The Teacher’s Toolkit

The Teacher's Toolkit is one of my favourite teaching books. Not a week goes by that I don’t use something from it. As well as being a fantastic resource, it is inspirational and sets the standards that I aspire to.

The book is divided into five sets of ‘Tools’.

It begins with ‘Design Tools’. This section is where Ginnis takes us on a tour of the latest understanding of how learning takes place. It is informative and well-researched and written in a lively, reader-friendly style. This section is explaining the philosophy underpinning the rest of the book.

Next comes ‘Teaching and Learning’ tools. This is a set of 50 types of activity you can use. They cover introducing new topics, consolidating knowledge and revision. Each strategy is carefully explained. Alternatives are offered and suggestions for how the strategy could be applied in different subjects. There is also a checklist indicating what the activity is designed to achieve (e.g. Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, and, yes, fun), a checklist indicating what the activity contains (e.g. individual work, group work, reading moving about) and instructions for any specific room layout required.

What are the activities like? Well, take ‘Stepping Stones’, for example. You write a collection of key words on pieces of paper and lay them on the floor. A pupil has to walk across from ‘stone’ to ‘stone’ explaining the significance of each word. So, each word could be the next stage in a process or the next event in a chapter. After each reason has been provided, the teacher invites the class to decide whether the pupil has given enough accuracy/detail to cross to the next step. If not, s/he returns to their seat and somebody else has a go. The object of the game is to make it across the stones to the other side.

A great starter, concluder or mini-plenary. Notice: it is active, fun and involves the entire class.

It is very tempting to steam straight in and just start using the activities. That’s what I did because they just look so immediately appealing. Well do that. Then go back and read section one so that you understand the underpinning ideas that are creating a contemporary approach to teaching.

Then follows a set of tools for managing group work, behaviour and individual responsibility. For a teacher used to teaching from the front in a more Socratic approach , the strategies in the book might seem frightening: ‘How can I control the class?’, ‘How will I make sure they do work in groups and not just muck about?’, they may wonder. Important questions for any teacher. This part of the book tells you just how to tackle these issues.

Section 4 is a set of ‘operating tools’: six fundamentally different ways of managing leaning they offer increasing degrees of differentiation and student responsibility. It is at this point the book is at its most aspirational in terms of pupils’ individual learning autonomy.

Section 5 is a set of ‘audit tools’ so that you check on your own planning, learning styles and the impact you are having on the children.

The book is in A4 format and runs to just over 350 pages. The layout and design is easy in the eye, there are checklists, and grids aplenty. Excellent value for money. A book that can transform your classroom and inspire your teaching.

Why noit tkae a lok in The Drug Store to see other books I recommend.