Research consistently shows that teacher effectiveness is about engagement, interaction, questioning, positive atmosphere, high expectations and suitable challenge. At the heart of all these areas is the ability to communicate effectively. How you do that minute by minute and second by second is fundamental to what children learn and remember and to how they behave. Richard Churches draws from a range of disciplines, such as psychology, NLP and neuroscience, to provide a practical compendium of communication expertise based on what highly effective teachers do. You'll find out how to use influential language patterns to support learning and positive behaviour; the secrets of body language and non-verbal communication; how to communicate to create the right emotional climate; effective questioning techniques; etc. Small changes to your current practice could lead to huge benefits in the classroom.

We all know teachers who exude an air of authority the minute they walk into a room. Like magic, they command attention without a word being spoken. When they speak and interact they are engaging and compelling. Their classes are calm and focused, teacher and students work well together and behaviour is rarely a problem. How do they do it? Classroom presence is the effect created by your teacher persona. Drawing on material from the worlds of acting and improvisation, sports psychology and NLP this book demonstrates how to develop your persona and radiate presence. Learn about 'status techniques' and how to tap into a shared energy with your audience; master the triad of skills that create presence; work with your 'cultural architects', and see your classroom as a stage where voice, breathing, spatial awareness and costume all play a part. It's not magic, but with a few tricks up your sleeve you can transform the atmosphere, relationships and behaviour in your classes in just a short spell!

The latest teaching standards demand that all teachers 'take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy and correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher's specialism'. That's no bad thing, but it leaves some of us feeling under-trained and over-exposed. Enter the Literacy Across the Curriculum Pocketbook. The book is based on four principles: literacy is important for all learning; we owe it to our pupils to help them develop their literacy; developing strategies for LAC enhances teaching and learning across the school; teachers do not have to be literacy experts to promote LAC. In a series of punchy chapters, (Speaking for Success, Write Better! Vamp up your Vocabulary, Splendid Spelling, Raring to Read) Caroline Bentley-Davies presents practical ideas and simple strategies for incorporating literacy skills into your own lessons. All this plus some really helpful advice on note-making and a self-audit LAC checklist."Literacy Across the Curriculum Pocketbook is a necessity for all teachers wanting to find manageable, effective and exciting ways of promoting literacy in their lessons. A great resource!" Justin Wakefield, Literacy & Numeracy Co-ordinator, Humberston Academy, Grimsby "Innovating tips, strategies and ideas to revitalise literacy in your lessons instantly. Every page offers simple and realistic approaches to promoting literacy across all subjects. Vamp up your vocab; make tricky spelling stick; weave literacy seamlessly into your lessons. I love it!" Lesley Ann McDermott, History Teacher, St Patrick's Catholic College, Thornaby-on-Tees "Contains everything you should know about Literacy and more. Written in a clear and concise manner, even as an experienced English teacher it still taught me a trick or two!" Sarah Martin, CPD Leader, Academies Enterprise Trust

There are more similarities than differences between girls and boys, but there are innate differences in how they think, feel, behave, communicate and learn. That said, not all boys and not all girls are the same. The challenge for education is to avoid gender stereotyping, while understanding and exploiting gender differences for better teaching and learning. Ian smith argues that by letting boys be boys and girls be girls we can help them become successful learners who will mature into confident adults, comfortable with themselves and with others. He covers how to motivate both boys and girls through a combination of challenge and support; how to connect with both genders; how to create a structured environment that will work for girls and for boys; how to actively involve both in their own learning; how to give effective feedback; and whether boys and girls should be taught separately or together. This is not another book that harps on about 'the problem with boys'; it takes a refreshing look at the broader picture and gives practical classroom advice.

