Anyone who spends time with children knows that praise works. It is a powerful motivator - praising children for good behaviour or good work builds self- esteem and self-confidence. Children love to collect stickers, certificates and rewards so what better way is there to shape behaviour, encourage good work habits and produce confident learners? Teachers and parents alike know that praise is effective we use it every day and we see the positive effect that it has on our children.

However, constructivist practitioners would argue that praise in any form creates hierarchies and competition in the classroom, has little effect on genuine learning and is invasively judgemental rather than supportive. Constructivists would further argue that self-esteem cannot be built by external agency teachers and parents can only create an appropriate environment in which a robust sense of self can grow and develop.

This book challenges traditional, embedded thinking about the role of praise. It questions the assumptions we make about developing self-esteem, about the ability of children to form their own independent judgements and the choices that children make regardless, rather than because of, contingent praise.

What happens when children are praised? Read this book, listen to what children really think and challenge your own assumptions.

Features include:

• Case studies and children s work samples;
• Points for reflection which could be used for CPD sessions;
• Appendices containing behaviour policy samples;
• Pupil, teacher and parental perspectives.

This book is aimed at practising and training Primary school teachers. It would also be suitable for NQTs who are starting to shape their own practice, experienced teachers who want to develop and question their own practice and students on BA Hons and PGCE courses.

First published in 1987, Common Knowledge offers a radical departure from the traditionally individualistic psychologies which have underpinned modern approaches to educational theory and practice. The authors present a study of education as the creation of 'common knowledge' or shared understanding between teacher and pupils. They show the presenting, receiving, sharing, controlling, negotiating, understanding and misunderstanding of knowledge in the classroom to be an intrinsically social communicative process which can be revealed only through close analysis of joint activity and classroom talk. Basing this analysis on a detailed examination of video-recorded school lessons with groups of 8 to 10-year-olds, they show how classroom communications take place against a background of implicit under-standing, some of which is never made explicit to pupils, while there develops during the lessons a context of assumed common knowledge about what has been said, done, or understood. This wide-ranging study makes an important contribution to the current debate about both teaching methods and the structure of education. It is essential reading for educationalists and developmental psychologists and has a clear practical relevance to teachers and teacher trainers.

Why can't I stop my students from being noisy as they leave my classroom? What can I do when a student is texting on their phone in my lesson? How can I stop a student from constantly tapping their pen while I am talking? Sound familiar? Chewing gum, dropping litter, swearing, late homework and disruptive behaviour in class are just a few of the issues that teachers have to face every day in the classroom. How you choose to respond to these incidents, however minor they may first seem, can have a dramatic impact on the overall quality of your lessons. There is no one answer to behaviour and classroom management as different approaches have to be taken depending on the lesson, the groups of students and even the time of day. This highly practical book guides you through the choices that you need to make when confronted with the sorts of issues that you might face in your classroom. Dealing with the nitty gritty reality of behaviour management, it covers the common problems teachers encounter on a day to day basis and provides a series of realistic and practical solutions and their likely outcomes. Placing you at the centre of the decision making process, it allows you to experiment with a range of options in a reflective and engaging manner to see which of your choices may work and why others may not. This scenario based approach not only lets you explore the various options available to you, but also enables you to see the consequence of your actions. Written by an experienced teacher, this fun and interactive book is essential reading for all trainee and qualified teachers who want a fresh approach to behaviour management in their classrooms.

Creativity for a New Curriculum: 5-11 provides an account of what creativity really means in the context of children s learning in the primary school, and describes in practical terms what teachers can do to foster it. At a time of curriculum development and change, it focuses on the opportunity to build a new curriculum that is inclusive of creativity and is fit for the twenty-first century.

The value of fostering creative thinking and problem solving abilities in education is widely recognised for its capacity to confer an independence and ability to function effectively in life. As such, encouraging children to be creative thinkers and problem solvers should be an integral part of everyday teaching and learning across all subjects.

