Bloomsbury CPD Library: Research-Informed Practice


Book Description

Research-informed practice has an ever-growing impact on teaching. It involves reading widely, and discussing and debating evidence from sources outside a teacher's own educational setting. When done well, it can greatly improve practice, although it can often be complex and time-consuming. Bloomsbury CPD Library: Research-Informed Practice provides simple, manageable strategies for busy classroom teachers to access and engage with research and use it to transform teaching. Experienced teacher and research lead Jennifer Ludgate presents an invaluable guide to using research to inform teaching practice within a busy school term. Full of top tips, it's split into two sections – teach yourself and train others – to develop a research-informed culture across the whole school. This easy-to-follow title in the Bloomsbury CPD Library series features self-evaluation tasks for reviewing your own progress and includes ready-to-use training plans for 20 hours of CPD. With all handouts and presentation slides available as a free download from the companion website, this is an essential resource for any classroom teacher or school leader who would like to improve teaching practice using research and evidence.




Bloomsbury CPD Library: Using Technology in the Classroom


Book Description

Designing a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme can be daunting. Whether you are looking to better your own practice or coach your colleagues, it can be hard to know where to start. But don't worry, the Bloomsbury CPD Library is here to help! Divided into two unique sections, Teach Yourself and Train Others, this book is perfect for individual teachers, middle leaders and those looking to introduce whole-school CPD training programmes. The provision of technology focused CPD is often based on the 'whizz and bang' approach, promoting the use of eye-catching digital tools and equipment in classrooms without due consideration to pedagogical factors and, crucially, the individual school's context. José Picardo's new book will consider how technology is used in schools and provide research-informed strategies to help improve teaching and learning by using technology effectively. It focuses on the need to train staff in the skills required to choose the right technology to have lasting impact and combines not only information about how technology can best work in the classroom, but also what makes great teaching and how technology can complement this. The goal of the book is to help teachers integrate technology seamlessly into daily practice so that technology is used almost reflexively, effectively and without fuss. It also provides guidance on how to integrate this methodology and way of thinking across your school as well as training other teachers to successfully choose and use the best technology for their subject and their students. The book provides ten ready-to-use training plans, equating to a cost of just £2.30 per CPD session!




Lesson Planning Tweaks for Teachers


Book Description

Lesson planning is a requirement of every teacher. Whether you are planning your day-to-day lessons or a formal observation, planning is a skill that can be refined and improved to ensure your workload is manageable and your lessons exceptional. Aimed at committed and reflective teachers who want to develop their practice, this book introduces Tweaks for Teachers: small changes that make a big difference! It encourages you to review your current lesson planning practice and develop lessons that enable students to make outstanding learning gains. The book focuses on making practical, small changes that, over time, can make a real difference to the quality of learning and teaching in the classroom. Organised around real lesson snippets and full lesson plans covering every secondary subject, the book focuses on the key areas you need to plan for every lesson: assessment for learning, questioning, stretch and challenge and commitment to learning, as well as covering the importance of developing a good marking practice. Real examples of successful lessons are provided as well as a commentary of missed opportunities and practical 'tweaks' that could be made to improve students' learning and to develop outstanding teaching. This format means that the book is not only useful to those teachers wanting to develop their practice, but it is also a really useful training tool for those with responsibility for training new teachers or devolving a school's CPD provision. Lesson Planning Tweaks for Teachers takes a highly original approach to improving your lesson planning. Mel and Debbie's down to earth and accessible style will help every secondary teacher, whatever your level of experience, to make the planning process more meaningful and manageable, and one that leads to outstanding progress over time. Follow them on Twitter today for daily tips: @TeacherTweaks




Mentoring and Coaching in Early Childhood Education


Book Description

This book provides an introduction to the theory and practice of mentoring, coaching and supervision in the context of early childhood education and care. Written by a team of scholars from the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and the USA the book includes a range of annotated case studies to exemplify important issues from around the world. The chapters are organized around four key principles: · Embedding professional one to one support within the setting · Maximising performance and professional development · Self and collaborative reflection for leadership · Managing and leading change Topics covered include discussion of the differences and similarities between mentoring, coaching and supervision; management and leadership in early childhood settings; safeguarding and child protection. Alongside the annotated case studies each chapter also includes a summary of key points and questions for further discussion.




