Biography Steve Bowkett
Steve Bowkett is a writer and hypnotherapist born in South Wales, moving to Leicestershire with his family as a young boy. He visits schools to talk about his books. He has written a variety of educational books for children, as well as several fantasy novels. He also writes horror stories in the pseudonym Ben Leech, and co-wrote the New Adventure novel Another Girl, Another Planet with Martin Day under the pseudonym Len Beech. He usually sells two books every year.
Steve Bowkett taught English for 18 years in Leicestershire High Schools. He is now a full-time writer, storyteller, educational consultant and also a qualified hypnotherapist. His particular interest therapeutically and educationally is in using both cognitive thinking skills and the subconscious resource – ‘whole mind thinking’ – in achieving one’s goals.
This exploration has resulted in a number of books including (for Network Educational Press) Imagine That – developing creative thinking skills, Self-Intelligence – boosting self-esteem and confidence, and latterly ALPS StoryMaker / StoryMaker Catch Pack – using fiction as a resource for accelerated learning, thinking skills and creativity. These packs include a teaching manual, short story collection and a CD resource of writing games. Continuum Books have also published 100 Ideas for Teaching Creativity and 100 Ideas for Teaching Thinking Skills.
Apart from this Steve has written fantasy and SF for teenagers, adult and teen horror, romance, mainstream fiction for pre-teens, fiction and non-fiction for younger readers and poetry for all ages. To date he has published forty-one titles and numerous short stories and poems.
Educational Books
Imagine That. This is a compendium of around 100 creative thinking activities applicable across the age and ability range. Spiral bound, with many photocopiable pages. ISBN: 1 85539 043 4. Network Continuum Education (NCE – originally Network Educational Press).
Self Intelligence. A compendium of activities, strategies and ideas for developing self-confidence, self-esteem and other aspects of emotional resourcefulness. ISBN: 1 85539 055 8. (NCE – originally NEP).
ALPS StoryMaker. This teaching pack for KS 2-4 uses children’s love of story and the structure of narrative to teach thinking skills and boost creativity. The manual itself explores and explains around 80 writing activities, which can also be used analytically to develop critical skills in terms of literacy, deconstruction and appreciation of text, etc. The manual 300 page can be bought as a stand-alone resource (ISBN: 1 85539 076 0) with a free interactive CD (NCE / NEP).
StoryMaker Catch Pack. This is a follow-up to the first StoryMaker pack. The manual contains around 70 further ideas for developing writing, thinking and creativity, and here the focus is on Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction to address the issue of motivating boys. Again the manual is available by itself (ISBN: 1 85539 109 0) with a CD ROM or in conjunction with the Catch books of stories – Catch and Other Stories, Catch SF Minitales and Catch Horror Minitales. (NCE / NEP).
But Why? Developing philosophical thinking in the classroom. This is a manual written by Sara Stanley with contributions from myself. The pack is a ‘starter kit’ for establishing a community of philosophical enquiry in your classroom. Intended for KS1 and KS2, the manual (ISBN: 1 85539 172 4) comes with four picture books – a dark retelling of Pinocchio by Sara and three books by me – Philosophy Bear and the Big Sky, Dojen the Wanderer and the poem If I Were A Spider. You also get a Philosophy Bear soft toy (also available separately). (NCE / NEP).
What’s The Story? Games and activities for creative storymaking. This book, for upper KS1 and KS2, is largely photocopiable and contains 40 ideas for creative writing. ISBN: 0 7136 5420 1 A&C Black.
100 Ideas for Teaching Creativity (ISBN 0-8264-8478-6) / 100 Ideas for Teaching Thinking Skills (ISBN 0-8264-8479-4) Continuum.
Boys & Writing (ISBN 1-85539-108-2) Network Continuum PocketPAL book – Practical Aided Learning. A dip-in pocketbook of ideas.
Success in the Creative Classroom: using past wisdom to inspire excellence (ISBN
978-1-85539-216-8). This is a collaboration between myself, Roy Leighton, Trish Lee and Tim Harding. The emphasis of the book is to link profound ideas from past thinkers with new ideas in neuroscience and education, focussed into practical classroom activities. Topics covered include philosophical enquiry and reasoned dialogue, creativity and thinking, ‘narrative intelligence’, learning and remembering through song, further memory techniques, listening skills and peer group education. Ideas are applicable both to primary and secondary students. Network Continuum.
