Sue Palmer, literacy specialist and author of `Toxic Childhood`
We all know children need to get out more. They need more exercise, more real-life experiences, more opportunities to connect with the natural world. Their physical and mental health depend upon it, and so does their cognitive development (did your know that, in terms of common sense understanding of basic concepts, today's 11 year olds operate at the level of 8 or 9 year olds twenty years ago?). `Dirty Teaching`is a timely and powerful pedagogical text - inspiring, exciting, enlightening. It's also highly accessible and full of down-to-earth advice about taking teaching out into the real world. Every primary teacher should read it!