The Headteacher's Handbook


Book Description

This must-read guide to being a primary headteacher is filled with practical guidance, tips and advice on all aspects of headship to support and inspire new, current and aspiring headteachers. Written by a headteacher with over 14 years' experience at the helm, The Headteacher's Handbook is the indispensable manual to understanding the role as both an instructional coach and community leader. With a kind and compassionate tone, Rae Snape presents invaluable advice, models, research, motivational quotes and self-reflection questions on a wealth of topics. This includes: - developing and communicating the vision for your school - building a staff team - handling an Ofsted inspection - ensuring inclusion, equality and diversity in your setting - curriculum and assessment design - managing the day-to-day – the finances, health and safety, behaviour and everything in-between! The book features examples from Rae's own experiences as well as contributions from some of the most influential and forward-thinking school leaders today, including Dr Kulvarn Atwal, Mary Myatt, Remi Atoyebi, Paul Dix and Christalla Jamil. Also featuring a foreword by Professor Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, and Sir David Carter's popular framework First 100 Days in Headship, The Headteacher's Handbook is a compendium of all you need to excel as a headteacher.




Bloomsbury CPD Library: Secondary Curriculum and Assessment Design


Book Description

In the past few years, the way we think about assessment has undergone a revolution. From the re-organisation of qualifications and examinations at national level (including removing National Curriculum levels at secondary school) to the increasing focus on active research to develop feedback strategies with a measurable impact, assessment has never been so much at the forefront of educational thought. While previously assessment was bound to the curriculum, now there is a demand for schools to develop assessment systems that are merely driven by it. Despite raising serious questions and challenges, these dramatic changes provide a reason for teachers to evaluate their practice. Simultaneously, the nature of CPD has been reinvigorated in the 'digital age', with teachers galvanised by online resources, Twitter and educational blogs. The result? Teachers can take their development into their own hands, and re-professionalise teaching! Bringing together these two movements, this book provides an opportunity for teachers to grasp what formative assessment means, how it complements the curriculum when used effectively, how to employ it in their classroom and school, and how they can improve their assessment systems and practice within the classroom. Divided into two parts, train yourself and teach others, this book will dispel concerns, and help teachers and school leaders to embrace and excel in all areas of formative assessment!




Bloomsbury CPD Library: Stretch and Challenge


Book Description

In the past schools have labelled the most able students in a class or year group as 'gifted and talented'. While segregating these students may help them to achieve their academic potential, there is little benefit in this practice for their 'less able' classmates. Even less so for those who are left in the middle space, identified as neither highly academic nor severely struggling. The Stretch and Challenge model focuses on setting high expectations for all students, regardless of their ability. Encouraging all children to meet universally high targets introduces flexibility between, otherwise rigid, ability groups, and gives children greater opportunities to exceed. Split into two parts, Stretch and Challenge focuses on different ways of thinking about and implementing this model in school. Debbie Light begins by helping teachers to create a culture of high expectations in their classroom by setting challenging learning objectives, creating opportunities for students to develop independence and supporting students, as they become resilient learners. The second half of the book advises teachers how to create an inclusive learning environment where all children feel challenged by encouraging teacher questioning, designing tasks, grouping students and effectively using teaching assistants. Filled with honest, experienced and undeniably helpful advice, Debbie Light's Stretch and Challenge is a must have guide for all teachers who want to collectively maximise their students' learning and achievement. The book provides a set of ready-to-use training plans to help you train your colleagues and is accompanied by PowerPoint slides available to download online for free. It offers 19 hours of CPD, equating to a cost of just £1.20 per hour of training!




