will choose a specialisation of modules, depending on your field of work a guide to these can be found here. Once you’ve chosen your areas of focus, let us know and we kind guide you to most suitable Grid Modules.

Because Footnotes is so readily transferable, time and time again, we have seen examples of people who have been briefly introduced to Footnotes through a friend, or a work colleague, or other, who have run with the strategy in its most basic form, thinking that they have ‘got it’ , but who, sadly, are unaware of the full breadth and scope that Footnotes could actually cover. Although Footnotes works very well as a quick fix, we heartily encourage trainees to really own the techniques for themselves,  that way dramatic breakthroughs are far more likely to through the natural process of relationship.

Evidencing

Whatever you choose, it will need to be supplemented with evidence of you applying Footnotes in your context, as you consolidate your learning. This might be in the form of observations, videos, audio, copies of grids made, statistics that show progress and written evaluations, including where possible from those you are supporting. The feedback we are looking for includes:

  • what you did
  • when you did it
  • the subject/situation it was applied in
  • any challenges you faced
  • the outcomes/breakthroughs made

Registration

To ensure the Footnotes Programme is always being used in a way that promotes its full benefits, we have a periodic registration system that protects quality control and keeps you up-to-date with any developments of both new and existing modules. Facilitators submit evidence of their ongoing usage to us and when we can see that all our criteria have been successfully met, we can congratulate with you the continuation of your ongoing registration. The cost of this registration is normally the fee for an online tutorial. 

The Team Affect

We greatly value our Facilitators; without these amazing people, the effectiveness of Footnotes would travel at a much slower pace. Many times over, we hear the same phrase: “I wish we had found you years ago!” This is so significant to us that we don’t want to waste any time, and are working hard to ensure that Footnotes can be accessible to all….now! This is why the Footnotes Facilitator Programme has been developed.

It is important to stress that in order to become a fully-fledged Facilitator, no previous training or familiarity is compulsory; you may just have a ‘hunch’ that Footnotes would work for you, or you may even know of a number of people close to you for whom you think Footnotes could be a key to bring them a positive breakthrough. We welcome the opportunity to deliver Footnotes in bite-size pieces and, as some of the modules can be applied straight away and the impact can be seen immediately,  you can learn Footnotes at your own pace, trying it on for size first.

What Next?

If you think that Footnotes Facilitator training is for you, the next step is to make contact with our team! Book on a conference, invite us to run a training day in your place of work or community, or get stuck in straight away with online private tutorials that go at your pace. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Become a Facilitator Trainer

Those Facilitators who find themselves wanting to share Footnotes on a larger scale may like to consider becoming a regional advocate and trainer of other Facilitators. The opportunity to work alongside other organisations, to instigate policy change and to use Footnotes as a tool for wellbeing across many aspects of a region is something that the Footnotes community is keen to support.

There are benefits to you as an individual, or organisationally, in becoming a Footnotes Facilitator trainer, with the opportunity to organise conferences, workshops, and training schemes to name but a few. These are ways of generating revenue and sustained input of Footnotes where it is really needed. Once qualified, you will be able to deliver Facilitator training in both small and large groups, through the same flexible format that you first received it.

Please get in touch to find out more about this training, or register your interest.

Organisation Accreditation

Process

As well as individuals becoming qualified, it is also possible for organisations to become ‘Footnotes Accredited’. If a learning community or any other entity wishes to do this, then there are several criteria that need to be met, including having members who are Footnotes Facilitators.

Once your learning community has identified its representative(s), and they have acquired the necessary training to become a Footnotes Facilitator, we want to encourage your school or learning community to be able to carry the Footnotes kitemark equivalent.

This is a status that’s given where there is an ongoing culture of using Footnotes and providing access to it. It is not merely a case of one or two people knowing about and using Footnotes, but rather an attitude of understanding and recognition by the community as a whole, so that the coextensive reach of Footnotes runs parallel to and with existing methods. I.e. Each person, from the Head, to the teachers, teaching assistants, students, parents, and even prospective parents, are able to recognise that the Footnotes system is fully integrated alongside the traditional teaching methods,  wherein everyone is free to work in their preferred method of learning (be that with Footnotes or without) and thus be able to produce a better standard of work all round. 

The renewal process is often as part of ongoing correspondence and Footnotes training input. Sometimes a scheduled monitoring and evaluation process is preferred.

The set of criteria are:

  • You have an in-house Footnotes Co-ordinator who is an up-to-date Facilitator.
  • You have a certain amount of up-to-date Facilitators in ratio with the number of students/users.
  • Every user needs to have been exposed to Footnotes and have access to and support in using it, if they wish. This must be evidenced.
  • It is requested that general usage of Footnotes is logged, with sample examples that give extra detail. The system in which to do this is provided by us and does not take a lot of time. This is monitored in an ongoing way by the Co-ordinator and audited by us, with a mutual understanding of what is sufficient. The more detailed examples show significant usage with information such as: year group; gender; academic level, if relevant (and how this changes over time); Footnotes strategies used; attached notes of relevance (e.g. samples grids, reports on outcomes).

Benefits

It is often in the interest of an organisation, or school, to be recognised as specialising in the Footnotes Programme, particularly if you wish to take it to the point that you can host workshop days or conferences (on a regional, national or international basis). These future opportunities have the potential to generate income that can support and sustain ongoing input and development. It also enables you to become part of a wider community of Footnotes users, where relationships can be initiated and grown, in a hub of sharing successes and forming creative new ideas together.

 Please get in touch to find out more about the benefits and route to accreditation.

Organisation Licensing

As well as individual organisations being accredited, whole clusters or indeed governing bodies can enable widespread structured use of the Footnotes Programme across all areas of its jurisdiction. By licensing at the point of government or head office, Footnotes can be built in to the infrastructure of a training or curriculum programme.

