Cognitive Tutor Group Tasks

Tested with Vertical Tutor Groups

Teaches the pupils a range of valuable skills and genuinely fosters team building in a fun way

R Richards, Tutor & Peer Reviewer

Accessible tasks that will really develop your students' thinking skills! Designed specifically for 20-minute weekly sessions for students from Year 7 through to Year 11. Can be used as a complete scheme, or stand-alone tasks for one-off tutor sessions.

It's fun and educational and the students really enjoy it

S Robbins, Assistany Head (Pastoral) & Customer
Every task comes with:
  • Clear teacher instructions
  • All handouts & answers included
  • Tried & tested in a large secondary school with mixed-age 'vertical' tutor groups
  • Team-building tasks encourage interaction across age boundaries
  • Improves and challenges both general knowledge and thinking skills
  • Peer assessment meets AfL objectives

A valuable time saver for busy tutors... tutors will appreciate the ready to use activities in the resource to challenge and inspire students/tutees

A Chapman, Assistant Principal & Peer Reviewer

Tasks include: code breaking, memory games, lateral thinking, 'General Knowledge Sums', logic problems, 'Word Merge', 'Visual-Spatial Sequencing', 'Pig Latin'.

What do teachers say about this resource? (3558)

Great - a really good investment for any form tutor - not just vertical... The activities were appropriate for a range of ages and required minimal preparation... Engages all learners... very user friendly and simple... Excellent quality - well thought out activities.

N Tuohy, Assistant Director of Sixth Form, Tutor of Learning Families & Independent Reviewer

Wow! What a resource - dead excited to see this... It's smashing! Some dead interesting ideas and tasks that will prove to be challenging and rewarding for pupils. I love the way the tasks enable the older pupils to practice their coaching skills. Teacher information is straightforward and clearly identifies the requirements and expectations. Pupil tasks are varied and interesting... I particularly liked the range of activities - all activities are different and call on different ranges of skills. Some are numerical, some linguistic and others spatial or visual... It encourages teamwork, teambuilding and a developing understanding of individual's needs... I would definitely order it... really looking forward to the other three... an exciting and invaluable resource.

P Nolan, Vertical Tutor & Peer Reviewer

Brilliant! Easy to use... It has a variety and offers interesting ideas... Offers activities likely to engage students... fun and engaging.

L Ahern, Teacher & Customer

A valuable time saver for busy tutors... I liked the presentation of the resource and the range of activities with introduction and answers... tutors will appreciate the ready to use activities in the resource to challenge and inspire students/tutees.

A Chapman, Assistant Principal & Peer Reviewer

This is a well thought-out resource, which is evident from the quality of the tasks and carefully-worded instructions, and highly appropriate for the vertical tutor group... In addition, it should have pupils nicely warmed up for the school day... A wide range of skills are included and there should be at least something that appeals to every pupil. The possibility for pupil marking, peer marking (an element of assessment for learning) or teaching marking is an excellent option to have... It covers a range of numeracy and literacy... as well as introducing general knowledge and building other skills e.g. logic. Real world examples such as the shopping list remind pupils of daily life (cross-reference to the economic strand of the Every Child Matters policy) and engage memory in an interesting and unexpected way... This resource matches perfectly what it sets out to do and goes well beyond the expectations I had. It is not just something to fill time, but teaches the pupils a range of valuable skills and genuinely fosters team building in a fun way... Absolutely. This plugs a big gap in the market. I've been waiting for something like this for a while and cannot wait for it to be published... I look forward with great enthusiasm to the other parts of the planned series.

R Richards, Tutor & Peer Reviewer

Useful ... It engaged all students and enabled team-working ... Groups were able to think cognitively and cooperate in their learning ... It was useful because some students could also work on it individually

M Garraway, HoD & Customer

I liked the tasks as they were an appropriate level of challenge and involved lots of different skills ... It encouraged teamwork and competition between peers ... The students were able to work with others they don't normally associate with ... All the resources are provided with answers ... It's engaging and appropriate for a large age range

H Westaway, Teacher & Customer

Excellent range of activities suitable for all abilities/levels ... It enables me to have in one place activities for all 3 of my year groups ... it hits differing ability levels ... Even if you didnt have vertical tutor groups, this is still an extremely useful resource.

A Cassidy, KS3 Guidance Leader & Customer

Good activities clearly planned with resources readily available. Allowed pupils to work together with others ... General focus on learning skills ... saves planning time

L Burgess, Leader of Learning & Customer

This resource would be ideal for associate teachers whilst training or NQTs. It is simple and to the point. It is very easy to understand and follow for both the teacher and the pupils... I feel that these activities would bring a vertical tutor group closer together and help them with the skills that they would need in the class room and beyond.

L Chilton, Vertical Tutor & Peer Reviewer

I liked the variety of tasks. I liked that a mixture of knowledge and logic was required.

G Wilson, Vertical Tutor & Peer Reviewer

The activities are varied and should interest plenty of students. I particularly like the messages that need to be decoded - mixing Homer Simpson with Aristotle is a feat Matt Groenig would be proud of himself! The quotes themselves are certainly capable of sparking off a discussion or two... It certainly should [enhance learning] - the puzzles are intriguing enough, indeed quite challenging, and so both able and not-so-able kids should benefit... It could, in fact be used in single-age tutor groups just as well... the activities in themselves are attractive across the age range and that sharing them ought to draw students together, as playing in the same football team does.

M Haining, Head of Department in Vertical Tutor Group school

Quick and easy resources ... Focus on learning during tutor groups ... It is simply delivered ... Try it because it's fun and educational and the students really enjoy it

S Robbins, Assistany Head (Pastoral) & Customer

I thought the resource was excellent. I have recently joined a school with vertical tutor groups and have been looking for some activities to do on a day when we are team building. These activities are perfect for this as the mixture of numeracy, cognitive tasks and memory activities are perfect for getting students to interact with each other and work as a team... I liked that the activities are just long enough for a 20 minute registration period and also the fact that there is an element of competitiveness to each task... I also like the fact that some activities can be done in pairs and others in bigger groups... This resource will certainly get students thinking in the morning... There are lots of ways this could be used to motivate and enthuse students... All activities will promote teamwork and allow students to get to know others within their form but not necessarily their year group. The activities are fun but also will stretch the students.

R Smith, Tutor & Peer Reviewer

Spot on - tutor actiivities are difficult for such a wide age and ability range of pupils... I liked the logic problems.

A Foreman, Vertical Tutor & Peer Reviewer

This resource is a nice collection of a dozen activities that can be used very well to enable activity to take place within a whole school set-up for either vertical or non-vertical tutor groups... The activities suit the purpose well and can very effectively deliver the objectives listed.

R Wallace, Tutor & Independent Reviewer