Mark. Plan. Teach. 2.0


Book Description

'A must-read for school leaders and teacher trainers ... I wish every school leader would read this book' Dr Min Du, Teacher, researcher and international education consultant The new, fully updated edition of Ross Morrison McGill's bestselling Mark. Plan. Teach., now complete with a visual guide to the key ideas, illustrated by Oliver Caviglioli. Mark. Plan. Teach. 2.0 includes an illustrated visual booklet, a foreword by Professor Andy Hargreaves and exciting new ideas in line with current best practice, recent thinking and developments around marking and feedback. There are three things that every teacher must do: mark work, plan lessons and teach students well. This refreshed guide from Ross, bestselling author of 100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Outstanding Lessons, Teacher Toolkit and Just Great Teaching, is packed full of practical ideas that will help teachers refine the key elements of their profession. Mark. Plan. Teach. 2.0 shows how each stage of the teaching process informs the next, building a cyclical framework that underpins everything that teachers do. With teachers' workload still at record levels and teacher recruitment and retention the number one issue in education, ideas that really work and will help teachers not only survive but thrive in the classroom are in demand. Every idea in Mark. Plan. Teach. 2.0 can be implemented by all primary and secondary teachers at any stage of their career and will genuinely improve practice. The ideas have been tried and tested and are supported by evidence that explains why they work, including current educational research and psychological insights from Professor Tim O'Brien, leading psychologist and Honorary Professor at UCL Institute of Education.




Bloomsbury CPD Library: Independent Learning


Book Description

"Independent learning is an ideal which many teachers aspire to but find difficult to achieve. It is common for school inspectors to comment on the need for students to learn more independently, and from higher education admissions officers and employers there is a constant call for students to be better equipped to be able to learn and think for themselves. Students themselves enjoy and benefit from lessons in which they are given the opportunity to begin to take charge of the learning process, particularly when there is space for them to explore and inquire into topics that grab their attention. At the same time, there is enormous pressure on schools to 'teach to the test', leading many teachers to feel that they have to play safe and cannot risk giving their students genuine responsibility for their own learning, lest results suffer. Critics also argue that students need to be taught directly, as the capacity for meaningful inquiry is not one that most students possess, and even when it is present, the open-ended nature of the inquiry process can make learning inefficient. In this book, John L. Taylor shows how the rhetoric about independent learning can be turned into a practical reality. The book explores the foundations of effective learning and demonstrates how it is possible to implement an approach to learning which encourages students to learn to think for themselves. It shows how by teaching students to think better, teachers can ensure that they both succeed in jumping assessment hurdles and also enjoy a richer, more meaningful educational experience."--Publisher's description.




Reflective Teaching in Schools


Book Description

Building on best-selling texts over three decades, this thoroughly revised new edition is essential reading for both primary and secondary school teachers in training and in practice, supporting both initial school-based training and extended career-long professionalism. Considering a wide range of professionally relevant topics, Reflective Teaching in Schools presents key issues and research insights, suggests activities for classroom enquiry and offers guidance on key readings. Uniquely, two levels of support are offered: · practical, evidence-based guidance on key classroom issues – including relationships, behaviour, curriculum planning, teaching strategies and assessment processes; · routes to deeper forms of expertise, including evidence-informed 'principles' and 'concepts' to support in-depth understanding of teacher expertise. Andrew Pollard, former Director of the UK's Teaching and Learning Research Programme, led development of the book, with support from primary and secondary specialists from the University of Cambridge, UK. Reflective Teaching in Schools is part of a fully integrated set of resources for primary and secondary education. Readings for Reflective Teaching in Schools directly complements and extends the chapters in this book. Providing a compact and portable library, it is particularly helpful in school-based teacher education. The website, reflectiveteaching.co.uk, offers supplementary resources including reflective activities, research briefings, advice on further reading and additional chapters. It also features a glossary, links to useful websites, and a conceptual framework for deepening expertise. This book is one of the Reflective Teaching Series – inspiring education through innovation in early years, schools, further, higher and adult education.