Making Every Primary Lesson Count: Six principles to support great teaching and learning (Making Every Lesson Count series)

I read this book over two days (but could've got through it in a couple of hours if life hadn't got in the way!) - it is just so easy to read. To anyone reading this, I highly recommend you sit with a highlighter and pick bits out as you go. I can now flick back through and see about 20 things that I want to remind myself of in September - I'm actually going to write a blog post about what I'd like to change about my teaching next year (going into my 4th year), and the advice from this book will form a large part of it.What you won't get, and what I didn't want, are jazzy ideas for activities, or games, or anything subject-specific. I was also worried, following the trad/prog debate on Twitter, that this would lean a particular way, and that I wouldn't agree with some of what was said. However, there really isn't anything you can disagree with - everything that is advised is all the basis of good teaching.Possibly my favourite part about it was how everything was contextualised. An idea was given, but then a typical classroom scenario followed explaining how the idea would work in that situation. Sometimes even a breakdown of exactly what a student and teacher might say came too - I never left a page thinking, like I have done After reading another edu books, "oh, I like how that sounds, but how exactly would it work?"I've always thought to take advice from consultants with a pinch of salt, especially because as soon as you leave full-time teaching, you forget what it's like. However, Jo and Mel are both full-time classroom teachers - so if they can make it work, so can I.I really do think this book would be useful for any teacher, no matter at what stage in their career - I read some bits out to my mum (who's been teaching for 30+ years and is a current deputy head), and she agreed - some things you simply forget, and this is a brilliant way of being reminded! She will be reading it next!Thank you, Jo and Mel!

Ive never been one for reading 'textbooks', not because I'm not keen to learn (quite the contrary) but I so often struggle with the format, and to sit down and to give my full concentration. However this book was different. It was easy reading and made perfect sense. It was great to be reminded about strategies that I'd become less aware of over time, and to pick up new ideas of how to implement some of the strategies.It is hand on heart the best CPD book I have ever read and I only wish it had been around when I was an NQT.I highly recommend this to any primary teacher, regardless of what point they are at in their career. Within the first chapter I knew this book was a keeper and so my copy is thoroughly annotated with plenty of colourful sticky markers and lots of highlighting/underlining. I'm keen to keep it all fresh in my head and know I will refer back to it in the future.

I finished my Nqt year last year and for me, I'd already come across all the teaching strategies in this book. It was never-the-less a very worthwhile book to read: the style lends itself to brisk reading, and every strategy is clearly fleshed out with relevant examples. I really enjoyed reading this book at the beginning of the Christmas holidays as it reminded me of some things I should focus more on, and helped me reflect on my teaching over the last term. It only took a few hours to read on my phone.

A superb book with a great mix of current research and practical ideas. It actually gives you manageable yet effective ideas which can be taken into the classroom. It is also very well organised so you can dip in and out but to be honest it is so well written I struggled to put it down! My favourite chapter was the questioning one. There are many words of wisdom including a really usable question creating grid which I will be giving to all the adults in our school. There is also great research and advice on how to make manageable feedback worthwhile and meaningful. However, it was the underlying theme which engaged and reassured me the most; challenge for all is not only appropriate but essential in making every lesson count. I will head back to school in September excited and inspired; determined to continuously improve my own practice. Thank you!

This is a fantastic, up to date, must read for NQTs and experienced teachers alike. It's packed with well explained ideas and rationale essential for maximising the daily impact of a teacher on each and every child in their class. Every section is useful and I wish there had been a book like it when I trained many years ago. The authors are practising teachers and this shines through. They utilise the most recent evidence based research but maintain a jargon free emphasis on pragmatic application. Should be a PGCE set text!