Routledge Creating Outstanding Classrooms: A whole-school approach

This timely new book outlines a whole-school approach to embedding a sustainable model of teaching and learning that puts the learner at the heart of the system. It provides an entire framework for ensuring all students achieve above their expectations; incorporating school vision, teacher professional development, assessment models, school culture, leadership and management, and core classroom practices. It takes what the current research suggests does – and does not – work and builds it into a practical approach that has been tried, tested and proven to work. Each section incorporates the research, a model of how this can be embedded across a school and then a training section that allows senior leaders in schools to teach the skill-set to others to ensure it can be embedded and reviewed. Covering all aspect of teaching and learning including curriculum design, teacher practices, assessment and leadership, the book features: a clear planning framework that is easy to implement; subject based case studies to exemplify good practice; diagrams to clarify and consolidate information; training activities throughout each chapter, also available to download at www.routledge.com/9780415831178. Designed to be used as a training tool for both new and established teachers, this book is essential reading for senior leaders that want to equip their teachers with the skills and knowledge to create a school of outstanding classrooms. Review 'It does not take long to realise that Creating Outstanding Classrooms is based on a long and rich history of running schools, on two authors who know how to turn theory into practice, to learn from research and from others, and to focus on the important. With so many demands made of schools it is refreshing to see learning, knowing one’s impact, and a sense of fun in creating outstanding classrooms. The many ideas and activities can be readily adopted but there is an underlying strength in their arguments while at the same time they confront some of most difficult problems.' John Hattie, Director, Melbourne Education Research Institute, University of Melbourne "Drawing upon wide experience of teaching, senior leadership and curriculum development, Oliver Knight and David Benson have attempted the most comprehensive and practically grounded account yet of a disciplinary curriculum in action. With a winning and unusual integration of pedagogic, curricular and professional development concerns, they build their case that deep professional reflection on subject structure and subject knowledge leads to vibrant learning and shared, valid measures of the quality of that learning. Benson and Knight are trenchant in their critique of generic "thinking skills" approaches, arguing that different disciplines foster different ways of thinking and different forms of knowledge and that these distinctions enable rather than constrain, liberating both staff and students. They place these at the centre of whole-school professional development and professional debate, showing ways forward for the whole-school management of subject-driven learning that is knowledge-rich, demanding and lively." Christine Counsell, Senior Lecturer University of Cambridge Faculty of Education 'Oli and David have proven they know how to run outstanding schools; this powerful manual captures how. It should be essential reading for every school leader and governor in the country. It is a practical and powerful end-to-end blueprint of how to run an outstanding secondary school.' Tom Shinner, Lead Proponent and Vice Chair of Governors, Greenwich Free School 'Creating Outstanding Classrooms appears to be the ‘missing link’ in that it brings the best of practice in each discipline together and underpins them with good research and well thought out case studies… We will be purchasing copies for all our staff and using it to radically alter our approach to delivering the curriculum by adopting the concept of ‘