Useful stuff??

[EvilTwins]

Given that we have this lovely new area, I thought it might be nice if we could share genuinely useful teaching stuff.
I would like to suggest Jim Smith's Lazy Teacher books. He came to my school to run an INSET session and was brilliant. The HT then bought a copy of his "Lazy Teacher's Handbook" for each dept and it has genuinely useful, usable ideas in it. He brought out another book over the summer, which focuses on easy ways to demonstrate the dreaded progress.

Anyone else got anything they use which is worthy of a recommendation?

That's been recommended at my school too. I've resisted looking at it because of a slight smoldering resentment that good teaching could be reduced to a series of tricks to perform in front of the right person, but having read the blurb now I think I'll have a proper look! Thanks for the tip.

I've got a copy of the 'teacher's toolkit' (can't remember where the apostrophe goes!) from a few years ago, which does still have some useful things in, even though all the goalposts have shifted since it was published. But the advice on setting up effective group-work etc is very good.

I know what you mean about it sounding a bit gimmicky. I guess what makes it work is that he is still a teacher, and so he knows what the inspectors are looking for.

The book Teach Like A Champion has a dreadful name but some genuinely good content on how to teach effectively. It's American so not all applies here but it's got sections on effective planning, effective questioning techniques, classroom organisation etc.

It discusses things that I've been guilty of: apologising for dull content with a 'we just have to get through this because it's on the test', letting kids opt out of learning with an 'I dunno' (one suggestion is if it's a fact they can't remember, to ask another student then go back to the original student to repeat the correct answer so they have to listen) and not filling in the rest of half an answer for the kids (so if the answer is 3cm, don't accept '3' and write 3cm on the board for them).

It just made me think a lot more about what I'm saying and doing and what the kids are saying and doing.

Multiplication game that boys especially LOVE

Me too Matilda but my Y5s loved it and I got them to play against each other rather than me so they never discovered...

My favourite find so far has been www.worksheetworks.com/ . Great for creating homework sheets and fun extension activities. I love the maths mazes in particular: www.worksheetworks.com/puzzles/math-maze.html

It is American, so watch out for spellings. They have plans for UK currency activities to match the dollar stuff!

the lazy series looks really good - just ordered the lazy teachers guide!