The Monkey Proof Box

Download or read book The Monkey-Proof Box written by Jonathan Lear and published by Crown House Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2019-03-15 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by Jonathan Lear, The Monkey-Proof Box: Curriculum design for building knowledge, developing creative thinking and promoting independence is a manifesto on how to dismantle the curriculum we're told to deliver and construct in its place the curriculum we need to deliver. A group of monkeys. A box full of nuts. A lever. A chute. The monkeys excitedly poke at the box with rocks ... nothing happens. Meanwhile, one monkey sits to the side, observing. Then, when the others wander off, he gets up and - with a curious push of his palm - presses the lever and the nuts tumble down the chute! Not believing his luck, he eats the nuts, presses the lever again and is rewarded with yet more nuts. He's cracked the challenge of the monkey-proof box. In their early years, children experience a world full of monkey-proof boxes - it's a time of discovery, observation and experimentation, as they engage in the frustration and joy of learning how to release life's nuts. Then, as they progress through school, learning becomes more formal, easier in many ways. The nuts are handed to them on a plate and something important is lost. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this absorbing book, Jonathan sets out how primary school teachers can resist the 'nuts on a plate' approach and deliver a curriculum rich in authentic learning experiences that help children learn from one another and grow into empowered, knowledgeable and creative thinkers who are driven by insatiable curiosity. In doing so, he inspires educators to unclutter their classrooms of the latest shiny initiatives and to foster a more refined pedagogical approach - incorporating elements of facilitated and concept-based learning - that simply improves pupils' learning. Suitable for teachers, middle leaders and head teachers in primary school settings. Contents include: Part I: Curriculum. 1 - Slippers; 2 - Less is more; 3 - Skills; 4 - Tightrope walking; 5 - Planning; 6 - 'Love and hugs, Dave C.'; 7 - Softly, softly, catchee monkey; 8 - Hitches and hiccups. Part II: Pedagogy. 9 - Monkey sex; 10 - Rapid and sustained nonsense; 11 - Nuts on a plate; 12 - Nuts scattered in a clearing; 13 - Across the curriculum; 14 - The awkward banana; 15 - Caveman Dave and the TARDIS; 16 - Mastery and independence; 17 - The monkey-proof box; 18 - A spanner in the works; 19 - Freedom.

Download or read book Guerrilla Teaching written by Jonathan Lear and published by Crown House Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2015-08-24 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Guerrilla Teaching is a revolution. Not a flag-waving, drum-beating revolution, but an underground revolution, a classroom revolution. It's not about changing policy or influencing government; it's about doing what you know to be right, regardless of what you're told. It's sound advice for people on the ground: people in real classrooms, working with real children, trying to make a real difference. Jonathan Lear's new book, Guerrilla Teaching, is packed with ideas to refresh teaching practice - combining direct teaching with creative child-led learning - and forge cross-curricular links to create engaging, motivating and fun learning experiences. Ultimately, Guerrilla Teaching is about making a difference. It's a book Jonathan Lear never meant to write, but it was just too important not to. Guerrilla: to be a member of an unofficial group of combatants using the element of surprise to harass a larger less mobile target. Guerrilla teaching: To put children, and their learning, at the heart of lessons. To embrace problem-solving and risk-taking in the classroom. To be adaptable and creative. To think about the skills and knowledge children will need in the future. To stand up and make sure children get the education they deserve (even if it means subverting the system!). Filled with thoughts, ideas and strategies that will help to develop creativity and creative thinking in the primary classroom, Guerrilla Teaching is for trainee teachers, new teachers, teaching assistants, experienced teachers and head teachers - there's something for everyone!

Download or read book Shelf Monkey written by Corey Redekop and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2007-04 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thomas Friesen has three goals in life: get a job, make friends, and find a good book to curl up with. After landing a job at READ, the newest hypermegabookstore, he feels he may have accomplished all three. All is not peaceable within the stacks, however, as discontent steadily rises, aimed squarely at talk show host Munroe Purvis, whose wildly popular book club is progressively lowering the IQ of North America. But the bookworms have a plan?plots are being hatched and the destruction of Munroe is all but assured. As Thomas finds himself swept along in the malstrom of insanity, he wonders if reading a book is all it's cracked up to be.

Download or read book There is Another Way written by Ian Gilbert and published by Crown House Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2015-11-13 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edited by Ian Gilbert with chapters by Mark Anderson, Lisa Jane Ashes, Phil Beadle, Jackie Beere, David Cameron (The Real David Cameron), Paul Clarke, Tait Coles, Mark Creasy, Mark Finnis, Dave Harris, Crista Hazell, Martin Illingworth, Nina Jackson, Rachel Jones, Gill Kelly, Debra Kidd, Jonathan Lear, Trisha Lee, Roy Leighton, Matthew McFall, Sarah Pavey, Simon Pridham, Jim Roberson, Hywel Roberts, Martin Robinson, Bethan Stracy-Burbridge, Dave Whitaker, Phil Wood. We are living at a time when loud voices from inside and outside the profession are telling teachers and school leaders 'this' is the way education should be done. This is how you should lead a school. This is how you should manage a class. This is how children should learn. This is what you should do to make children behave. These messages are given as if there is only one way to achieve these things their way. However, with decades of experience working in all types of school around the globe, the many associates of Independent Thinking know there is always another way. This book is for educators everywhere who are hearing these loud voices yet who know that children deserve something better. Full of inspiration and ideas for how to achieve just that, There is Another Way is a call to action to swim against the tide and reclaim the heart of education. All of the royalties from sales of this book will go to the Big i Foundation.

