ABSTRACT

Based on the acclaimed series 'The Issue' in the Times Educational Supplement, this book brings together Steven Hastings' vast experience and offers a comprehensive overview of the challenges and concerns facing modern schools.  Everything from tackling truancy to teaching children to write, from teenage suicide to pets in the classroom, this easy-to-digest guide cuts through the jargon to offer professional advice, expert opinion and practical ideas for better teaching.

Divided into three themed sections, the book proves a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the main issues affecting contemporary schools:

  • the healthy classroom, including dealing with junk food and bereavement,
  • the thinking classroom, from emotional intelligence to personalized learning
  • the well-rounded classroom, covering everything from going green to pupil power. 

Both informative and practical, the book provides a coherent synthesis of the current key topics in teaching, illustrates each topic with firsthand case studies, provides follow-up resources and shows how each topic inter-relates.

Whether you’re an NQT or an experienced classroom teacher, a governor or a school manager, this is the essential guide to life in schools today.

part |2 pages

Part I The Healthy Classroom

chapter 1|7 pages

The Teaching Voice

chapter 2|7 pages

Truancy

chapter 3|4 pages

Nits

chapter 4|6 pages

Bereavement

chapter 5|8 pages

Junk Food

chapter 6|5 pages

Homophobia

chapter 7|6 pages

Self Harm

chapter 8|6 pages

Teenage Suicide

chapter 9|6 pages

When you’re sick

chapter 10|7 pages

Teacher’s sabbaticals

part |2 pages

Part II The Thinking Classroom

chapter 11|6 pages

Using Questions

chapter 12|8 pages

Handwriting

chapter 13|5 pages

Emotional Intelligence

chapter 14|4 pages

Thinking Skills

chapter 15|5 pages

Personalized Learning

chapter 16|6 pages

Teaching Children To Read

chapter 17|6 pages

Promoting Creativity

part |2 pages

Part III The Well-Rounded Classroom

chapter 18|8 pages

Going Green

chapter 19|8 pages

Using Volunteers

chapter 20|7 pages

Artists in Residence

chapter 21|6 pages

The Learning Environment

chapter 22|8 pages

School Links

chapter 23|7 pages

Classroom Pets

chapter 24|7 pages

Pupil Power