For curriculum thinkers
What are we Teaching? Powerful knowledge and a capabilities curriculum
Dr Richard Bustin, Crown House, October 2024
New government, new thinking. That much is clear from the publishers’ rosters this Christmas.
One term we’re likely to hear more about as the sector trains its focus on inclusion is ‘capabilities curriculum’. Indeed, more on that early in the new year in these very pages.
But Richard Bustin got the jump on us with this book, and we’re big enough to say so and recommend it as a primer.
For belonging fosterers
Principles and Practice to Help Young Children Belong
Estelle Tarry, Routledge, December 2024
With government hopes pinned on greater mainstream inclusion, we expect ‘belonging’ to get a thorough airing in 2025.
Enter Estelle Tarry, with an edited collection addressing the inter-related factors that impact children’s sense of belonging in school.
Adopting a theoretical and practical approach through case studies of good practice, it promises to create “positive and inclusive outcomes, supporting individual growth and community wellbeing”.
For nurturers
Wellbeing Explained
Sonia Mainstone-Cotton, Routledge, December 2024
Holistic development. Self-esteem. SEMH. Anxiety. Common parlance, but do we take the time to truly understand what they mean? Wellbeing Explained promises to do just that with practical examples and case studies to support wellbeing-promoting policy and practice.
It could be just what the teacher ordered amid the ongoing youth mental health crisis. And refreshingly, it even centres staff wellbeing as key to success.
For responsive teachers
A Little Guide for Teachers: Differentiation and Adaptive Teaching
Caroline Bentley-Davies, SAGE, December 2024
It’s not all about new terminology, though. Old terms are seeing a rebirth too, among them ‘engagement’ and ‘differentiation’. (Edu-Twitter will be spinning in its X-marked grave.)
And it turns out they were evidence-based to begin with! So why not indulge your teacher friends with this research-informed mini-tome of hints, tips and ideas for inclusive classroom practice.
For good listeners
Bringing Talk to Life: Thinking Through Dialogue in The Classroom
Paul Gurton and Meghan Tipping, Routledge, December 2024
If publishers’ slates are anything to go by, this New Year’s teachers are going to be partying like it’s 2009.
We all expected the relatively new concept of oracy to be a word of 2025, but were we ready for it to bring along with it enquiry curriculums, philosophy for children and generic skills?
If you want to get ahead of the curve (or not get hit in the back as it comes back round), then this looks like the thoughtful, edifying and, of course, research-informed tome for you.
For classroom padawans
Feedback: Strategies to support teacher workload and improve pupil progress
Kate Jones, John Catt, December 2024
“Strategies, techniques and ideas come and go in education, but feedback will always be an important aspect of effective teaching, learning and assessment.” So reads this book’s blurb, perfectly encapsulating the publishing zeitgeist.
Still, Jones isn’t a bestseller for nothing and if anyone can capture what effective feedback looks like in practice, this editor trusts her to be that person.
For JEDI (school)masters
The Diverse Curriculum
Bennie Kara, SAGE, December 2024
Another educational concept that’s been a constant irrespective of who’s in power is diversity, and rightly so. Sometimes Schools Week contributor Bennie Kara has been at the forefront of that work.
Here, she draws on her 20 years’ experience in UK schools and asks us to reflect on what we choose to teach and why. A side of inclusion we must not lose sight of.
For governors
The School-Ready Governor: A guide for trustees, governors and school leaders
Rebecca Leek, SAGE, November 2024
Yes, this book is a month old. But books on governance are few and far between, and governors do their school work on top of their day jobs, so they don’t have much time to read. Besides, it would be wrong not to have this volunteer army in our thoughts at Christmas.
Authored by another sometimes Schools Week contributor, this is a practical and insightful guide to the fundamentals of the role. Leek is typically forthright in these pages. Expect the same here.
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