As someone who struggles to finish educational literature, I knew I was onto a winner early on when Morrissey and Jaws' Chief Brody were key references. 

This book had Hywel Roberts' inspirational stamp of wit and infectious enthusiasm running right through its core; I read the whole book with a huge grin on my face, often laughing out loud or whispering, - 'Aw, I love that!' I felt like I had been let in on his secret and I had - it's a mindset, not a technique. Where else would you be instructed to ensure that 'Happiness' was in your curriculum?

Hywel's emphasis on connecting at a human level ensures children have a relevant and memorable experience with a real person, whom he encourages to be brave and embrace the unexpected and in turn empower pupils to question and steer their own learning. It's so steeped in common sense that you can't disagree with it!

The novel illustrations, acronyms and lists really made me chuckle; I promise to now 'embrace the emo kid'. The subtle reinterpretations of popular sayings kept me on my toes, although my mind didn't wander once. What would take many people half a page to say, Hywel encapsulates in one word or drawing. I have come away with a whole new vocabulary to tap me on the shoulder as I plan and teach, to remind me of my purpose and keep me on track. 

Rather than lesson plans and schemes of work, there are inspiring anecdotes from all phases, so there are no 'get outs'; he has succeeded at luring children of all ages and backgrounds into actively learning. 

As I read, not only did I constantly reflect on my own 'botheredness' but kept adding to the internal list I was forming of people to buy this for. At a time in my career when I am filled with self-doubt and fear, this book is like a magic medicine that reminds me why I became a teacher and empowers me to buy a stack of sticky notes and fat pens and start 'digging', 'luring' and 'raving' in my own classroom on Monday morning.

In short, it's BLUMMIN' BRILLIANT!

It's all about making it engaging, purposeful and relevant. Hywel's book explores many facets of classroom craft, sharing tips that can instantly sharpen your practice.

The engagement is not at a cost to “real learning”, it's interwoven in the very fabric of the learning experience and every word and action of the teacher.

His approach to invigorating the curriculum and the classroom is underpinned by a mastery of pedagogical methodology.

The ideas shared include learning lures, questioning techniques, making learning relevant and even dealing with negative people so that you can enjoy teaching.

Well crated and a pleasure to read.

See original here.

I want to give Hywel a hug. This is everything that teaching should be. Reading this is like drinking a motivation potion -” a practical, insanely humorous and genuine book that will inspire your teaching.

Are you planning not to smile to your students until Christmas? Many a newly qualified teacher has been offered this pearl of wisdom as they embark on their career, but Hywel Roberts argues that your smile is actually one of the greatest tools in a teacher's armoury. In fact, we all remember the teachers from our own childhood who made us smile, laugh, encouraged us, and praised us for our efforts.

Teaching and Learning demands effort, not only on the part of the students but also on the part of the teacher, with this enthusiasm, dedication and desire showing through within Roberts' very readable book which tries to help teachers ignite their passion for teaching and the subject they teach within.

The Yorkshire-based ex-drama teacher now advocates his infectious enthusiasm around schools and universities, but his dedication and belief that teaching is one of the greatest jobs in the world is clear to see. In fact, one recent reviewer commented, “This book will cause you to question your own teaching, methods, approaches and motivation - be prepared to do some serious thinking about your own classroom. When was the last time you `lured' your pupils into their learning? Hywel talks about `igniting curiosity', 'capturing imagination' and `botheredness'!”.

And that is what this book is all about. Getting pupils learning without them realising that you've set a trap and they are learning, being truly absorbed and engaged in the activity that you have set. This is relevant to all stages of education, being relevant at primary, secondary and further education. Take, for example, one of the many ideas offered in the book - Enthuse your pupils by grabbing a bag and asking them what you would need to pack in it if you were going on a trip to: the moon; the north pole; the magical land of Oz; a time travel trip to 1066; an evacuee during WWII. Roberts shows that it doesn't take a lot to fire off your imagination, with such enthusiasm and commitment being transmitted through to your pupils.

This book gives teachers permission to be brave, set clear expectations, to fight passive imaginations, and to hold on whilst letting go. This certainly is a book to re-ignite your passion for teaching, whilst also offering tips to established and newly qualified teachers.

Hywel Roberts is a creative educator with 16 years' experience teaching drama and English in schools. He is a consultant and speaker specialising in Drama for Learning, Mantle of the Expert, Lures into Learning and engagement across all phases.