Download or read book The Complete Learner's Toolkit written by Jackie Beere and published by Crown House Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2020-10-02 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by Jackie Beere, The Complete Learner's Toolkit: Metacognition and mindset - equipping the modern learner with the thinking, social and self-regulation skills to succeed at school and in life will empower teachers to transform their pupils' learning. Jackie Beere knows that schools have a much more important job to do than simply to prepare children for exams. In this book she hands busy teachers the tools they need to weave personal development into the curriculum in powerful and exciting ways. The Complete Learner's Toolkit focuses on the most important skills identified by the World Economic Forum - including critical thinking, emotional intelligence and judgement and decision making - and presents 36 lessons that can either be used as stand-alone sessions or be incorporated into a topic or subject context. Furthermore, they can be employed in whole-class lessons or when working with individuals/small groups who need extra support to become more independent, confident learners. Jackie has devised each lesson to develop the habits of reflection and metacognition in all learners, setting them up with the skills they will need in order to thrive and the emotional intelligence that will help them pursue a happy future. To make the most of the material in this book and create the best outcomes for students, Jackie suggests teachers also treat these lessons as personal CPD. Doing so can help embed in teachers' day-to-day practice the skills and mindsets which this book promotes, and so model them for their students. Teachers can also consider how best to adapt the lessons in this book and how to incorporate the World Economic Forum essential skills within their subject specialisms. Suitable for use with learners aged 7 to 16. The lesson plans in this book are available as editable PDFs sold under an annual licence. For more details contact [email protected]. Parts of this book were previously published in The Learner's Toolkit, ISBN 978-184590070-0.

Download or read book Teacher in the Cupboard written by Lisa Jane Ashes and published by Crown House Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2019-02-14 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Teacher in the Cupboard: Self-reflective, solution-focused teaching and learning, Lisa Jane Ashes takes educators on a self-reflective journey that will inspire them to challenge the 'how to', tick-box approach to teaching. Even if all the problems in your classroom have been solved by the time you read this, plenty more would surface to take their place ... And while each problem has multiple solutions, you'll need your creativity in order to find them. In this book, Lisa explores how spending time 'in the cupboard' - a metaphor for removing yourself from a situation and seeing it through a more objective lens - can help teachers come up with creative solutions to everyday challenges and positively transform their classroom practice and human interactions. Teacher in the Cupboard encompasses Lisa's many and varied observations in education - and each chapter includes real-life experiences to make you think, as well as practical techniques to help educators avoid retreating into self-blindness: a common affliction that robs them of their perception of their own contribution as part of the teaching and learning process. Brimming with fresh perspectives, the book presents a wide range of innovative ideas to enable educators to harness the power of self-reflection and create a stimulating learning environment that produces excellent results for them, their students and their colleagues. It also talks teachers through a number of methods, approaches and resources that will enable them to instil in their learners a sense of satisfaction derived from the learning skills and behaviours being developed in the classroom. These materials are collated in the 'Resource Cupboard' section at the back of the book, offering adaptable - and downloadable - resources that Lisa has used to successfully enhance learning in the classroom. Suitable for NQTs, teachers and school leaders.

Download or read book Learning without Fear written by Julia Stead and published by Crown House Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2019-06-19 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Learning without Fear: A practical toolkit for developing growth mindset in the early years and primary classroom, Julia Stead and Ruchi Sabharwal provide teachers of this age group with a colourful collection of strategies and resources designed to nurture young learners' resilience and learning capabilities. Having a growth mindset can really empower young learners to take risks to extend and deepen their learning. There is, however, more to it than simply adding 'yet' to 'I can't do this'. In Learning without Fear Julia and Ruchi tackle this misconception head-on, combining bite-sized theory with the practical tools and techniques that will enable teachers to map out their pupils' growth mindset journey from the early years up to their departure for the challenges of secondary school. Together they share tried-and-tested lesson ideas, questionnaires and examples of outstanding practice taken from their own very successful classrooms all colourfully packaged into a complete toolkit that illustrates both the 'why' and the 'how' of successfully embedding growth mindset in early years and primary settings. The book begins with a discussion of the benefits of instilling the traits and attitudes of a growth mindset early on in a learner's life, and presents a selection of mini stories that serve as simple springboards into exploring the mindset of young learners. The full-colour illustrations that accompany the stories are also available as free downloads for teachers' own use in the classroom. To help educators boost their pupils' engagement and empower them to visualise a route to success, Julia and Ruchi advocate employing the analogy of a learning journey from Stuck Island to Got-It City. This involves navigating Challenge Ocean, and the authors make this voyage more achievable by providing a survival kit of learning techniques designed to encourage pupils to take ownership in the face of struggle and to use metacognitive devices when tackling tricky tasks. The book's comprehensive series of 39 lesson ideas one for every week of the school year are tagged with symbols to help teachers seek out activities suitable for their desired lesson focus, pupil groupings, time allocation and age range, and there is also a chapter dedicated to the ways in which the children's progress can be assessed. Suitable for both newly qualified and experienced teachers of learners aged 3 to 11. Learning without Fear was highly commended in the professional books category of the Nursery World Awards 2020.