It's every new teacher's first concern and it's an area about which even the most experienced teachers are never complacent - how to control their classes. This new edition of the Teachers Pocketbooks top-selling title is a practical, authoritative guide to creating calm classes and focused, co-operative students. The book starts from the premise that teachers cannot control the behaviour of children; instead they must seek to influence it. Teachers are most effective in managing behaviour when they focus on antecedents and consequences. This means building relationships and using preventative strategies followed by consistent use of logical consequences. The book covers different styles of behaviour management; getting the basics right; eight core principles and a ten-step discipline plan. A section entitled developing the toolkit offers a broad range of strategies for teachers to use. All are explained in practical, classroom terms with examples of phrases to use for maximum effectiveness. Underpinning the repertoire of techniques is a strong framework: the 4Rs rights, responsibilities, rules and routines. Liberal use of cartoons, diagrams, mnemonics and other visual devices reinforce the message and fast-track understanding. "An invaluable guide for all adults who work with children. This book will change the way you think and act in the classroom and should be compulsory reading." Tim Plumb, Head Teacher, Woolwich Polytechnic School "A fantastic read. Buy copies for your staff this year - they'll become more effective by using the approaches outlined in this book." Sarah Skinner, Head, Claydon High School "Provides realistic and effective strategies to empower all teachers to create and establish a positive learning environment for all. I recommend it." Teresa Copeland, Assistant Principal, Strood Academy

Teachers are responsible for shaping the connections inside learners' brains on a day-to-day basis, connections that will remain in place for the rest of those learners' lives. Understanding the science of learning in the brain is, therefore, a powerful way to inform teaching and have an impact on learning. Furthermore, research evidence shows that teaching children about how the brain learns can improve their motivation to learn. So, when education writer and former teacher Richard Churches got together with two neuroscientists and a group of teachers they saw an exciting opportunity to pool their expertise and explore how insight from neuroscience could translate into classroom practice. Learning & the Brain Pocketbook is full of accessible information about how the brain works, how it learns, how it memorises and how it develops. At every turn, the material is discussed in relation to the classroom. Numerous tips and strategies draw on the neuroscience to enhance and support what you do with your learners. Learning about the brain is fun - and it makes for great professional development.

A glance at the history books or the pages of a Dickens novel reminds us how far education has come since the days when pupils sat silently in rows memorising knowledge imparted by the teacher. Learning was passive, and only gender and social class affected provision. In today's schools learning is at the centre of what we do and differentiation - the process of modifying a lesson or part of a lesson for one or some of the learners - is a fundamental part of teaching. Turning theory into practice and including 20 key types of differentiation, this Pocketbook is about planning and teaching creative, student-focused lessons where every learner is appropriately challenged and where engaged, stimulated and motivated students work in a state of 'flow'. In this kind of environment true differentiation serves not to label but to enable. "Peter Anstee's book is simple but not simplistic. It is not an idiot's guide' but rather it reminds the initiate and the seasoned pedagogue of the fundamental importance of differentiation to effective teaching and learning. Its informed and (mercifully) succinct overview of the theory and manifold practical strategies provide an ideal companion for the busy professional." Pete Fishleigh, Faculty Leader - English, Brentwood County High School "This gem of a book doesn't disguise the challenge differentiation presents, but it is packed full of practical techniques which are easily incorporated into any lesson. It inspires, informs and gives the reader the confidence to improve their practice. A must-have for teaching today." Alice Edge, 2nd in MFL, Responsible for Community Languages - Valentines High School "This Pocketbook provides all the tips necessary to an outstanding teacher since all the key strategies which help students to learn more effectively are included. The theories are easy to understand because they are clearly linked to classroom practice, and experimentation seems possible." Debbie Kirk, English Consultant, School Improvement and Early Years - Essex LA

The fourth edition of this informative, accessible and intellectually engaging teacher training book provides a definitive guide for trainee and newly qualified secondary school teachers and their mentors. The book has been fully updated to reflect the many changes in policy and practice, including developments in the national curriculum, PSHEE and SEN provision. The latest edition covers topics such as how pupils learn, assessment, planning classroom communication and developing positive approaches to pupil behaviour. The wide range of specialist contributors, each bringing extensive first-hand experience of teaching, covers the core professional skills and concepts that new secondary school teachers need to acquire, irrespective of their subject specialism or training route, while the following key features of the book are: • Examples and illustrations from real classroom practice. • Details of current research. • Activities, case studies and scenarios. Ian Abbott, Associate Professor; Prue Huddleston, Emeritus Professor; and David Middlewood, Research Fellow, are all based at the University of Warwick’s Centre for Education Studies, UK.