This book is about engaging learners in great learning so well that they barely know that they are learning. The author talks a great deal about making learning relevant whilst giving your pupils relevant skills that will last them a lifetime. The main point throughout focuses on creating a context to learning that will help to engage children and produce a more memorable learning experience. With snappy chapter headings such as -˜Stop teaching me when I'm trying to learn' and -˜Inspector of the lure', and a useful resources chapter, this is a good read, full of practical teaching ideas that will make you think about your teaching.

Whether you are new to teaching or have vast experience in the classroom, you will find in this book inspiration to raise achievement, improve behaviour and enhance creativity in the classroom, which might even change the way you approach lesson planning forever. This is also an excellent resource to support the Montessori teaching method.

This wonderfully inspiring book is packed with fun, ideas, lists and laughter; I am now desperately trying to avoid a cliche but if you are struggling to think of a good Christmas gift for a teacher friend, this book is one of those gifts that keep on giving!

My favourite lesson of this year came from a chapter named Accidentally Learning, in which Hywel took the idea of a mountain range and transformed it into a myriad of learning experiences.

There are two types of educational literature that Hywel Roberts' book -'Oops!' isn't. It's not the dry kind - the sort of book that is well-meaning, but incredibly dull. The kind that is currently sitting dustily on your bookshelf with a bookmark where you gave up on page 4. It's also not the “faddy” kind - the sort of book that looks hilarious, is full of hints and tips, but doesn't seem to have any real substance. The kind where you're never quite sure whether the section on - 'learning through the medium of Polos' is just where the writer needed to fill his word count or is actually a stroke of teaching genius.

-'Oops!' is neither of these. It's witty and lively, but there's a solidness behind every idea. I've never met Mr Roberts, but you can tell his methods are backed up by years of -'bothered' teaching (see point 3 below).

The subtitle to -'Oops!' by Hywel Roberts is - 'Helping children learn accidentally'. It's a book about how to lure pupils into lessons, to get them learning without them realising that's what's happening - a book about -'happy learning accidents'. Think of the last time you genuinely got excited about some learning in your classroom - it's more than likely to have been something that wasn't on your lesson plan-¦ Maybe a class discussion moved things along a bit or a chance comment led to some learning that was way deeper than you originally accounted for.

And so, with a nod to Mr Roberts' techniques (this is a man who likes his catchy lists!), here are five things to take away from -'Oops!' Five reasons to read it.

No. 1: Its better to be a radiator than a drain! A radiator is someone who Roberts says exudes -'botheredness, warmth and generosity of spirit'. A teacher who is patient, is emotionally intelligent, has a moral purpose, a growth mindset and the ability to help people shine. A drain is well, a drain. -'Oops!' also encourages us to be dolphins (as opposed to puppies, sleeping bears and the ungrateful dead). You'll have to read the book to find out the definitions, but trust us - they're found in most staffrooms.

No. 2: Have the guts not to be bound by static schemes of work! Comprehensive, ready-written schemes of work are useful in many ways, but as Roberts points out - “It's all a bit fast-food-kebab: initially feels great, and then, a little later makes you a bit sick.” The best response, he argues, is to accept a scheme with thanks but not to be bound by it. To look for opportunities to add your own ideas. Any head of department worth their salt will appreciate and nurture this attitude.

No. 3: Be Bothered. 'Botheredness' is a great word Hywel Roberts introduces in this book. It's what separates Memorable Teachers (capital M, capital T) from just teachers. In one of the many lively lists in -'Oops!', the author gives five Positive Teacher Acts (five features of being bothered). They are:
1. SMILING 2. LAUGHTER 3. ENCOURAGEMENT 4. PRAISE 5. TIME (giving of) 
(a list within a list there - Hywel Roberts would love that!)

Looking at them now, they seem obvious. But it never hurts to be reminded of them. No one forgets a bothered teacher.

No. 4: Build traps for learning -'accidents'. The key concept that underpins -'Oops!' is that great learning can happen without pupils realising it - without them recognising they're being led somewhere new. This can either be truly accidental (Hywel Roberts gives a powerful anecdote of a missed opportunity in an IT lesson when a pupil asked -˜was Nelson Mandela an activist or a terrorist?' and was swiftly put in his place) or as a result of planning to lure pupils into the lesson (digging a metaphorical hole, covering it with leaves and waiting for the inevitable fall into learning). -˜Oops!' is peppered with anecdotes and examples that illustrate how to do this and what to do when learning accidents happen. It takes a cool head to go with the flow and leave the lesson plan behind, but off the beaten track is where the best learning often occurs.

