TokTokkie
Edinburgh based
Language & Literacy Services
Services
I provide a range of services related to children’s and adults’ communication development in schools and the wider community. These include -
-
teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) to individuals and group of all ages.
-
consultancy to government or local authorities on enhancing language development in children at primary and secondary schools
-
advice or programmes for enhancing or supporting language development in classrooms
-
individual lectures, a series of lectures or workshops on language development and impairment and the relationship to literacy development
-
Collaborating on, or supporting research or evaluation
-
training on creating and delivering presentations or support and advice for making short instructional films.
Dr Marysia Nash
Edinburgh
About me
Before leaving the NHS to start TokTokkie, I was the Paediatric Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist for language and literacy across Lothian Health Board. As a practitioner with over 30 years experience, I worked extensively in the field of children’s language development and difficulties providing support to individual children, teachers, to whole classes and at a strategic level within education.
With credentials which include a professional qualification in Speech and Language Therapy, a B.Sc. (Honours) in Health Studies and a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh I have presented nationally and internationally on language impairment, its impact and support within schools.
I have authored or coauthored many publications and was the main author of manuals to support children with language difficulties in secondary schools, and vocabulary development in nursery to upper primary school.
The Story of TokTokkie
As I planned to launch my new business based on developing aspects of communication, I thought of and dismissed many names for it. The right one seemed elusive until one baking hot day in late October 2014.
I wish I could say it was a stroll but as I dragged myself up a huge sand dune near Sossusvlei in the awe inspiring Namibian dessert in 35+ degrees I saw a pretty and rather large beetle on the shifting red sand.
Reflecting not only on its beauty but also its endurance (it certainly had much shorter legs than I), we slithered down off the dunes to ask our guide what it was . “It’s a tok tokkie” he said and I knew … even before he told me about its communication skills…. that I had found the name I wanted for my business.
In two catchy words the name combined my love of wild empty hot African places with my love of all things to do with communication. And so TokTokkie was born.
The picture on this page is taken from a hot air balloon, an altogether more effortless way to see these awe inspiring dunes…. though sadly it’s hard to see the beetles from this height.