Dynamically Different Classrooms

Create spaces that spark learning

By: Jan Evans , Claire Gadsby


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Pages : 176
ISBN : 9781781352977
Format: Paperback
Size: 216 x 216mm
Originally published: May 2019

In Dynamically Different Classrooms: Create spaces that spark learning, Claire Gadsby and Jan Evans provide teachers with a visually striking masterclass on how to maximise the potential of every cubic inch of the learning environment.

Re-formatted in July 2023, complete with additional photographs. 

Classrooms are private places. A lucky few – consultants and inspectors among them – get to visit hundreds of classrooms a year, yet many teachers never get the opportunity to see how other practitioners 'do it'.

In Dynamically Different Classrooms, however, experienced educators Claire and Jan take away the guesswork by inviting teachers into a unique journey of classroom discovery that shows them how to design and use the space within their classroom in such a way that enhances their pupils' learning experiences.

Bursting with a rich variety of practical ideas, this inspiring guide to the great indoors talks you through the 'clue corners', 'ceiling circuits' and 'windows of opportunity' waiting to be discovered in your classroom and shares 148 high-impact techniques proven to boost pupils' engagement, long-term learning and progress.

The techniques are dispersed across five chapters – each covering a specified aspect of the classroom (e.g. wall displays) – and are colour-coded to cross-reference with the following six key themes in order to help you navigate your own pathway through the chapters according to your development priorities:

- Metacognition and self-regulated learning
- Emotional engagement
- Retrieval and revision
- Responsive teaching
- Oracy and 'word wealth'
- Collaborative learning.

The strategies can be adapted for use with all age groups and will stimulate busy teachers to reimagine the learning space through a more creative lens. Each theme is underpinned by robust research in the book's introduction, in which the authors discuss the key findings and explore how effective classroom design can help unlock the potential of various pedagogical approaches.

The book also features a range of illuminating case studies from various schools across the UK, and is beautifully decorated with full-colour photographs that capture the techniques in action to make it even easier for you to adopt and adapt these design principles in your own dynamically different classroom.

Suitable for teachers, trainees, teaching assistants and senior leaders in both primary and secondary schools.


Picture for author Jan Evans

Jan Evans

Jan Evans is an education consultant with over 30 years' experience of working in education. Jan is committed to helping teachers reclaim their creativity and regularly leads whole-school training programmes as well as classroom-based coaching. She prides herself on being able to motivate teachers through her sense of humour, practical approach and enthusiasm for innovative teaching and learning strategies.


Picture for author Claire Gadsby

Claire Gadsby

Claire Gadsby is an innovator, educator and motivator. A teaching and learning consultant and trainer with over 20 years' classroom experience, she collaborates with a wide variety of schools every year to raise their levels of achievement. Much of her work involves working alongside teachers in classrooms, and her areas of expertise include assessment for learning (AfL), whole-school literacy and demonstrating pupil progress.


Reviews

  1. Bursting with a rich variety of practical ideas, this inspiring guide to the great indoors talks you through the -˜clue corners', -˜ceiling circuits' and -˜windows of opportunity' waiting to be discovered in your classroom and shares 148 high-impact techniques proven to boost pupils' engagement, long-term learning and progress.

    The techniques are dispersed across five chapters - each covering a specified aspect of the classroom (e.g. wall displays) - and are colour-coded to cross-reference with the following six key themes in order to help you navigate your own pathway through the chapters according to your development priorities:

    - Metacognition and self-regulated learning
    - Emotional engagement
    - Retrieval and revision
    - Responsive teaching
    - Oracy and -˜word wealth'
    - Collaborative learning.



    The strategies can be adapted for use with all age groups and will stimulate busy teachers to reimagine the learning space through a more creative lens. Each theme is underpinned by robust research in the book's introduction, in which the authors discuss the key findings and explore how effective classroom design can help unlock the potential of various pedagogical approaches.

    PROS:

    - A colourful and well-illustrated book showcasing how to make your classroom dynamically different to help learning.
    - Easy-to-access tips and ideas on how to engage teaching and learning.
    - Offers practical ideas and techniques for classroom use, across all key stage phases.
    - Excellent case studies throughout help illustrate powerful ideas.
    - This book could be used to help individual classroom teachers, departments, or whole-school improvement.

    Click here to read the review on UKEdChat's website.
  2. Calling all teachers: this book will help you rethink your thinking and rejuvenate your learning strategies.
  3. In an educational landscape where different trends and fads come and go, Dynamically Different Classrooms is filled with the wisdom that only experience can bring. The main messages from recent and robust research are all put in one place and told through an array of creative examples and practical strategies, which makes this book a treasure trove of inspiration and ideas!
  4. It is no surprise to me that Claire Gadsby and Jan Evans would produce a book that communicates such energy and excitement in both content and tone. We have benefitted as a school from Jan's wealth of experience in developing active engagement in children through higher-order questioning, and we shall certainly -˜magpie' from the wonderful variety of ideas presented here. As ever, Claire and Jan's passion is infectious - and it is refreshing to come across a book that leaves the reader feeling so energised.
  5. There are plenty of books looking at the -˜how' and -˜what' of teaching, but not many ask us to consider the -˜where'. In Dynamically Different Classrooms, however, Claire Gadsby and Jan Evans do exactly that as they share ideas and strategies that are underpinned by solid research and have been sourced from years of working with primary, middle and secondary schools across the UK to help create learning environments that enable every child to progress and thrive.



    Does this mean spending endless hours constructing complex and beautiful wall displays, or spending non-existent funds on fancy furniture? Nope, the suggestions in this book are much smarter than that - supporting educators to rethink the space in which they teach, and make it work more effectively for them and their pupils.
  6. Dynamically Different Classrooms combines learning theory with a range of practical strategies and shows how the classroom can be the arena to bring it all to life.



    If we believe in active learning, this is a book to be acted upon. 
  7. Dynamically Different Classrooms breathes life into thinking creatively about teaching and learning. It is full not only of ideas proven to work, but also of methodological insights into why they work. Each chapter offers ideas about a different area of learning, often sharing powerful reminders that a fresh look at how we use our classroom space can make all the difference. It also provides a refreshing take on the holistic view of teaching the whole child, taking into account a consideration of emotional responses.



    This book will be fantastically useful for primary and secondary school teachers alike - and I believe every parent in the land would want their child to have the kind of learning experience that it champions, where the importance is placed on creativity, resilience and curiosity rather than on exam results alone. 

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