Summary of the Career of Michael Phillips

Michael was born in the UK but spent his first 20 years in Southern Africa where he completed his schooling and went to University in Pretoria-South Africa. Here he gained a post graduate honours degree in Political Science and international Politics, qualifications which have been central in a career as a teacher teaching history and politics.

In the late 1970s, after a two year spell at the Université Catholique de l’Oueste in Angers on the banks of the Loire and Maine rivers, Michael returned to the United Kingdom to join as a Senior Master of Stubbington House School where later, as headteacher, he created a Dyslexia Unit to support young people with literacy and numeracy difficulties. This was Michael’s introduction to the world of multi-sensory teaching and the start of a learning journey of discovery into the way people learn, think and reason. Since then he has worked alongside students both young and old to develop individualized approaches to learning that have improved their effectiveness as they have pursued academic outcomes.

Michael added valuable experience and further qualifications while working in the field of literacy acquisition at the Greys School in Thurrock(UK) and at the specialist Dyslexia School of Northease Manor, in East Sussex where he served as Head of Middle School, Director of Studies and finally Deputy Head Teacher between 1996 and 2008. It was here that he gained two significant qualifications related to this specialist area of education, namely PGC(SPLD) Dyslexia from Edinburgh University and the Professional Qualification for Headteachers NPQH. From 1999. Michael has been an associate member of the British Dyslexia Association(AMDA)-this is now known as Dyslexia Action.

Michael has always taught History, Politics and French with the important learning support function developing alongside his various teaching and educational management responsibilities. Since August 2008 he has been successful in advising schools, institutions and individuals on learning and support issues as a consultant and he has worked with individuals at school, Universities and in business to help them develop effective learning skills, to improve cognitive performance and improve reading comprehension and speed of reading. He also supports students and business people in methods of planning and revision for key exams and performance tests and assessments.

In recent years, more and more people have been interested in improving their critical thinking skills and key areas of effective communication such as in the making of presentations, honing interview skills, engaging in debate and improving assertiveness . Michael provides valuable support in these areas in both English and French.

Michael has always valued the development of mind mapping skills as an effective way of thinking, rationalizing and organizing thoughts and ideas. The example of Tony Buzan’s writings on the subject have been inspirational and Michael has added the iMindMap programme as an excellent IT solution, based on the methodologies devised and invented by Tony Buzan.