Product reviews for Bright Ideas for Managing the Positive Classroom

The title of this book is immediately intriguing because most of us as adults tend to err more to the side of caution and/or negative thinking until we learn that positive thinking coupled with an attitude of adventure is far more rewarding. So was this a book written by an educator who had had enough of following the "old' rules and wanted to find a way to make learning in academic situations more positive for students?

Well what a surprise " this author has recognised how important it is for each individual to be acknowledged for WHO they are and has some excellent ideas on how to help others appreciate another. I can remember experiencing feelings of envy when one or two children were the focus of any classroom and/or my siblings seemingly got all the attention from my parents (of course none of you have experienced that have you?). Social graces and skills really are so important if we as a global society are going to learn to value our differences thereby creating tolerance of each other. So to have active exercises to encourage appreciation and learning of another's individuality and "specialness" is such a wonderful idea!

Also, I love the ice-breakers for starting the day in order to create focus through game playing. What a wonderful way to a student's heart and also all of us enjoy playing games. It is a great attention grabber and demonstrates how educators could become very inventive with their students as well as increasing general knowledge, or even specific knowledge to their subject. Another suggestion by this book is to focus on what students do well through activities that recognise this. So much of what I remember about being at school was how "wrong answers' were focused on to the exclusion of what I had done right. I believe educators who can demonstrate that it is okay to get wrong answers, to recognise that "failure' is an opportunity to seek new solutions and answers, is giving their students a chance to succeed in their adult life. So to have exercises that help students to work as teams, to develop their listening skills which helps with hearing others communicate their needs and desires, learning service/contribution through becoming a buddy and accountability by having a buddy are definitely important skills to develop whilst learning academic subjects. So the author has some exceptionally useful tips for educators on how to develop these skills with their students. And although there is some focus on the younger members going into education, the book is inspiring enough for educators to find something that they can adapt even for adult learners or to share with parents who can implement some of the ideas at home.

The other thing I appreciated about the content of this book is that the activities firmly place learning into the student's responsibility. The activities encourage research, sharing, contribution, compassion, willingness to risk and find solutions. Very helpful tips which can be adapted to suit your own situation. Gone are the days when students just had to absorb facts and figures and leave school and not remember anything after their exams " learning to manage a positive classroom is far more about developing the skills of life long learning so that each student no matter what level of academic achievement, has the ability to know they can do and become who they desire to be. Thus the tips in this book are positive in that they give the teacher the skills to empower their students for life long learning " and even challenge the teacher to become inventive and creative to suit their own situations. An excellent introduction to being focused on a variety of solutions and esteem building from an early age.