5 minute read
Book reviews
100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers : Engaging Parents
J. Goodall and K. Weston
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Dr Goodall is a lecturer in educational leadership and management at the University of Bath, with extensive experience in research related to parental engagement. Her colleague, Dr Weston, is an educational consultant and a research fellow in education, as well as being the host of a weekly radio show on parenting, education and family life. She also presents a podcast #GettaGrip, which explores the latest research evidence relating to children’s mental health and wellbeing.
The book is organised into eight parts, each of which follows a similar format, opening with a quote and a brief summary, followed by an explanation of the idea, with teaching tips and extension activities. Topics include: ‘What’s special about secondary’, ‘Understanding the parents of teenagers’, ‘Setting up to support : an iterative process’, ‘Helping parents to help’, and ‘Sustainable practice’.
The 100 ideas in this book cover a wide range of situations that are familiar to parents and teachers dealing with children’s learning. They also encourage building positive relationships in these challenging times by tackling common issues such as homework, exams, transition, mental health and social media. This is a very useful text that will be of great value to a wide audience.It has a positive focus which encourages secondary teachers to work together with parents by recognising the difficulties that exist on both sides. The authors encourage readers to see the book as a starting point in supporting building relationships.
How to Get Kids Offline, Outdoors and Connecting With Nature:
200+ Creative Activities to Encourage Self-Esteem, Mindfulness and Wellbeing B. Thomas
Bonnie Thomas is a Child and Family Counsellor based in the U.S. who incorporates creative expression, art and nature based activities into the work she does with her clients. In this book, she seeks to create enthusiasm for the great outdoors, recognising the benefits of nature in terms of improving physical health, drawing on natural surroundings and boosting imagination, creativity and wellbeing. The book opens with an explanation of why nature is so important to her, followed by sections that cover, for example: ‘Relaxation and Mindfulness’, ‘Gardening for Wellbeing’, ‘Forest and Trees’, ’Puddles and Mud’, and ‘Bring Nature Indoors’.
The main ethos of the book is that children benefit from connecting with nature, even if that only means images of natural spaces decorating walls to support sensory awareness of natural surroundings. The many activities she suggests require little in the way of resources and could easily be integrated into daily practice in settings. This is a lovely book that supports the current interest in mindfulness and that recognises the ways in which the natural world can act as an antidote for children whose lives are increasingly dominated by online learning and social interactions. In the current climate, her ideas and activities can be seen as a useful way to support schools in developing creative ways to increase the awareness and significance of the natural world.
by Mary Mountstephen
Your Interests, My Interests:
A Visual Guide to Playing and Hanging Out for Children on The Autistic Spectrum J.Shaul
The author is a clinical social worker who specialises in working with children on the autistic spectrum. His organisation, Autism Teaching Strategies, provides workshops on social skills teaching and mental health methods.
This book recognises that children on the autistic spectrum can find playing with other children difficult as they are often highly focused on their own interests. It provides a colourful and interactive guide that is very visual and that helps kids learn how to develop common interests with others and to learn how to improve play skills, particularly in less structured forms of social interaction.
Shaul points out that many children on the spectrum feel isolated and need support to develop the motivation , knowledge and strategies for playing with others. The intention is that they will explore the book on their own, as well as with an adult, exploring the opportunities to set up role plays and exploring obstacles to enjoyable social interactions.
The book is divided into 9 parts that illustrate various situations such as: • Things to enjoy doing with other kids at school • Things I can do with family and relatives • When someone comes over: things to do indoors/ outdoors This is an excellent visual guide to support parents and schools in ways to interact more effectively. It is a colourful and interactive guide that helps children learn how to establish common interests with friends and classmates, or daily members at home.
The Inclusive Classroom: A New Approach to Differentiation D. Sobel & S. Alston
Daniel Sobel is a former SENCO, senior leader and the founder of Inclusion Expert, a leading educational consultancy. He is also the author of two other books about education. His co-author, Sara Alston, is a consultant and trainer with over 30 years experience in education.
This book is intended to provide teachers with strategies and adaptations to create more inclusive classrooms, by breaking down the lesson into five manageable phases that include a series of routines that support differentiation. The phases are: • Transition, entering the classroom and preparing to learn • Delivering and receiving instructions and whole class engagement • Individuals working as a class • Individuals fitting into a group of learners • The last five minutes The authors recognise that factors such as time, stress and money can act as major barriers to effective inclusion, and in this book they aim to provide practical advice that can be implemented to improve the school experience.
They use short case studies to illustrate points and describe common classroom activities and situations. They then explain how these can be adapted to enable teachers to reflect on common practice and and use relatively simple ways to create and sustain successful classroom routines. Back up ideas are also offered for when things don’t go as planned.
This is an excellent guide to changing approaches to inclusion and creating a culture where all children can flourish.