Facilitator FAQs

Do you have to do separate training for each module?

Each type of module needs to be accredited separately, as it’s important that each Facilitator can evidence to equivalent standards. This retains the integrity of the strategy and the Footnotes Programme, because in our experience when Footnotes is altered or blended with other techniques this can seriously limit its effectiveness and even bring about outcomes that may not necessarily be desired.

The training provided can often give overlapping delivery of various modules, depending on the direction that you as a facilitator wish you go in. Online training sessions, conferences and residentials are appropriately clustered to maximise your specific area of use. The amount of training needed for each individual module will vary from person to person, but we expect that the more you have the easier it will be to accrue new ones.

Would I be unprepared if I haven’t seen someone actually using the grid and how it’s introduced; particularly in different settings, for example with adults, individuals or groups?

The idea of our online training is that you the trainee apply what you are learning in your local context. This is the best opportunity you’ll have to see Footnotes at work in your particular field. When appropriate and possible a Facilitator trainer could be booked to help you set up the use of Footnotes Programme in your locality. 

Because the strategies have so many varied applications, there is no better place to start than folding the grid and allowing the conversation you are having with the people you’re working with to start populating the grid as you talk. Training and support regarding sensitive and appropriate use of the grid is often included in your early training sessions. We can focus on this more where relevant to your needs.

There is no one way of introducing or using the grid with any group or individual, it is unique to each situation. The best way to be ready for this is to start using the grid, and know the particular needs of the people you are with. If you try too much to develop a theory of Footnotes in the first instance, this can either limit or overcomplicate it’s use. People are all different and so Footnotes needs to remain fresh and flexible within an advised remit so that it can be as effective as possible.

I would like to see the bigger picture. Would I use the grid on a regular basis, i.e. once a week, every day, or how often?

It’s obviously helpful if you are a grid user yourself, in some way or another, as this might give you a guide as to your own experience of reaching for a grid for the various needs you use it to address.

Grids are useful in all sorts of contexts, you could easily find yourself using some of them several times a day, for example, organisation ones are used throughout the working day. Others may be done once, with no further editing, but remain a reference point for years to come.

Therefore, regularity of use is very much dependent on both the grid you are using, and the desire of yourself and the people you work with to use it.

Can students use it by themselves at home or is it always in a controlled environment with a facilitator?

Absolutely, in most situations they can and should use it by themselves!

In any one group of students, can I use different grids with different individuals in the same class?

Yes, this is actively encouraged. Multiple concurrent use of the grid series are recommended, as we believe they tap into and develop the mind’s effectiveness and multilayered tendencies. It helps to promote each individuals unique response to a given situation.

What is the reaction from the ‘education system’? Is it widely accepted?

More and more institutions and organisations are validating Footnotes consistent ability to offer support in educational and pastoral contexts. This includes schools in the UK, Europe and Africa, as well as youth offending teams, adult support settings and those responding to intense crisis situations in, for example, the Middle East.

When I look at the different grids, they seem very varied and could be useful in a very wide range of scenarios. How can the Facilitator differentiate between what will be the most suitable?

We can help you to decide this when you begin to train. It may be that you choose an initial set, which you can add to later according to your own timescale.

The often preferred route to choosing appropriate modules happens through using the strategies you started with, as the use of one grid readily highlights the benefits of further strategies. It is easy to add these to your portfolio (sometimes with little or no training if you are already proficient in others).

In some situations it can be difficult for the facilitator to know what support will be required until they’re underway with using one or a number of grid modules. This is where top-up online training becomes popular, as it offers even as little as 25 minute training slots just in advance of your next facilitating session.

Can I use the grids with students/recipients prior to being accredited?

We actively encourage you to practise using the grids with others. Find a recipient where trust has been established, where they are aware that you are in the process of receiving training and accreditation, and stick to the information that you have been given by a Footnotes Facilitator resource or trainer. Let us know who and how you are supporting with Footnotes, as we can help support you as you develop your practice. Examples of those you’re working with will make up the work that you send in for assessment, which leads to accreditation. In therapy type situations and with the pastoral related modules we highly recommend that current and prospective Facilitators have had professional advice as to the appropriate use of the module in their specific context.

How long does accreditation take?

Depending on how fast you learn, it can be as little as a few hours input before you receive your first module. Indeed, if you are already proficient then you might be able to evidence it straight away without further training. Accreditation will only be awarded once you have demonstrated successful use, so this timeframe is up to you.

How many sessions am I going to need?

There isn’t a fixed number of sessions for any of the modules as each training need/situation is different. As soon as you feel ready to, you can send in examples of the use of your chosen module(s). We can then advise on any further training needs before sending you a certificate. Once a facilitator has one or two modules under their belt the hand over of the other chosen modules can be quicker. Some modules have more training needs than others.

Connect with other Facilitators

We’re Global

The Facilitator Programme is available all over the world. As individuals and communities develop a richer understanding of humanity’s diverse ways of living, we are encouraging a closer look and application of inherent abilities to each individual. This in turn promotes a culture where everyone can thrive and contribute. 

 We would love to encourage you to become part of this journey with Footnotes, and to become part of a wide reaching community of support, innovation and achievement. Thus benefiting from the experiences of others and contributing to a body of information, that is helping more and more people to understand themselves and contribute the best of that to education, work, and life.

Connect Locally

If you would like to connect with, or start, a Footnotes Community in your area, do get in touch. There may well be one near you, or else it could be a wonderful opportunity to establish one, with our help. 

Your Transition

Perhaps you like the idea of moving from one location, or field, into a new one? With an ever-growing network that spans different countries, cultures and professional fields, Footnotes could be the vehicle that you use to make that transition.