"An inspirational guide to creating lessons that are thought-provoking and meaningful, whilst at the same time theoretically sound." (Professor Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, Stanford University)
"An accessible and well-informed guide to teaching in a way that actively stretches young minds rather than merely tries to fill them up." (Professor Guy Claxton, author of Building Learning Power)
'Challenging Learning is the most complete work on enquiry based learning I have come across and I consider James to be the best in his field. It also contains loads of brilliant ideas that I will be sharing with my team to help us deliver an even better school experience for our students.' (Barry Dunn, Duchess High School, Alnwick)
"Challenging Learning by James Nottingham has been very eagerly anticipated within the educational market. It does not disappoint. Practical, step by step chapters outline everything you need to challenge your students. The balance between practise and theory is just right. The lesson plans are clear and concise. The theory is up to date and to the point. I cannot emphasise enough how useful this book will be to anybody working in education. It inspires in an accessible and motivating way. This book simply works." (Adam Bushnell, Author and Storyteller, www.story-tales.co.uk)
"Challenging Learning is readable, entertaining and, of course, challenging! As a school resource it will support you to develop teaching and learning and provides a wealth of ideas and resources to develop pupils' thinking, confidence and motivation. It is relevant and up to date in its content and theory. It's publication is timely as we introduce the new primary curriculum and the much needed focus on creativity and skills. This book is relevant at each key stage and is well presented. The chapters contain a wealth of material which James Nottingham has developed in his years in education." (Sue Turner, Head of Sandringham Primary School, Doncaster)
"Challenging Learning is a distillation of the author's many years of reflecting on and acting in the field of education. As James' first book, it's been a long while in gestation but is worth the wait, capturing with great verve and accessibility many of the most profound (and profoundly practical) findings available to teachers in the 21st century. Occasionally provocative, and always lucidly engaging, it deserves to reach the widest possible audience." (Dr Barry Hymer, Consultant, www.barryhymer.co.uk)
"This is a thoroughly accessible, very interesting, and practical resource that will inspire great teaching & learning. Unlike a lot of these kind of books, this really does get down to the roots of what learning is and how teachers can help pupils liberate their abilities and enthusiasm. I think this would be an indispensable aid if your aim is to raise lesson quality towards outstanding levels, you're a senior manager or Headteacher looking for powerful & reliable ways forward in the soup of government initiatives, or you're a parent interested in doing your best to support your child's education. No question - buy it! (& I don't say that easily!)" (Will Ord, Consultant, www.thinkingeducation.co.uk)
Challenging learning is an extremely accessible tool for the forward thinking teacher who really wants to give children skills for life and encourage their class to be critical, motivated and imaginative thinkers. The book is presented in a way which is very user friendly packed with ideas that the teacher can implement immediately and others which need embedding in the whole school over time. I have already used quotes for an assembly* and the children have worked with a chart which deepened out p4c discussion in class. This is the type of advice that schools have been wishing for and frees the teacher from fear of failing! James Nottingham is empowering the children and teachers to learn in a environment which requires the children to become tenacious independent learners who are ready for the future. (Helen Lehan, Teacher in Harrogate)
Challenging Learning is an excellent book. It has something for all teachers regardless of whether you merely want to be more effective at giving feedback, are an advocate of Philosophy for Children or have the confidence to create cognitive conflict through "wobblers" and "scaffolders". James has taken relevant, effective practice and theory from across the educational world, and identified connections which have resulted in a powerful and highly productive approach to teaching and learning. The FACTS chapters make an interesting and convincing argument for what constitutes successful learning and the Learning Challenge model illustrates how these principles can be applied simply. James' lesson plans are clear and concise - even I felt I could have a go! Challenging Learning is well worth a read. (Tim Cassap, Consultant, Durham LA)
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book – it is superbly structured, well organised and easy on the eye. I like the way that you can dip in at many different points and get a clear and concise summary of a range of issues. I can see it as a very useful addition to any teacher’s armoury in the classroom and easily accessible." (Simon Green, Director of Development Services, Leeds Trinity University College)
"This book discloses the secrets of truly inspiring and effective teaching. It explains, in a clear and accessible way, the practical insights gained by generations of educational theorists. These are not just astractions; they can be used in your classroom tomorrow and will improve your teaching. As a teacher myself I am always on the look out for ideas and resources. This book, unlike many others I have read, actually gave me material I could use. The lesson plan section was particularly useful in this respect; giving concrete examples of how dialogues with pupils can develop.
The notions of "growth mindset", "scaffolding" "the pit", "the wobbler", "cognitive conflict" and many others gives you a deeper understanding of how pupils think and learn. This allows you to craft interesting and efficient lessons that truly reach your students - unlocking their potential. The book's presentation is original and effective. The anecdotes, humour and renditions of real life teaching experience faciltate your understanding of even complex educational practices like social
constructivism.
James Nottingham, like Phil Beadle, is not just a theorist. He has actually proved himself as an inspirational teacher in the classroom. This means he deserves to be listened to. I am extremely impressed with this book. (Dr Mark Burgess, Edinburgh)