No. 5: Hold Your Nerve! 'Holding your nerve' is the title of the final chapter of - 'Oops!' (subtitle: -˜when all around you are losing theirs'!). To give the impression that a lesson is improvised or that learning is the result of a happy accident takes confidence. It is a skilled act to (as Hywel Roberts says) “give opportunities to go with the flow of the learning” without relinquishing the “locus of control”. It takes nerve to set off on a learning journey without completely knowing where you will end up. Parts of - 'Oops!' read like a pep talk, where Roberts' obvious enthusiasm for making learners buzz is infectious.


Your top five list will no doubt be different - there is lots to take away from the book. But at its core, - 'Oops!' encourages us to trust learners to lead the way and trust ourselves to retain control. This isn't a one-time-read. It's the sort of book you'll want to return to when you've got questions like - 'How can I make that lesson more relevant?', - 'Am I bovvered?' and - 'Where shall I dig that hole so they all fall into it?' Or if, using one of Hywel Roberts' favourite words, you just want to get your pupils buzzing.

Relevant for teachers new and experienced, Oops! aims to support teachers in developing ideas that motivate in both primary and secondary school classrooms. As the title suggests, it describes how students can be lured into learning accidentally when a relevant stimulus is used to engage them in curriculum topics. Then once they are hooked into it they are learning, having shaped the direction of the lessons themselves.

“You won't need the bookmark!”

Hywel Roberts' book is not just a positive thinking manual, though it will make you more positive about what you do. It isn't just one of those resource banks; but you will leave it buzzing with ideas. Most of all it isn't just a book about classroom strategies though you will find yourself doing some strategic thinking. It is a book full of honesty, full of a deeply thought out perspective on what teaching and most of all learning should be like.

My copy came with a thoughtfully provided bookmark but you won't need it. This is a one sitting read but once you have galloped through you will want to go back again and again to reflect, check and think through what the author has to say. Roberts starts from the uncompromising expectation that we can all be better teachers but his optimism is grounded in his own experiences in the classroom and in working with other teachers. The writing is pervaded by a sense of realism; these are not theories, they are well thought out practice. 

The book is structured as a series of chapters, each full of ideas, anecdotes, thinking lists, diagrams and shocks. Usefully the page layout leaves plenty of room for you to write your own notes and doodles. The overall impression is of a long, cool, refreshing energy drink in the parched and dusty world of educational statistics, government policy and OFSTED. However this is by no means a soft touch of a book, Roberts starts from the premise that teachers are people and so are their pupils. That learning is absorbing when it is going well and that it is your task as a teacher to make sure that it does go well. 

No doubt you will pick up some practical strategies and ideas from this book but much more than that, it will make you think. About why you are a teacher, about what you teach, about who you are teaching and most of all about how you will tap into the sort of learning that makes your class say things like, “Is that lesson over already?” and mean it. It will give you permission to find the sort of teaching that you want to be doing and for your pupils to find the sort of learning they want to be doing. A challenge to all of us but also a validation for all the really good things we do, especially the ones that we know are right but don't quite fit the scheme of work.

As I read this book I started a mental list of all the people I wanted to share it with, colleagues, trainee teachers, and friends. Most of all I wanted to share it with a young teacher who had a clear vision of the sort of teacher he wanted to be but could not find out how to get there. This book could be the answer.

"How much better to learn by accident than by rote!"

'Oops!' - one of the easiest educational books to read, it had me intrigued from the start. Simply put, this book is a must for any teacher who gives a damn about the engagement of their pupils. It encourages the reader to find the hooks and the links to make learning fun and perhaps happen unnoticed. The ideas and techniques are simple yet effective and although they need a bit of planning and forethought, they are not rocket science.

This book inspires the reader to be a Dolphin and ditch the Sleeping Bear syndrome. This is the way to teach, no doubt about it. It's like disguising medicine in a sweetie - makes it easier and more pleasant to swallow. All the examples given are linked with questioning the learner and the use of high, open and fat questions. It provides ideas that can be adapted to suit any and all subjects, projects or ideas in classes.

I would recommend that all new teachers read this book to get a flavour of what will make them great, and all established teachers read it to get their innovative and creative juices flowing again. A perfect summer read.

Well done Hywel. This an excellent book on engaging and promoting enjoyment and success in learning, at all levels. Evidence from Ofsted and Estyn teams clearly points to high levels of under achievement of pupils and students particularly in literacy skills. With the increasing emphasis on teaching that inspires, challenges and engages pupils/ students, this book is a must for all staffrooms. Whilst reading the text I wanted to develop a conversation with Hywel about his experiences with teachers who switch off enthusiasm in their pupils and detract from the work of other staff, similar to the IT teacher he describes on page 113 in the text. Hywel demonstrates the skills of an engaging personality who makes learning interesting and challenges students to broaden their curiosity and engagement.

