Developing Advanced Primary Teaching Skills

Do you believe that continuous improvement in teaching is essential? Do you wish to enhance your understanding of how children learn? Are you eager to become a well-informed professional? From the author of the hugely respected Foundations of Primary Teaching, this advanced textbook explores the essential elements of teaching and learning and the process of becoming a caring and competent teacher. It introduces a wide range of education issues, challenges and requirements with the intention of promoting advanced classroom practice, both for individuals and within teams. The book offers insights, ideas, hints and thought-provoking education topics for individual reflection and team discussion. With a focus on understanding the teaching and learning processes and the factors that impact upon providing a high quality education for every pupil, this book discusses in detail key learning skills, dilemmas and challenges for primary teachers and themes in continuing professional development. It covers issues in teaching and learning including: The nature/nurture debate Motivation Emotional and moral development Raising boys’ achievement levels Gender and teachers Accelerated learning Reflective practice. Including action points, hints and challenges, this book will be of interest to trainee teachers, postgraduates, experienced qualified teachers, deputy head teachers and head teachers who wish to be more consistently effective and make a positive impact on the lives of children in their primary classroom.

Introduction Prelude Change in Education Excellence in teaching Effective communication Meaningful connection with pupils Closely monitoring pupil progress Skilful pedagogy SECTION ONE. Key Learning Skills… 1. Understanding key concepts 2. Learning across subject boundaries 3. Developing social skills 4. Working collaboratively 5. Criteria for sorting and classifying 6. Planning and sequencing 7. Recognising cause and effect 8. Adapting to different circumstances 9. Speaking confidently 10. Being imaginative and creative 11. Making valid judgements 12. Developing an enquiring mind SECTION TWO. Teaching and Learning Issues… Part A. Child Development and Education 1. The nature-nurture debate 2. The impact of pre-school education 3. Motivation and pupil background 4. Developing parental involvement 5. Adults as effective role models 6. Emotional development 7. Emotional intelligence, children and learning 8. Children’s happiness 9. Children’s moral development 10. Alternative forms of education Part B. Pupil learning 1. Learning and concept mapping 2. Cognition and Bloom’s Taxonomy 3. Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy 4. Pupil learning styles 5. Learning through auditory means 6. Questions and higher level thinking 7. Pupil ability and capability 8. Gifted and talented pupils and accelerated learning 9. Memory and learning difficulties 10. Television as a learning tool Part C. Classroom practice 21. Ability grouping 22. Alternative education and Steiner-Waldorf 23. Maintaining discipline 24. The use of rewards and incentives 25. Pupil time on task 26. Boys and girls in school 27. Raising boys’ achie

Denis Hayes is an education writer and speaker. He was Professor of Primary Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Plymouth after spending seventeen years teaching across primary, middle and secondary schools. He has authored Foundations of Primary Teaching, The Guided Reader to Teaching and Learning and Encyclopedia of Primary Education, all published by Routledge.