Building upon the research and practices of a group of educators studying creativity across the curriculum and coordinated by the author, this book provides primary teachers and trainee teachers with easy to understand explanations of what creativity means in the context of the subjects of the curriculum for young children. It introduces ideas for how to nurture and support it, and explores issues associated with fostering it, such as assessment. Chapters cover areas including:

• A brief history of creativity and pedagogy, including common misconceptions
• Strategies for creative learning as well as creative teaching
• Creativity in English
• Creativity in Mathematics
• Creativity in Science and Design and Technology
• Creativity in Art and Music
• Creativity in History and the Humanities
• Creativity in ICT
• International perspectives on creativity

Creativity for a New Curriculum: 5-11 is an ideal source of information for teachers, teacher trainers, students on teaching programmes and anyone interested in developing opportunities for creativity across the primary school curriculum.

Using a cross-curricular focus, this book brings together ongoing debates about personalised learning, creativity and ICT in education, and establishes a principled framework for cross-curricular teaching and learning in Science. It identifies a range of key issues and aims to strengthen in-school science practices by introducing ways of teaching rigorous science through, and alongside, other subjects. This highly practical book draws on examples and case studies taken from innovative practices in different schools and subject areas, as well as summarising lessons from key pieces of research evidence. Cross-Curricular Teaching and Learning in the Secondary School.... Science also includes the following: Clear theoretical frameworks for cross-curricular processes of teaching and learning in science, including chapters on Maths, ICT and Technology, English, the Humanities and the Arts An analysis of the use of language, ICT and assessment as key components of a skilful pedagogical practice that affect how teaching is delivered and how pupils learn science in cross-curricular contexts A lively account of theoretical issues blended with engaging stories of current practice Practical tasks and questions for reflective practice This timely textbook is essential reading for all students on Initial Teacher Training courses and PGCE courses as well as practising teachers looking to holistically introduce cross-curricular themes and practices in Science.

How often do your primary school pupils have the opportunity to engage in open-ended, sustained pieces of work that offer them choice and control?

Do you find that the curriculum restricts openings to provide your pupils with real challenge?

Is your school grappling with finding effective ways in which to elicit authentic pupil voice?

"

Children as Researchers in Primary Schools "is an innovative and unique resource for practitioners supporting children to become real world researchers in the primary classroom. It will supply you with the skills and ideas you need to implement a children as researchers framework in your school that can be adapted for different ages and abilities. Children in primary schools are accustomed to being set short-term goals and are often unaware of long-term aims or of the connections between the concepts and skills they are learning. In contrast, this book demonstrates that children engaging in the research process have authentic opportunities to apply invaluable personal, learning and thinking skills while managing their own projects, making their voices heard and experiencing increased levels of engagement and self-esteem.

Based on the author s 4-year research study exploring the experiences of young researchers and teachers in primary schools, and on her considerable experience of training young researchers, this book also contains:

• the history and theory behind children as researchers initiatives;
• a model for good practice based on successful real life case studies;
• questions for reflective practice;
• practical examples of research in the classroom;
• photocopiable resources;
• opportunities for self-evaluation.

This comprehensive resource will be appeal to primary teachers, educational practitioners and students on CPD and ITT courses. It will also be of interest to teacher trainers, to academics involved in teaching and research and to all those interested in promoting children s voices.

Do you believe that continuous improvement in teaching is essential?

Do you wish to enhance your understanding of how children learn?

Are you eager to become a well-informed professional?

From the author of the hugely respected Foundations of Primary Teaching, this advanced textbook explores the essential elements of teaching and learning and the process of becoming a caring and competent teacher. It introduces a wide range of education issues, challenges and requirements with the intention of promoting advanced classroom practice, both for individuals and within teams. The book offers insights, ideas, hints and thought-provoking education topics for individual reflection and team discussion.

With a focus on understanding the teaching and learning processes and the factors that impact upon providing a high quality education for every pupil, this book discusses in detail key learning skills, dilemmas and challenges for primary teachers and themes in continuing professional development. It covers issues in teaching and learning including:

• The nature/nurture debate
• Motivation
• Emotional and moral development
• Raising boys achievement levels
• Gender and teachers
• Accelerated learning
• Reflective practice.

Including action points, hints and challenges, this book will be of interest to trainee teachers, postgraduates, experienced qualified teachers, deputy head teachers and head teachers who wish to be more consistently effective and make a positive impact on the lives of children in their primary classroom.

