So, we don’t like Paul Dix

[wantingtoexplore]

But what books are good to read? I’m experienced, secondary HOD, but I quite like books about teaching!

About behaviour? Or in general?

If you’re maths, Craig Barton’s How I Wish I’d Taught Maths is fab.

In general, although I’m English rather than maths.

What does this look like in the classroom?
Is amazing!

Thanks! I think I’m ready to break up - for a moment then I was what does WHAT look like in the classroom, then realised it must be the title of a book!

Any good fiction set in schools that anyone can think of?

Bill Rodgers. I'm a big fan.

Dan Willingham’s Why Don’t Students Like School is also good.

Fiction, hmm Harry Potter?

Can’t beat an old box set of Teachers but obviously that’s not a book!

Ha - or Waterloo road!

Boys Don't Try
Jennifer Webb's book is brilliant!

I always recommend Cleverlands to people. Really interesting.

I am now pondering your fiction question. I read 100 books a year but am a bit stumped on that one other than really bad books! Prime of Miss Jean Brodie perhaps??

I love "teach like nobody's watching" by Mark Enser

Daisy Christodolou is brilliant too.

And Oliver Caviglioli "dual coding with teachers" is mind blown stuff. I'm still trying to work it's genius into lessons.

Paul Dix.... I ain't shaking hands with no teenagers!!

Eurgh no.

I've spent the last fortnight Dettol spraying everything and using gallons of hand gel. School is a cauldron of germs right now.

Tom Bennett for behaviour. Lisa Delpit - Other People's Children is my Bible for teaching children of races and cultures other than my own.

I second @Piggywaspushed. Boys Don't Try? and Jennifer Webb's books are both fantastic.
I also loved 10% Braver which has led to changes in how I approach my career. I also like the ResearchEd series.
Love reading education books.

Oh and @GuyFawkesDay's books too. Dual coding is fascinating and Mark Esner cuts through all manner of crap.

Mum of child with SEN/SEMH here - I would love anything you've liked that's relevant to my child (Y3 if that's helpful).
In return, though it may be too much of an outsider's view, years ago I read Amongst Schoolchildren and loved it.

Sorry, Among not Amongst. It's by Tracy Kidder.

I also like Teach Like Nobody's Watching by Mark Enser. Another recent one is Hidden In Plain Sight: Realising the Potential of Middle Leaders, by Michael Iannani . I recently did a course with him on mentoring and it was fab.

This perfectly innocent review of Paul Dix's work led to the author being blocked on Twitter! The man sure is defensive!

theunofficialteachersmanual.blog/2019/11/30/when-the-adults-change-everything-changes-a-discussion/

Saw that....says far more about Mr Fox than the blogger, don't you think?

Fox? Autocorrect fail! Mr Dix

Did you disguise his name so he couldn't hunt you down (scuse pun) and then block you??

Apparently some people really like Dix.

I thought this was a piss take but apparently it’s real.

Fiction - although both are out of print and from the 1960s, you should be able to get them second hand:

Don’t Knock the Corners Off - Caroline Glyn. Probably autobiographical. A great account of what happens when you’re a square peg in a round hole in your school life.

The Harpole Report - JL Carr. Lovely comedy about a primary headteacher.

Not massively relevant to being a secondary HoD but both really good!

I saw thatnoble.! It looks rather -umm- repetitive.

I'm waiting with bated breath for the shitefest that is Paul Dix to be lauded in Australia.

They still think John Hattie is the shizzle.