Dynamically Different Classrooms: Create spaces that spark learning

Shares high-impact guidance on how to maximise the potential of every square inch of the learning environment. Classrooms are private places. A lucky few - consultants and inspectors amongst them - get to visit hundreds of classrooms a year, yet many teachers never get the opportunity to see how other teachers `do it'. In Dynamically Different Classrooms Claire Gadsby and Jan Evans take away the guesswork by providing a visually striking masterclass on how to design and use the space within classrooms to enhance pupils' learning experiences. Packed with a variety of practical ideas, this inspiring book takes teachers on a unique journey of classroom discovery - from `sacred spaces' to `pit stops', and from `enable tables' to `independence stations' - and gives them an instant shot of creativity as well as a thought-provoking point of comparison with other schools and phases of education. Teachers will be inspired, intrigued and compelled to take action - literally moving the furniture and clearing the walls in order to `spring clean' their practice. Suitable for all teachers, senior leaders, trainees and teaching assistants in all phases of education.

About the Author :
Claire Gadsby describes herself as an innovator, educator and motivator. A teaching and learning consultant and trainer with over 15 years' classroom experience, she collaborates with numerous schools every year to raise their levels of achievement. Much of her work involves working alongside teachers in classrooms, and her areas of expertise include Assessment for Learning (AfL), whole-school literacy and demonstrating pupil progress. Jan Evans is an education consultant with over 30 years' experience of working in education. She was the lead Assessment for Learning (AfL) consultant in Oxfordshire and has co-authored materials for the Secondary National Strategy. Her other specialist areas of expertise include promoting autonomous learning and developing interactive pedagogy and personal learning and thinking skills.Jan regularly works with school leadership teams to develop strategic approaches to school improvement and leads a range of whole-school training programmes. She also coaches and mentors teachers at all stages of their careers.She is committed to helping teachers reclaim their creativity and prides herself on being able to motivate them through her sense of humour, practical approach and enthusiasm for innovative teaching and learning strategies.

Review :
Dynamically Different Classrooms combines learning theory with a range of practical strategies and shows how the classroom can be the arena to bring it all to life. If we believe in active learning, this is a book to be acted upon. Mick Waters, Professor of Education, University of Wolverhampton Dynamically Different Classrooms breathes life into thinking creatively about teaching and learning. It is full not only of ideas proven to work, but also of methodological insights into why they work. Each chapter offers ideas about a different area of learning, often sharing powerful reminders that a fresh look at how we use our classroom space can make all the difference. It also provides a refreshing take on the holistic view of teaching the whole child, taking into account a consideration of emotional responses. This book will be fantastically useful for primary and secondary school teachers alike a and I believe every parent in the land would want their child to have the kind of learning experience that it champions, where the importance is placed on creativity, resilience and curiosity rather than on exam results alone. Rachel Jones, teacher, King Edward VI School, author of Teacher Geek and curator of Donat Change the Light Bulbs Bursting with a rich variety of practical ideas, this inspiring guide to the great indoors talks you through the aclue corners', aceiling circuits' and awindows of opportunity' waiting to be discovered in your classroom and shares 148 high-impact techniques proven to boost pupils' engagement, long-term learning and progress. The techniques are dispersed across five chapters a each covering a specified aspect of the classroom (e.g. wall displays) a and are colour-coded to cross-reference with the following six key themes in order to help you navigate your own pathway through the chapters according to your development priorities: a Metacognition and self-regulated learning a Emotional engagement a Retrieval and revision a Responsive teaching a Oracy and aword wealth' a Collaborative learning. The strategies can be adapted for use with all age groups and will stimulate busy teachers to reimagine the learning space through a more creative lens. Each theme is underpinned by robust research in the book's introduction, in which the authors discuss the key findings and explore how effective classroom design can help unlock the potential of various pedagogical approaches. PROS: - A colourful and well-illustrated book showcasing how to make your classroom dynamically different to help learning. - Easy-to-access tips and ideas on how to engage teaching and learning. - Offers practical ideas and techniques for classroom use, across all key stage phases. - Excellent case studies throughout help illustrate powerful ideas. - This book could be used to help individual classroom teachers, departments, or whole-school improvement.Click here to read the review on UKEdChat''s website. UKEdChat Calling all teachers: this book will help you rethink your thinking and rejuvenate your learning strategies. Dr Andy Cope, teacher, author and the UKas one and only doctor of happiness In an educational landscape where different trends and fads come and go, Dynamically Different Classrooms is filled with the wisdom that only experience can bring. The main messages from recent and robust research are all put in one place and told through an array of creative examples and practical strategies, which makes this book a treasure trove of inspiration and ideas! Chris Martin, Principal, St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School It is no surprise to me that Claire Gadsby and Jan Evans would produce a book that communicates such energy and excitement in both content and tone. We have benefitted as a school from Jan's wealth of experience in developing active engagement in children through higher-order questioning, and we shall certainly amagpie' from the wonderful variety of ideas presented here. As ever, Claire and Jan's passion is infectious a and it is refreshing to come across a book that leaves the reader feeling so energised. Clare Smith, Head Teacher, St Josephas Catholic Primary School There are plenty of books looking at the ahow' and awhat' of teaching, but not many ask us to consider the awhere'. In Dynamically Different Classrooms, however, Claire Gadsby and Jan Evans do exactly that as they share ideas and strategies that are underpinned by solid research and have been sourced from years of working with primary, middle and secondary schools across the UK to help create learning environments that enable every child to progress and thrive. Does this mean spending endless hours constructing complex and beautiful wall displays, or spending non-existent funds on fancy furniture? Nope, the suggestions in this book are much smarter than that a supporting educators to rethink the space in which they teach, and make it work more effectively for them and their pupils. Helen Mulley, Editor, Teach Secondary