Improving Pupils Motivation Together provides a refreshing and much-needed focus on how motivation can be enhanced by teachers and teaching assistants working both individually and collaboratively. Written in an accessible and engaging manner, the book explores various theories of motivation from a range of perspectives, applying academic theory to real life classroom situations. Using a combination of case studies and empirical research, this book demonstrates how teachers and TAs can successfully enhance the motivation of their students through collaborative practice. Improving Pupils Motivation Together starts by introducing theories of learning and motivation and goes on to offer insight in areas including: Collaboration and ways to collaborate; Motivation and giftedness; Assessment for Learning; Learning goals and learning objectives; Common pupil responses; Research in Action. Improving Pupils Motivation Together is an ideal resource for both teachers and teaching assistants working with pupils who are difficult to motivate and who find learning challenging. Further, this book will be highly useful for teachers managing their support staff, and for trainee teachers looking to develop their skills in motivating and engaging pupils.

Games and simulations have emerged as new and effective tools for educational learning by providing interactivity and integration with online resources that are typically unavailable with traditional educational resources. Design, Utilization, and Analysis of Simulations and Game-Based Educational Worlds presents developments and evaluations of games and computer-mediated simulations in order to showcase a better understanding of the role of electronic games in multiple studies. This book is useful for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to gain a deeper comprehension of the relationship between research and practice of electronic gaming and simulations in the educational environment.

• Why are some teachers and student teachers better at managing pupil behaviour than others?
• What are the factors which make a difference to classroom climate?
• Can any teacher or student teacher become accomplished at managing pupil behaviour?

Managing Pupil Behaviour provides routes through the classroom management maze to help practising and aspiring teachers learn to manage behaviour effectively in their classrooms. Using a unique 10-point scale, it encourages teachers to think about the degree to which they are relaxed and in assured control of their classrooms and can enjoy their teaching.

Drawing on the views of over 140 teachers and 700 pupils, it provides insights into the factors which enable teachers to manage learning effectively in their classrooms, so that pupils can learn and achieve, and teachers can enjoy their work. Key issues explored include the factors that influence the working atmosphere in the classroom, the impact of that atmosphere on teaching and learning, and tensions around inclusive practice and situations where some pupils may be spoiling the learning of others.

This new edition has been fully updated to take account of recent research and inspection findings and includes a new chapter exploring the wide range of sophisticated skills that expert teachers deploy in order to get pupils to want to learn, and to enable teachers to work in classrooms where the climate is perfect for learning.

Managing Pupil Behaviour will help all teachers ensure the right to learn for all the pupils in their care and to think about different ways to approach this vitally important aspect of their working lives.

Teaching and Learning: Pedagogy, Curriculum and Culture is designed to share important theory with readers in an accessible but sophisticated way. It offers an overview of the key issues and dominant theories of teaching and learning as they impact upon the practice of education professionals in the classroom.

This second edition has been updated to take account of significant changes in the field; young people 's use of digital technologies, the increasing involvement of world of business in state education, and ongoing high-profile debates about assessment, to name but a few. It examines the global move from traditional subject-and-knowledge based curricula towards skills and problem-solving and discusses how the emphasis on education for citizenship has forced us to reconsider the social functions of education.

Central topics also covered include:

• An assessment of the most influential theorists of learning and teaching
• The ways in which public educational policy impinges on local practice
• The nature and role of language and culture in formal educational settings
• An assessment of different models of 'good teaching'
• Alternative models of curriculum and pedagogy.

With questions, points for consideration and ideas for further reading and research throughout, this book delivers discussion and analysis designed to support understanding of classroom interactions and to contribute to improved practice. It will be essential reading for all student teachers, those engaged in professional development, and Education Studies students.

This volume documents international, national, and small-scale testing and assessment projects of English language education for young learners, across a range of educational contexts. It covers three main areas: age-appropriate 'can do statements' and task types for teaching and testing learners between the ages of 6 to 13; innovative approaches to self-assessment, diagnostic testing, self- perception, and computer-based testing; and findings on how young learners perform on vocabulary, listening, speaking, pronunciation, and reading comprehension tests in European and Asian contexts. Early language learning has become a major trend in English language education around the globe. As a result of the spread of teaching English to a growing number of young children, assessment of and for learning have emerged as key issues. In line with this development, there is a clear and emerging need to make early language programs accountable and to assess both the progress children make over time and to quantify their achievement at various stages of development. This volume informs stakeholders about the realistic goals of early language learning, their efficiency, and how much progress children make over time.

