Engaging with research can play an important role in helping you develop your own ideas and practice as an education professional. That’s why we’ve started Meddwl Mawr, a book and journal club designed to support you on your professional learning journey.
We’ll be publishing regular recommendations on this page covering a range of interesting topics, pointing you to some of the great content available on your free online library.
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Your recommendations
September 2024
Emotion coaching with children and young people in schools: promoting positive behaviour, wellbeing and resilience by Louise Gilbert, Licette Gus, Janet Rose
This book includes straightforward descriptions and practical tips, case studies and signposting to resources to apply emotional coaching in educational settings. It also supports educational professionals to promote empathetic responses to challenging behaviours and situations, helping children and young people to understand their emotions and learn to manage and regulate them and their behaviour in the longer-term.
Wellbeing in the primary classroom: Practical Guide to Teaching Happiness and Positive Mental Health by Adrian Bethune
This book, written for primary schoolteachers by an experienced primary school teacher, looks at the latest evidence and research around the science of happiness and positive psychology. Full of tried-and-tested activities and techniques, including mindfulness, positive reflection, physical activity and acts of kindness, it is a helpful guide in supporting emotional and mental wellbeing in the primary classroom.
July 2024
How to survive in teaching: without imploding, exploding or walking away by Dr Emma Kell
As an educational practitioner, you will be aware of the challenges concerning recruitment and retention within education. This book discusses varying perspectives on the challenges and rewards of teaching. It explores successful models and strategies where a combination of support and challenge, accountability, and a sense of being valued have encouraged teachers to enter and remain in the profession. The book reinforces the values held by educational professionals about why they chose a career in education including the fulfilment of working with learners supporting their progress and educational development, whilst also candidly addressing the numerous challenges faced by the workforce. The author draws on their own experience and that of their colleagues, having undertaken a significant amount of research including the evaluation of nearly 4,000 survey responses and interviews with teachers, former teachers and education professionals.
Slow teaching: on finding calm, clarity and impact in the classroom by Jamie Thom
Slow Teaching is a thoughtful exploration of how slowing down in all aspects of education can lead to improved student outcomes. It explores how this method of reflective practice results in improved feedback, more nuanced and skilled classroom management and relationships, meaningful classroom dialogue and retention of knowledge and school leadership, and ultimately better learning. The ‘slow teaching’ technique aims to deepen the craft of teaching thereby growing expert practitioners who are committed to mastering their practice. The author organises the book into seven sections, all easy to read and drawing upon relevant, recent research and literature interwoven with personal experience. Reflecting on strategies that will enable teachers to feel calm, confident and organised, each chapter ends with several ‘slow’ questions to help the reader consider the content and how it applies to them and their situation.
June 2024
Focusing and Calming Games for Children: Mindfulness Strategies and Activities to Help Children to Relax, Concentrate and Take Control. By Deborah M. Plummer
This engaging book offers a practical guide to incorporating mindful play into the classroom, promoting the wellbeing of children and young people by enhancing their awareness of both their inner and outer worlds. The first half of the book provides a theoretical and practical foundation for facilitating mindfulness through play. The latter half focuses more on icebreakers, games and activities.
Ideas and concepts are presented with an open and adaptable approach, encouraging educators to mindfully integrate the games into their practice. The straightforward methodology and emphasis on play mean that the book is accessible for practitioners. The activities are particularly well suited to group settings, making the book an invaluable resource for those interested in fostering mindfulness amongst children and young people.
The Early Years Movement Handbook: A Principles-Based Approach to Supporting Young Children’s Physical Development, Health and Wellbeing. By Dr Lala Manners
Movement is vital for early learners, and Dr. Manners thoroughly outlines its importance for physical development in a structured and accessible format. This book offers practical, straightforward advice for both experienced practitioners and students, blending theoretical perspectives with practical applications. Dr. Manners uses eight core principles to elucidate the central role of physical activity and play in shaping the development of children and young people. Throughout the book, readers will find practical frameworks, activities, ideas, and rationales that highlight the significance of movement. This handbook is an excellent resource for anyone interested in understanding the crucial role of physical activity in early childhood development.
May 2024
Preparing Teachers to Work with Multilingual Learners: (Bilingual Education & Bilingualism) by Meike Wernicke, Svenja Hammer, Antje Hansen a Tobias Schroedler
This book covers a range of approaches to multilingualism in teacher education, drawing from education programmes across Europe and North America.
