Customer Reviews
Use with caution - By: R. H. Trangmar, 21 Sep 2007 
It is a good book, but you need to watch the sections on learning styles. Read the LSDA reports before you base your ideas around any of the contentious stuff.
Excellent! - By: granadam, 03 May 2006 I bought this book as a trainee teacher & now as an NQT, I still use it for lesson ideas especially when trying to use kinaesthetic, visual & auditory activities. It has a host of activities which are then related back to individual subjects & so, doesn't focus as some other books do on the core subjects of English, Maths & Science. I teach French, & the book provided a lot of new ideas for my lessons that I'd never tried before. I don't know what I ever did before this book came along! Buy it!
An outstanding resource for all teachers - By: Twazzer, 27 Apr 2006 
This is perhaps the best single volume teaching resource I have come across & I only wish it was available when I was an NQT. The book is clearly structured tackling diverse areas, such as educational theory, teaching activities & behavioural management ideas.
Perhaps the jewel the crownin this book are the fifty teaching activities which can be usedin many different contexts. Not only are they activities presentedin a clear & accessible format, it also allows for suggestions on how they can be appliedin the classroom as well as alternative ways the activities can be structured.
I found the educational theory well-presented & gave food for thought as well as directions for additional reading. There were some useful behavioural management suggestions which would particularly be useful for NQT's.
A first-class resource which I would highly recommend. The only down sidein buying this resource would be if you used it at school, many of your colleagues would want to borrow it & you may not see it again for weeks!!!
Some simple ideas wrapped up in spurious theory - By: D. Pavett, 13 Jun 2005 
The first 60 pages of this book claim to give a theoretical underpinning to the later material. Anyone instestedin substantiated theoretical developments should be worried by the references to such things as "neuro-lingistic programming". A great deal is said about the brain but none of the pratical conclusions depend on this materialin any way. It is claimed that "In the past" i.e. before Paul Ginnis "teaching tended to be a hit & miss affair". So much for all the good practice of the past & the insights of the great educators! The mind/brain problem we are told,in all seriousness, has now been solved by biology. This is nonsense on stilts. The later sections of the book give ideas for lessons & class control some of which are of value at the level of hints & tips. If only the author had presented them as such instead of wrapping them upin all that ridiculous "theory".
Absolutelly essential book for any shelf - By: Mr. A. Hoang, 01 May 2004 As a trainee teacher I have found this completely vital for informing planning of so many lessons. It contains a wealth of ideas for every teaching & learning style with detailed explanations & justification for each teaching technique. Written & illustrated with passion & vigour, Ginnis conveys an infectious passion for teaching on every page whichin itself is inspirational. By explaining the reasoning behind each teaching technique this book becomes a mine of useful tools & not just another book of random activities with no direction. Absolutely brilliant read.