I read the book and lapped it up - it is delicious! It made me laugh and think hard about my current teaching style. Almost every word is valuable and I think all teachers should read it!

Oops!
It's no accident that Hywel Roberts -” himself a world leader in enthusiasm -” has written a must read book for teachers. Oops! Helping children learn accidentally brings together insight, pizzazz, wit and quirkiness into one happy place, it's a joy of a book written by a great teacher. Easy to read, practical, full of great ideas and invention -” it's more than a book, it's a treatise on positivity and a reminder of why it's great to be a teacher.

Reading Hywel's book has been a pleasure. As a primary teacher for over twenty years, with the additional role of - 'Creativity Coordinator' tagged on for good measure, I was - 'hooked' by the first sentence of the foreword: - 'Good teachers are great liars'! I immediately wanted to know more, and especially as I've been lucky enough to hear Hywel present training to teachers, the - 'preferably read it with a Barnsley accent' had me intrigued.

The last thing I need is book about teaching theory; no busy teacher needs that. We get enough theory and hoops to jump through from senior management, Government initiatives and the continual pressure of the inspectors arriving to give ourselves more reading for reading's sake. Hywel's book is not like that. Yes, it contains theory, it talks about learning and child-centredness but it is also inspiring, easy to read and is filled to the rafters with practical application; things I can steal and adapt for my learners and for me; things that actually work and will invigorate my teaching practice without it once making me doubt my own ability. Things that have made me go - 'hmmmm?!'.

As I read through the book (literally from cover to cover) I was struck by the cleverness of the - 'Lists'. Hywel writes lists and bullet points throughout. - 'Top 10s' and - 'Top 5s', Lists of the Bests and the Worsts, Things-to-do, Things-not-to-do, bullet-pointed action points and superb summing-ups. All of these appeal to me, and are RELEVANT. Relevance is a recurring theme. The book contains simple, effective illustrations, brilliant - 'sliding scales' to provoke thought and reflection on who and where I am as a teacher and I acknowledge to myself now that I will be recommending Hywel's book to so many of my colleagues: from students and NQTs who will absorb and adapt the suggestions without resistance, to the older switched-off colleagues who have arrived at the point of forgetting what the point is in being the teacher and lead learner. The book offers something for everyone engaged in education, whether that engagement is currently active or not. It is for those of us who love teaching and are instinctively creative in what we do but always want to be better at it. It is also, most importantly, for those who are not sure how to be creative, or how to liven the classroom and the learning for which we are responsible. And for those who may have accidentally switched to standby, waiting for something or someone to reactivate them, this is that switch.

I would regard myself as BRAVE (read the book to find out what Hywel means by this) but I will go back to this for inspiration and to refresh my teaching over and over. I would like to thank Hywel on behalf of my future pupils, who will undoubtedly pass through my classes and accidently learn more than they would have if I had not read this book.

Learning is natural; sometimes it gets difficult and then the learner gets stuck. When we get stuck we need a teacher who makes it feel natural to want to get learning again. Hywel Roberts is one of these. In real life he is a teacher who finds the way to open doors, include the loner, create the hook or dilemma that cannot be side-stepped - the sort of teacher who entices the learner and reduces resistance.

His book talks with the reader, the teacher who wants to think again about how they are in the classroom, around the school and in the staffroom. The stream of ideas for engaging with pupils and making learning live are supported by a down-to-earth conversation about how it really is in the day-to-day life of the school. It makes you smile, wince, laugh, and ponder - and most of all think: think how enjoyable teaching can be if we invest in ourselves as teachers.
Open it anywhere - it is full of gems.

As someone who struggles to finish educational literature, I knew I was onto a winner early on when Morrissey and Jaws' Chief Brody were key references.

This book had Hywel Roberts' inspirational stamp of wit and infectious enthusiasm running right through its core; I read the whole book with a huge grin on my face, often laughing out loud or whispering, - 'Aw, I love that!' I felt like I had been let in on his secret and I had - it's a mindset, not a technique. Where else would you be instructed to ensure that 'Happiness' was in your curriculum?

Hywel's emphasis on connecting at a human level ensures children have a relevant and memorable experience with a real person, whom he encourages to be brave and embrace the unexpected and in turn empower pupils to question and steer their own learning. It's so steeped in common sense that you can't disagree with it!

The novel illustrations, acronyms and lists really made me chuckle; I promise to now 'embrace the emo kid'. The subtle reinterpretations of popular sayings kept me on my toes, although my mind didn't wander once. What would take many people half a page to say, Hywel encapsulates in one word or drawing. I have come away with a whole new vocabulary to tap me on the shoulder as I plan and teach, to remind me of my purpose and keep me on track.