Drama at the Heart of the Secondary School provides a rationale for the curricular centrality of drama together with rich and detailed examples of cross-phase thematic projects which are drama-led, but which promote learning across a wide range of curriculum areas, from the humanities and other arts, to English and literacy, science and PSHE. Each unit explores relevant and stimulating themes and topics that will engage the students, promote empathy, pose questions, and produce creative responses. Starting from relatively simple beginnings, the drama is structured in layers of increasing sophistication and complexity. Each layer adds another dimension to the potential learning opportunities available across a wide range of curriculum areas and suitable for learners of varying experience and ability. A wide range of curriculum areas of enquiry are referenced, and each unit offers unique ways of student learning designed to encourage excellent drama skills as well as embracing the 'learning to learn', Citizenship and PSHE agendas that are fundamental to good teaching and learning. Features include: Lists of dramatic techniques and keywords Cross curricular connections and ideas highlighted in the text Opportunities to address RSA 'Opening Minds' competencies and PLT skills Examples of curriculum models suitable for thematic work An outline of the principles of assessment for each unit This accessible and practical textbook is essential for trainee and practising teachers interested in using drama to facilitate thematic, cross-curricular work in the classroom.

This book discusses the significance of flexible scripting to structure CSCL against the framework of "Script theory of guidance" and reports on findings from two empirical studies on the effects of flexible scripting on collaboration in CSCL scenarios. In the first empirical study flexibility was accomplished through adaptivity, and through adaptability in the second. The results of these studies show that adaptive and adaptable scripts enhanced the quality of collaborative knowledge construction processes as well as learners' collaboration skills, compared to inflexible scripts. The findings presented in this book will contribute to theory building of the scripting approach in CSCL. The authors propose two innovative ways of achieving flexible scripting and address the mechanisms by which adaptive versus adaptable script influences collaborative knowledge construction. Moreover, the adaptive and adaptable scripting approaches provide hands-on examples for practitioners and contribute to their understanding of teaching design in CSCL settings.

To many education students, Russian and/or Chinese education is at the same time their introduction to Marxism, and many students go no further. This book sets the record straight by giving a thorough introduction to the writings of Marx himself as they relate to education. It shows what Marxism implies for education, as aim, method and content. It then proceeds to compare educational developments in the former USSR and China in the light of this analysis, attempting to answer the question as to how Marxist this has been, in the schools and outside them.

This book takes as its focus the key interactionist concept of 'strategy', a concept fundamental to many current concerns in the sociology of the school, including the understanding of the links between society and the individual, a more accurate description of certain areas of school life and implications for the practice of teaching. 'Strategy' bears on all these issues. It concerns both goals, and ways of achieving them and short-term, immediate aims as well as long-term ones. The essays in this book share a common concern with teacher strategies, emphasizing the discovery of intentions and motives, alternative definitions of situations and the hidden rules that guide our behaviour. Amongst the areas investigated are the influence of factors outside the school in determining the role of the teacher, and the nature and influence of teacher commitment. The implications for practical action and policy making are stressed throughout, and by recognising and exploring the constraints and influences that operate on teachers, this work constructs a realistic appraisal of the teaching situation.

What is the most significant factor for explaining why some individuals are more successful than others - genetic inheritance, privileged background or luck? Although conventional approaches stress the prime importance of one of these, Tyler argues that such theories fail to deal adequately with the complexity of educational inequality and suggests that Boudon's model of opportunity and mobility would provide us with a more productive explanation. By applying this model to post-war British education he shows how we might effectively think our approaches to the 'cycle of deprivation', comprehensive reform and educational spending.

Now in its fifth edition, Foundations of Primary Teaching will be an essential resource for any trainee or practicing primary teacher. Written in a friendly and accessible manner, this book has been updated in line with the new curriculum and provides a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of teaching within the primary school. It blends theory and practice to foster and develop effective pedagogy and, in so doing, to stimulate your thinking, expand your horizons and motivate you to relish one of the most thrilling, frustrating, exhausting, exciting and important jobs in the world.