The authors researched how teachers are trained to work in multilingual contexts and how they are taught about cultural diversity. The book further explores the impact of multilingualism and migrant-background learners and the experiences of students’ different backgrounds.
The writers contextualise their findings with background histories of the countries they are researching, to understand how multilingualism has developed over time. The book also addresses how educational landscapes, history, language policies, and institutional priorities shape teacher training and education alongside multilingualism.
Using Linguistically Appropriate Practice: A Guide for Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms by Dr Roma Chumak-Horbatsch
The presence of students for whom the school language is not their first language creates unique challenges and opportunities for teachers. The author has a wealth of experience in early childhood studies and argues that multilingualism can benefit every child within a class. The book goes into depth on the relationship between theory and multilingual practices and examines how to integrate linguistically appropriate principles into classrooms.
April 2024
Running the room: the teacher's guide to behaviour by Tom Bennett
Every child enters the classroom with different skills, habits, values, and expectations. Running the Room is the teacher’s guide to addressing classroom behaviour and treat it as another area of the curriculum.
Classroom management can be complex, however this book offers evidence-informed and practical strategies for all teachers, regardless of their career stage. Bennett offers readers more than just punish and reward and outlines how improvements begin when you address and identify classroom behaviour. Bennett explains the science of behaviour through common metaphors to encourage the reader, and argues that creating a positive classroom culture has to be deliberate and consistent. For Bennett the emphasis is on behaviours being taught rather than told. Running the room addresses common behaviour myths, and offers new and experienced teacher practical tools and solutions in addressing behaviour.
Why are you shouting at us? The dos and don’ts of behaviour management by Phil Beadle and John Murphy
Phil Beadle and John Murphy guide teachers through the dos and don’ts of behaviour management based on their own teaching experience in some of the most challenging schools. They discuss the importance of managing your own behaviour, and how this is essential when understanding the behaviour of students. The authors use humour to highlight how behaviour management is relatable for everyone. Their honest approach allows readers to fully understand behaviour management and appreciate that it is not just about a tick box exercise.
This book is essential reading for any educators working in challenging schools, or who are looking at how to improve their own behaviour management.
March 2024
Making and Tinkering with STEM: Solving Design Challenges with Young Children by Cate Heroman
This practical, hands-on resource for early years and primary school teachers includes 25 engineering design challenges appropriate for children ages 3–8. There are suggestions for creating a makerspace environment where children can tinker with materials, use tools to make creations, and improve on their ideas. This book encourages STEM-rich exploration and learning, and provides questions and ideas for expanding children’s understanding of STEM concepts. It also equips teachers with a planning template to create their own design challenges to extend children's problem-solving skills and creative thinking.
STEM Education: An Emerging Field of Inquiry by Tasos Barkatsas, Nicky Carr and Grant Cooper
This book presents a contemporary focus on significant issues in STEM teaching, learning and research that are valuable in preparing students for a digital 21st century. The book chapters cover a wide spectrum of issues and topics using a wealth of research methodologies including
- STEM definition
- virtual reality in the classroom
- multiplicative thinking
- STEM in pre-school, primary, secondary, and tertiary education
- opportunities and obstacles in STEM
- inquiry-based learning in statistics
- values in STEM education
- building academic leadership in STEM
The rise of ChatGPT and what it means for schools by Ryan Fisk – academic journal article
This brief and timely article explores the challenges and pitfalls of AI tools like ChatGPT in schools, for both students submitting work and teachers marking it. It discusses how human input is ultimately crucial to the effectiveness of AI technologies, and how authenticity of school work must be preserved.
February 2024
Celebrating Difference: A whole-school approach to LGBT+ inclusion by Shaun Dellenty
Shaun Dellenty is an ex-primary school leader, he has been named twice by the Independent on Sunday as one of the ‘101 most influential U.K. LGBT figures’ and he was named as one of the Top 100 Global Leaders in Diversity and Inclusion.
Celebrating Difference is an inspirational guide for LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools. The opening of the book details the difficulties Shaun faced growing up, with a lack of role models, open dialogue about diverse identities and homophobic bullying at school in the 1980s. The remainder of the text is a handbook for how individuals can facilitate cultural and organisation change, featuring enquiry questions, case studies and testimonials from people who have used Shaun’s methods in their classrooms.
The book serves to tackle internal biases and prejudices in an intersectional manner, and is relevant to contemporary discussions of race and broader concepts of human diversity.