Rather than lesson plans and schemes of work, there are inspiring anecdotes from all phases, so there are no 'get outs'; he has succeeded at luring children of all ages and backgrounds into actively learning.

As I read, not only did I constantly reflect on my own 'botheredness' but kept adding to the internal list I was forming of people to buy this for. At a time in my career when I am filled with self-doubt and fear, this book is like a magic medicine that reminds me why I became a teacher and empowers me to buy a stack of sticky notes and fat pens and start 'digging', 'luring' and 'raving' in my own classroom on Monday morning.

In short, it's BLUMMIN' BRILLIANT!

Oops! must be essential reading for student teachers. It is a dossier for practical teaching and describes the pedagogy of - 'the buzzing'. Hywel Roberts offers a book that is a filled to capacity with drama-led ideas that are far from a performance and without a leotard in sight. I am buying a copy for each of the team at school.

There can be little doubt that the new book Hywel has written is tantalising, and so useful for the new teacher. It will, I am sure, stand alongside iconic publications that hit the - 'common touch' as the truth is so sharp in the contexts he writes and explores.

Hywel has, at long last, launched a war on the - 'drains', i.e. those mis-named teachers who glory in pouring toxic substances all over anything - 'child centred' in schooling, and shrieks like a Greek Siren the awful warning that to ignore the drawing power of these malice makers means professional death.

I liked the text a lot as it reminded me of all the wonderful moments in my teaching career - the fun, the joy of working with spotty youth, the challenges of facing the classes almost impossible to teach and finding a way to get through. 

We hear the voice of a true pioneer, clear and sure in the belief that teaching is an amalgam of so many things beyond -˜subject knowledge'. The book races along at an almost breathless speed - just like the writer. 

I am envious that this book has been written so well and captures so much. 

In all the showers of experience that Hywel brings the reader, we see a humility born out of experience and a deep knowing of young people. We also know that the book has been written from first-hand experience - so rare in today's awful target-driven texts. Hywel has much experience in an area of woeful economic deprivation after the closure of the steel industry, as well as the deepening depression occurring in the north. 

But no - 'doom and gloom' indulgences are allowed. We are reminded of the continuing professional responsibility of bringing learning to life and we keep getting very clear guidance for newcomers as well as reminders for us oldies of how we have to keep vigilant to make our teaching count.

My only regrets reading the book concerned the overplaying of words regarding a boy who was described - 'a badun'. Perhaps the Romantic in me gets affronted by the truth that has to be ignored?

Oops!

Educators! Look to your laurels! There's a hip, young(ish) gunslinger coming at ya straight outta Barnsley, and he's gonna change the way you think! Hywel Roberts is a magpie's intellect writing like a man with two brains on a heavyweight jag of a particularly garrulous amphetamine. His message is that engagement is the message and in delivering it he's sharp, he's intellectually underpinned, he's effervescent, he's the teacher you wished your teachers had seen teach.

In Oops! Helping Children Learn Accidentally he's produced a cornucopic (I know it doesn't exist -” it should) antidote to cynicism; a call to arms. It's part memoir, part guide, part surreal series of disembodied lists, part methodology for being the kind of maverick who gets better results than anyone else and that the kids like better than they like you (!) Read it, shed your teaching skin, and there'll be no danger that you'll ever, ever become what Hywel memorably calls, -˜A monkey. A puppet. A monkey puppet.'

Oops! is about principles. It's about a mentality that encourages us to drop the reins of rigid, boring schemes of work and instead create learning that is exciting and relevant! Via practical ideas, anecdote and dry wit, Roberts' magnificent work dares us to believe that we can make it so.

Quirky, creative and personable, Hywel is a gifted teacher with a passion for enabling others. In this gem of a book he shares his passion for captivating children through memorable learning experiences. If you want the children in your school to make great progress and remember you as a teacher who made learning fun, dip into this book for inspiration and ideas.

At last there is a book to cover all bases. Whether you are a student teacher, NQT or school leader, this is a genuine guide to push your own practice. Do you want to be an outstanding teacher? Do you want to lead an outstanding school? Read this book and your life will be a whole load easier. I'd like to think that all the -˜Drains' who sit in staffrooms throughout the country will soon be reading this book in their PPA time instead of perusing the tabloid press or playing chess!
Hywel Roberts combines his knowledge of cutting-edge pedagogy with humour and genuine experience to provide an unpretentious guide to teaching. Reading this book made me laugh, remember the dark days of my own education and some memories of my early days in the classroom. It also made me nod, think, reflect, learn and enthuse about the job we all do. If you are a teacher, or want to be a teacher, please read this book!