Book reviews
81
by Mary Mountstephen
Stuff That’s Loud:
A Teen’s Guide to Unspiralling When OCD Gets Noisy
B. Sedlay & L.Coyne
The authors of this book combine professional experience in the fields of mental health, psychiatry, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and anxiety and are clinicians working with children, adolescents and adults. The book opens with introductions to two young people with a diagnosis of OCD, who provide an insight into how this has affected them and how they have found ways of coping. In Part one, the authors speak directly to the reader, describing ways in which OCD might be affecting mental health , emotions, compulsions and ‘stuff that’s loud’. It’s a novel approach that combines advice with activities and that recognises the importance of having the reader visualise a person they would like to be with them on the
journey. There is a strong emphasis on relating stories about the different ways people experience OCD to reassure the reader that they are not alone. In part two, strategies are outlined that challenge the reader and encourage them to engage positively with situations that cause anxiety or stress. They suggest getting outside, away from screens and focusing on using curiosity to find out what they are good at and facing their fears. This is a very useful book that provides insight into OCD, both for professionals and as a resource for those who are experiencing this disorder. Its format is attractive and reflects the authors’ therapeutic perspective.
Robinson ( Little, Brown Book Group) ISBN: 978-1-47214-397-6 £10.99
Teaching Rebooted:
Using the Science of Learning to Transform Classroom Practice
J. Tait
The author of this book is Director of School Improvement and Deputy CEO at a multi-academy trust in North Yorkshire and the author of several books on teaching and school leadership. In this book, he focuses on the research into how students learn most efficiently and the implications this has for ‘classroom craft’. Across ten chapters, the book provides 40 ideas and strategies to enable the reader to turn evidencebased research into research-informed practice, with each chapter following the same format. This book encourages active learning and engagement, with space to make notes on reflective points and teaching tips that can be easily integrated into current practice. Tait challenges the readers to examine their own beliefs and practices in terms of meeting student needs effectively.
senmagazine.co.uk
He makes reference to the use of digital technology in the classroom through the use of equipment such as the desktop visualiser, that enables the teacher to demonstrate their own thinking and thought processes. He provides succinct summaries of research in areas, including ‘Assessment as a learning tool’, ‘Learning versus performance’, ‘Effective Questioning and Deep Thinking’ and ‘Feedback: Making It Work Positively’. This is a concise and well-written text that effectively summarises and synthesises research in order to provide teachers with a rationale for reframing their professional practice. It supports teachers and challenges institutions to recognise educational myths and to place evidence-based practice as the foundation for learning.
Bloomsbury Education ISBN: 978-1-4729-7766-3 £14.99
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