Teach Secondary Issue 14.3

Off the Shelves Brilliant titles for you and your students to explore ProductiveFailure: Unlocking DeeperLearningThroughthe ScienceofFailing (ManuKapur,JosseyBass,£21.99) Apopularmantra in education is ‘Fail again, fail better’ – but what’s the science behind this, and how can teachers utilise it effectively? Some teachers swear by direct instruction,while others prefer discovery learning. Kapur presents a third option: starting with a problem, and then using students’ (incorrect) thinking to unravel their misconceptions. It’s an approach that’s not entirely new, but here we’re given explanations as to why it works. Kapur wisely points out that teachersmust establish a safe atmosphere in which students are encouraged to try things out – which can be quite a challenge in some contexts.Another issue is the time required to fully apply this approach, but there is certainly some useful – and surprising – advice on best practice for mastering topics. Highly recommended. ReviewedbyTerry Freedman (see bit.ly/Eclecticismformoredetails ) TheBrightSide:WhyOptimists HavethePowertoChangethe World (SumitPaul-Choudhury,Canongate,£20) At first glance, youmight take this to be one of those books full of affirmations and anecdotes designed to lift yourmood. In fact, Paul-Choudhury ismore concerned with examining the widest possible range of areas in which optimism– or the absence of it – canmake a difference.Thus, he touches on psychology, biology and physics (in keeping his professional background in astrophysics), as well as science fiction, economics, politics, history, philosophy and literature.To say it’s comprehensive seems like an understatement.What’s interesting is that optimism isn’t always shown as being positive, but as something that can be highly damaging whenmisplaced. Logically laid out, highly readable andwith a good index, this book could prove to be a handy resource for your PSHE staff. ReviewedbyTerry Freedman SmallHabitsCreateBig Change (RebeccaBranstetter,Jossey-Bass,£20.99) Verymuch a curate’s egg, Branstetter puts forward numerous suggestions for small changes educators canmake in order to improve their wellbeing, arguing that while we don’t all have the power to change our lot,we can at least make small, evenmicro changes to improve matters (or at least howwe deal with them).The problem forme, however, is the vagaries of the English school system. One section, for example, focuses on ways of protecting your ‘downtime’while at work.Well, if your sole free period of the day is unceremoniously taken fromyou, there’s not much you can do about that. That said, the book’s advice ismore practicable than the nebulous wellbeing advice you’ll find in other titles (though the preponderance of overexcited exclamationmarks paradoxically dampens the spirits at times). ReviewedbyTerry Freedman 36 teachwire.net/secondary