On a good day, being a primary school teacher is the best job in the world. However, in the interests of grounding The Art of Being a Brilliant Primary Teacher in pure realism, Andy Cope and Stuart Spendlow readily acknowledge that it can also be the worst. The purpose of this book is to help you have more amazing days by inspiring and challenging you to be the best version of you because, at your best, you're flippin' awesome! Andy and Stuart use their experience, studies and 'what if?' moments combined with their 'don't judge us' attempt at humour to bring you a fun, slightly provocative, thoughtful and motivational read. This book isn't riddled with lectures and theories from old professors of centuries ago. While it may be true that teaching was easier in the 'good old days' we reckon those days are long gone so our focus is on the here and now of teaching. These new days require some refined thinking and this book is simply designed to help you to be a brilliant primary school teacher whatever the weather (including wet playtime). Embrace the power of positive psychology, lift your happiness levels, discover tips and tricks to enhance your practice and get ready for some seriously brilliant primary teaching with this innovative, practical and positive guide. Andy and Stuart tell it like it is, without preaching. This is their light-hearted, thought-provoking take on modern primary teaching. For all primary teachers - from newly qualified teachers to senior leadership team members - who want to become, quite simply, brilliant.

Teaching is an art; with the right techniques, guidance, skills and practice, teachers can masterfully face any situation the classroom could throw at them. With their fresh perspectives, sage advice and a hint of silliness, Andy, Chris and Gary show teachers how to unleash their brilliance. For any teacher who has ever had a class that are angels for colleagues but Lucifer incarnate as soon as they cross the threshold of their classroom. Or who realised too late that their best-laid lesson plans were doomed from the start. Or who had their energy and enthusiasm sapped by a mood-hoovering staffroom Grinch. These problems will be a thing of the past once they've mastered the art of being a brilliant teacher. With plenty of practical advice and top tips, this book will show them how. Click here to view other titles in our successful Art of Being Brilliant series. The Art of Being Brilliant series was a finalist in the 2017 Education Resources Awards in the Educational Book Award category.

A pep talk in your pocket This short, small, highly illustrated book will fill you to the brim with happiness, positivity, wellbeing and, most importantly, success! Andy Cope and Andy Whittaker are experts in the art of happiness and positive psychology and The Art of Being Brilliant is crammed full of good advice, instructive case studies, inspiring quotes, some funny stuff and important questions to make you think about your work, relationships and life. You see being brilliant, successful and happy isn't about dramatic change, it’s about finding out what really works for you and doing more of it! The authors lay down their six common-sense principles that will ensure you focus on what you’re good at and become super brilliant both at work and at home. A richly illustrated, 2 colour, small book full of humour, inspiring quotes and solid advice A great read with a serious underlying message – how to foster positivity and bring about success in every aspect of your life Outlines six common-sense principles that will help you ensure you are the best you can be

The Art of Being a Brilliant Classroom Assistant is a new addition to the successful Art of Being Brilliant series. There are many different names and acronyms for these amazing classroom practitioners: teaching assistants (TAs), learning support assistants (LSAs), cover supervisors, supply teachers, student mentors, higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs), learning partners the list goes on. The title doesn't matter but the quality of support, interaction and learning does. Whether you work one-to-one with individual children, support small groups or work with a whole class and whether you work in a primary, secondary or special setting this book is packed with ideas to enhance your practice so you can best support children's learning, while looking out for your own well-being and enjoying your role. You can dip in for top tips, anecdotes, practical strategies and advice on every aspect of the role, as well as have a chuckle as you go. For example, did you know there is a patron saint for just about everything? There is even a patron saint of failures, Birgitta of Sweden, who presumably failed to impress Ofsted on more than one occasion. If you scour the list you'll find that every occupation has a nominated guardian looking after their well-being. That is, except one classroom assistants. So, if there's nobody 'up there' cheering you on, you might need to find the resources within yourself and Andy, Chris and Gary can help. Because, let's face it, working with youngsters isn't for the fainthearted, is it? What do you do if you are sworn at? How do you engage a reluctant learner? What about safeguarding? How do you support children with SEND? How do you handle a challenging parent? How can you develop your career further? These topics, and a whole raft more, are woven into this book which will set you on the road to brilliance! It doesn't matter whether it's inspiration or new ideas you want this book has a plethora of both. It may challenge your thinking, it may persuade you to do something different, and above all it will put you in serious danger of being brilliant at what you do. There's nothing more important or vital than the education and development of our youngsters: the mission of the Art of Being Brilliant series is to help all educators unlock their brilliance. The Art of Being Brilliant series was a finalist in the 2017 Education Resources Awards in the Educational Book Award category.

This book will take the NQT through a journey which starts with interviews, leads them through the first visit before taking up the job and then into the first hectic weeks and months. Light in touch but rich in content, it can be read around the pool during the holidays before the start of term or kept by the bedside or in a desk drawer for an emergency flick through once teaching gets under way! It expands on the stuff that teacher training touches on, but importantly provides a refreshing look at the nitty-gritty stuff that most training doesn't! Includes: - getting a job - dealing with workload - discipline - preparing eye-catching lessons - dealing with parents - pastoral care - being a form tutor - dealing with colleagues - dealing with boys - getting involved in school life - taking trips - marking - assemblies - career development and much more... A brilliant book for NQTs. Click here to view other titles in our successful Art of Being Brilliant series. The Art of Being Brilliant series was a finalist in the 2017 Education Resources Awards in the Educational Book Award category.

The second edition of David Dunn's bestselling How to be an Outstanding Primary School Teacher, now updated to reflect changes in teaching initiatives and educational policy, including valuable new content on using technology in the primary classroom. This book features lots of easy-to-introduce activities and techniques that will propel satisfactory and good lessons into the outstanding category - not just when being observed, but all the time. And the best news? It tells you how to do this without spending lots more time planning, researching and preparing 'out of this world' lessons. David Dunn provides invaluable advice on all areas of classroom practice, from lesson planning to differentiation, questioning and assessment for learning. There are dozens of starters, plenaries and useful websites, and the author's own website offers resources to save you even more time. A must for all primary school teachers who want to become outstanding, not just for the inspectors but for every child they teach.

Foreword by Ian Gilbert.Primary school teachers are working harder than ever, and have more and more to do in the finite time they have with their pupils, but Mark Creasy believes it doesn't need to be like this. With rare experience in both primary and secondary phases and at leadership as well as classroom levels, Mark is ideally placed to comment on what works and what doesn't - and in this book he urges teachers to recognise that there is another way.In Independent Thinking on Primary Teaching, Mark encourages teachers to stop and consider the things they do daily in the classroom and presents a series of prompts, nudges and suggestions to help them achieve the same (or even better) results by working smarter, not harder. In so doing he shares a wealth of practical and easily transferable tips for immediate use in the classroom, all designed to streamline teachers' schedules and lighten their workload while enlivening children's learning.These are in no way doctrines, or silver bullets for success, and nothing that Mark advocates requires further investment of either time or money; rather, these 'working smarter' tips are geared to win teachers their evenings and weekends back, something that many more teachers need than is healthy for the profession.Essential reading for primary school teachers.Independent Thinking on Primary Teaching is one of a number of books in the Independent Thinking On ... series from the award-winning Independent Thinking Press.