Product reviews for Of Teaching, Learning and Sherbet Lemons

Dr Robert Massey, Director of Scholars, Bristol Grammar School

-˜Ninja' Jackson is a well-known and much-loved educator, learner, teacher, and sharer of ideas. Inspiration pours forth from her like a fountain, a chocolate fountain perhaps, and catching the drops and putting them down on paper for us all to share is her aim in this book. The process is a dialogue, not a lecture: she wants to hear from us, to improve, to tweak, to learn and learn again. Her book is divided into a series of real-life questions, answered with helpful hints, think-points and resources to share. The sherbet lemon analogy refers to the gains to be had from working your way through to the soft centre of an idea or a practice. It's hard, but utterly worthwhile. Nina discusses tough learning support issues such as ADD/ADHD, inclusion, dyslexia. Lest this seem a little dry, Nina turns each question into a mouth-watering midget gem by asking apposite questions and suggesting leads and approaches. Difficult colleague? Ways forward are suggested. Issues with a colleague's boring lessons? Try this.

Nina's whole approach is collaborative, civilised and compassionate. Not for her the certainties of -˜one size fits all'. She has suggestions not solutions, openings not dead-ends. This book is a celebration of the diversity of twenty-first century education written by woman who is not wedded to the certainty that someone else is wrong and that she is right. As a reader you can pick and mix from Nina's sweet jar and relish the variety of flavours and styles. Nor are they all old-fashioned humbugs-in-a-jar. Nina is up on her apps and down with the digital leaders. What holds it all together is a guiding philosophy of education which has been built on and practised for several generations, as the frequent references to her family members testify. Crucially, these offerings are to be savoured and relished. Nina's Sherbet Lemons are classics: instantly recognisable, totally distinctive and utterly memorable.

From: Guest | Date: 02/06/2015 01:00

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