Stretch and Challenge for All: Practical Resources for Getting the Best Out of Every Student

If you have a class of 30 students, how can you differentiate so that every learner is challenged appropriately? These tried-and-tested techniques are designed to engage and stretch all pupils, including the most able, and can be used with mixed ability groups in any key stage or subject lesson. If you are looking for ideas which will enthuse all students and develop their understanding and thinking skills, this is the book for you. Torsten set out to write a book that he, as a full-time teacher, would want to use: crammed full of ideas, strategies and resources all explained as quickly and simply as possible. Designed to reduce teacher workload without compromising on the quality of students' learning, the photocopiable activities will cut down on planning time and really get students thinking ensuring that the students work harder than their teacher! The easily accessible resources don't require a lot of explanation from the teacher and encourage students to think for themselves; developing independence, resilience and metacognitive skills in the process. Some involve group work, while others test students individually. There is no ceiling on the potential for learning: see how far students will stretch themselves when given the challenge. The activities can be used at any stage of the lesson and include ideas for: interactive aims, stimulating starters, challenging questions, writing strategies to stretch the student, showing the progress, plenaries and revision, and mastering metacognition. Discover practical strategies to add challenge to all types of lesson, across all subjects and key stages. Suitable for all teachers.

About the Author :
Torsten Payne is a full-time teacher with over twenty years' experience. He values practical strategies that work in the classroom and small changes that make a big difference. A regular contributor to teaching publications and national conferences, he delivers staff training across all key stages in schools across Europe.

Review :
A beautifully structured cornucopia of ideas new, borrowed and adapted, all selected to meet the author's admirable criteria. Are they accessible to all? Do they promote high level thinking and independence? Do they allow pupils to shine? They are and they do, and teachers will shine too. A valuable new resource a a Teacher's Toolkit of our time. Dr Barry J. Hymer, Emeritus Professor of Psychology in Education, University of Cumbria Ensuring pupils receive the appropriate challenge within their learning is often an important factor when planning lessons, ensuring that resources fulfil and stretch students accordingly. Having a bank of resources, ideas and inspiration to hand is what every teacher desires the most, and in his book aStretch and Challenge for All', teacher Torsten Payne has collected an impressive array of practical activities that can be adapted and used to challenge pupils across all age-ranges. Split into seven distinctive chapters, Torsten has collected a range of activities that inspire stimulating starters, challenging questions, showing progress and mastering metacognition. Other chapters explore plenaries and revision, along with writing strategies that stretch students. Furthermore, this invaluable teaching resource also includes activities and photocopiable sections which can easily be replicated and used in a classroom within minutes. To me, this is a great resource to have to hand as a teacher. When you have to plan those awkward lessons where you are not feeling inspired, Torsten has provided stimulus to stretch and challenge pupils, ensuring that everyone within the classroom will get thinking and be inspired in their learning.Click here to read the review on UKEdChat. UKEdChat Too much to do and too little time: this is the opening line of Torsten's book and this understanding of the daily reality of teaching is clearly reflected throughout the following pages. Gone is the lengthy introduction, the theoretical background and the thesis-like level of detail, which teachers like but are too busy to read. Instead, Torsten delivers seven chapters of practical, useful, accessible, ready-made strategies that any teacher can instantly use with their learners. Each strategy comes with a short explanation of the reasons behind it and practical tips about how it could be adapted to suit the range of learners a teacher might be working with. Within a minute a new or refreshed activity can be used to stimulate your learners in ways they weren't expecting. With too much to do and too little time, discovering new activities to peek your learners' interest in less than a minute is excellent value! Stretch and Challenge for All stands out from many other resource books as Torsten has ensured that it is not presented as a aone size fits all' solution. Torsten provides the reasoning behind using each resource and suggests adaptations so that even the busiest teacher can differentiate the resources appropriately. Not all the strategies in Torsten's book are brand new, but the reminder about activities lost to the daily chaos and the suggestions for tweaking current strategies make this book an excellent addition to any teacher's library. Every teacher should have this book on their desk, ready to dip into to change-up their routines or step out of the rut and do something different. Paul Bannister, Head Teacher, Junior School, Jerudong International School, Brunei What a useful and practical book for teachers to use within the classroom to stretch and challenge all their pupils, including those with high ability. With photocopiable sheets and clear instructions for the busiest professional, this book will help teachers to ensure that every child maximises their potential. There is something here for teachers of children of all ages and abilities. My personal favourite activities were aSix Degrees of Separation' and aMaking Learning Pun'.Torsten, you now need to write a sister volume for parents! Denise Yates, Chief Executive, Potential Plus UK