January 2024
Lesson Planning Tweaks for Teachers: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference by Melanie Aberson and Debbie Light
This book takes a highly original approach to improving lesson planning, with an accessible style to help every secondary teacher make the planning process more meaningful, leading to great progress over time.
hether you are planning your day-to-day lessons or a formal observation, planning is a skill that can be refined to ensure your workload is manageable and your lessons memorable. 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! Unlike a lot of teaching books that assume you need or want to change your whole approach, this book provides simple ideas to implement in your next lesson to good effect.
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.
Lesson Planning for Primary School Teachers (Outstanding Teaching) by Stephen Lockyer
Being prepared to teach every subject in the curriculum is an essential skill for all primary school teachers, and good lesson planning is a critical tool for coping with the workload.
This book provides a breakdown of lesson planning strategies, plus a range of practical and original ideas to use with your class.
Using real primary classroom anecdotes, as well as helpful diagrams and tips on how to implement planning techniques day-to-day, Lesson Planning for Primary School Teachers is a complete toolbox for primary school teachers who want to develop their key skills and strategies for lesson planning.
November 2023
The Ultimate Guide to Differentiation: Achieving Excellence for All, by Sue Cowley
The Ultimate Guide to Differentiation explains how teachers already use differentiation in many ways. Bestselling author Sue Cowley encourages readers to understand and appreciate how teachers implement differentiation, as well as exploring new and creative methods.
In this book she outlines the various methods and approaches to differentiation, giving the reader an in-depth insight to each model. This is done by breaking differentiation down into five core areas
- planning
- resources
- leaners
- teaching
- assessment
Readers will learn over 90 practical and time-saving strategies for the classroom. Sue delivers this by encouraging teachers, practitioners, and support staff to feel confident that they are meeting the needs of all leaners.
The Ultimate guide to Differentiation is a comprehensive guide on differentiation and offers balanced advice all written in Sue’s straight forward style.
October 2023
Dyslexia and Mental Health: helping people identify destructive behaviours and find positive ways to cope by Neil Alexander-Passe
It is important to acknowledge the affect that dyslexia can have on behaviour in classrooms, and learners’ mental health. Written from the perspective of an experienced researcher and a special needs teacher in secondary mainstream education, who is also dyslexic, the author uses his personal and professional experience to shed light on the complexities surrounding dyslexia.
This book examines psychological theories and offers guidelines and advice, illustrated with real life examples. It suggests ways to help learners with dyslexia and avoid harmful coping strategies and learn to deal with stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem in more effective and psychologically positive ways.
Dyslexia Included: A Whole School Approach by Michael Thomson
This practical book provides teachers with techniques and suggestions to help dyslexic pupils. Written by a team of experienced practitioners who work in a specialist school, it offers clear guidance and tried and tested strategies to help those who need support in this area.
The book addresses reading and spelling difficulties and other aspects of pupils' learning difficulties, including:
- accessing the curriculum
- dyspraxia and motor development problems
- learning mathematics
- the use of ICT
- developing phonological coding
- understanding dyslexics' behaviour
September 2023
Mindfulness in the classroom: strategies for promoting concentration, compassion, and calm by Thomas Armstrong
This book offers an overview of mindfulness as both a personal practice and a classroom methodology, explaining how teachers can create a calmer classroom for their students and for themselves by focusing on the present moment. It explores research findings detailing the positive impacts and practical applications of mindfulness in classrooms and implementation across the whole school culture.
The book describes how mindfulness techniques can be adapted across different subject areas and developmental levels in learning institutions, and discusses responsible ways of teaching mindfulness, free of any religious or political bias.
The mental health and wellbeing handbook for schools: transforming mental health support on a budget by Clare Erasmus
This book demonstrates that schools can take simple yet positive steps to promote better mental health for their students, without it costing them a huge amount of money or adding to staff workload. Every chapter in this book is packed with practical ideas about what needs to happen for schools to take mental health seriously, clearly written and with real world examples. This book offers a ‘how to' to for all school leaders to support pupil wellbeing and to support mental health in schools.
This book offers an easy to follow, straight forward guide to supporting Mental Health in schools, and notes how incremental change can be made in school communities without excessive funding. The book takes a student-centred approach to making sustainable shifts school communities.
Previous editions
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Why not try using the tools in the PLP to reflect on the ideas from this month’s recommendations and how you can apply them to your own practice?
Have you been inspired by our recommendations, and want to share what you’ve learnt with your colleagues? Read our guide to setting up a journal club.