About the Book
A great deal has changed in the word of education since Essential Motivation in the Classroom was first published in 2002.
Then again, nothing has really changed at all: schools are still under pressure to raise standards, government ministers come and go along with various educational fads, initiatives and silver bullets, young people are still young people, and teachers are still looking for ways to motivate their students to do their very best in the classroom and beyond. Which is why this new, updated third edition of Ian Gilbert’s bestselling and classic text is still very much needed.
Complete with a new preface and specially written ‘Notes from the future’ introducing each of the seven ‘keys to motivation,’ this book remains what it always was – an entertaining and inspiring read, full of useful, practical advice ranging from motivational research by leading theorists to philosophical gems from Homer Simpson.
For teachers in all phases and sectors of education around the world, this fascinating and highly engaging book takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of strategies, ideas and insights to help educators think again about classroom practice and school culture and to look with fresh eyes at motivation, relationships and achievement in their classrooms.
Table of Contents:
Preface to the third edition
How to read this book
Introduction
1. Motivated for what?
2. Go with the flow
3. Mission control
4. Get real
5. Get personal
6. Reptiles in the classroom
7. Motivation is a four-letter word
About the Author :
Ian Gilbert is a leading international educational innovator, speaker and writer with over 30 years’ experience working with schools and school leaders around the world. He is the founder of Independent Thinking, chief editor of the award-winning Independent Thinking Press and the author of several books, including Why Do I Need a Teacher When I've Got Google? (Routledge, 2014).
Review :
I loved ‘Essential Motivation in the Classroom’ when its first edition burst joyfully into the educational stratosphere in 2013. I admired its lightly-worn wisdom, its optimism, its sheer humanity. Much has changed in society in the intervening years, but this new edition of Ian Gilbert’s book seems to me more important and more relevant than ever. It serves as a rallying-cry for one of the most essential activities we adults can choose to do - developing in all our young people an essential love of learning that will set them up to take their place as our future citizens.
- Geoff Barton, Former English teacher, headteacher, and General Secretary, the Association of School & College Leaders.
There came a point, about twenty years ago where, somewhat arrogantly, I felt there was no one to learn from, no one to look up to. Where do I go from here? Then, I saw Ian Gilbert speak at an awards event being both suave and startling, and the synchronicity between what he and I felt about things stopped me in my shoes. But while our hearts were similar, he knew things that I did not, had thought about things I hadn’t, had read things I hadn’t heard of. I blurted a slurred approximation of that apprehension to him while drunk in a hotel lift late at night.
I guzzled the first edition of ‘Essential Motivation’ (as a classic and a friend it gets an abbreviation, a shortened nickname) as rapidly as I’d necked wine on the evening we first met. Here were answers … and questions … and ideas … and new ways of looking at old things. I implemented more or less everything in the book in my new school, both me and my students benefitted, and there are still things in the book that I use regularly twenty years later.
Its longevity is attributable to its continuing relevance. It is child centred at a time when people have forgotten what an innocent phrase that is. It seeks to understand the child. It seeks to find (still) new ways of locating what makes them tick and how to tailor what we offer to what they want. Time has passed, and pedagogic fashions change: hemlines are in; hemlines are out. But quality is permanent. This third edition includes Ian’s narration of the changes since the book was first published. He remains a wry and ribald commentator with winking style, and the book remains a stone cold classic.
- Phil Beadle, award-winning educator and writer
Essential Motivation in the Classroom by Ian Gilbert is nothing short of inspirational—a brilliant blend of insight, humour, and heart that reignites the spark of why we teach in the first place. With his signature wit and wisdom, Gilbert doesn't just talk about motivation; he embodies it, crafting a book that feels like a personal conversation with a trusted mentor who genuinely wants you—and your students—to thrive.
I first read the book in around 2007 having been given the opportunity to become an Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) at my town-centre secondary school. My role was to look outwards from the busy day-to-day and advocate professional learning for the staff. The first thing I did was get this book. It changed things. Bigtime.
From the very first page, conventional thinking is challenged, and the reader is invited to reimagine what it truly means to inspire learners. Ian Gilbert’s approach is refreshingly honest, deeply human, and always practical – as with all his writings. Whether you're a seasoned teacher or just starting out, you'll find treasure in every chapter—ideas that are immediately actionable, but also deeply philosophical in their underpinning. As a teaching-reader, you are going to be asked to think.
I adored this book so much, I immediately requested fifteen copies for all teams in the school. It was notable that this was very unusual at the time. We didn’t have time to read books! The thing is the books were read, and the gentle nudging of culture started to happen. This book is a great catalyst for such change, and is as pertinent today, with our concerns about attendance, SEND, poverty, oracy, achievement of potential, as it was on its original publication.
I don’t just recommend this book; I see it as essential.
Get it.
- Hywel Roberts, education speaker and author