Written specifically for student teachers on BA, BEd and PGCE courses, as well as students taking Education Studies, this text will encourage you to develop a fuller understanding and appreciation of teaching as professional practice through an emphasis on:

• Reflective thinking and action
• Relationships and motivation in the classroom
• A full range of tried and tested teaching and assessment strategies
• Creativity and transferable teaching skills
• Personalised learning.

Also incorporating new material on changes and innovations that have taken place in education; childhood; the process of, and context for, learning; and issues teachers face, as well as updated further reading lists, this wholly revised fifth edition should be on the bookshelf of all student teachers on initial teacher training courses at the primary level, newly qualified teachers and more experienced teachers wishing to enhance their practice.

In this ethnographic study of a secondary school in the UK, the author presents an incisive account of school life from the various points of view of the pupils, teachers and parents. He describes and analyses major areas of experience and methods of adapting to school for both the children and their teachers; school experience is shown to be widely varying from boredom, despair and humiliation, to gaiety, exultation and comradeship some of it officially and some of it unofficially sponsored. The description reveals a number of marked and interpenetrating divisions within schools: between teachers and pupils, parents and teachers, parents and children and between pupils themselves. These divisions are explored, analysed and related both to institutional factors and to factors outside the school. The study suggests how these factors influence pupil and teacher strategies, and hence how the details of school life relates to wider society.

This is an introduction to interactionist work in education during the 1970s and 80s. The interactionist viewpoint concentrates on how people construct meanings in the ebb and flow of everyday life - what they think and do, how they react to one another - and has in recent years established itself as one of the leading approaches in education. It has generated illuminating research studies which, by being firmly based in the real world of teaching and dealing with the fine-grained details of school life, have helped to break down the barriers between teacher and researcher. This volume presents the results of this valuable work, within a coherent theoretical framework, by focusing on the major interactionist concepts of situation, perspectives, cultures, strategies, negotiation and careers. By bringing them together in this way, the author demonstrates their collective potential for the deeper understanding of school life and the possibilities for sociological theory. His book therefore offers both a summary of and a reflection on achievement in the area of interactionism as it relates to schools.

This interdisciplinary textbook provides an introduction to the many theoretical developments and controversies which took place in the sociology and politics of education during the 1970s and 80s. The book Discusses the arguments concerning humanist and structuralist Marixsm. Provides a clear and concise introduction to structuralism and post-structuralism (work of Derrida, Lacan and Foucault) and theorises in the ways they contribute to Marxism or are subversive of it. Relates these theoretical perspectives to education and the practice of teachers.

Survival as a school teacher depends on an ability to achieve classroom control. In the years since this book was first published little has changed in this respect. Classroom control continues to lie at the heart of competent teaching. Teachers know it, pupils know it. They know it implicitly because they experience it as a normal part of their daily lives in schools. But, in this book, the author stands back from our everyday knowledge about how things work in classrooms to ask what control actually consists of. What is it? How is it recognized? How is it challenged by pupils? How is done by teachers? How is it negotiated? Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in three large secondary schools in England Martyn Denscombe explores the meaning of classroom control. He looks at the influence of teacher training and the role of school organization in establishing expectations about control, and then shows how control is played out through the interaction of teachers and pupils in class. His analysis travels well across the many contexts in which teaching occurs and provides an illuminating insight into the work of teaching and the nature of classroom life. His evidence is drawn from ethnographic fieldwork in three schools in England, and secondary sources covering the phenomenon of classroom control in the UK, USA and Australia.

In this study - the outcome of three years' participant observation in local authority primary and secondary schools - the classroom teacher is shown to have a far greater impact upon and responsibility for his pupils than is generally admitted. The teacher's perceptions of the children in his class are demonstrated to have a more important bearing on the pupils' attainment than the major factor of their social class. In carrying out this research, Roy Nash has moved outside the mainstream tradition of educational psychology to take into account the methods of anthropology and sociology. He shows, by looking at the actual behaviour of teachers and children in classrooms, and by following the pupils from several different primary schools through to the same local authority secondary school, how the teacher's expectations for his pupils can act as self-fulfilling prophecies. The author's illuminating research is illustrated with tables and with three Appendices.