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Journal of In-Service EducationPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjie19

BOOK REVIEWSDavid Cobb a , Peter Stammers b , Gaby Weiner c , AlexAlexandrou d , Phil Bassett e & Cristy Jefson fa Greenwich Universityb Educational Consultant , UKc University of Edinburghd IPDA Chaire Dean of Learning & Teaching , Head of School: Education &Communityf University of Wisconsin‐Whitewater , USAPublished online: 02 May 2007.

To cite this article: David Cobb , Peter Stammers , Gaby Weiner , Alex Alexandrou , Phil Bassett& Cristy Jefson (2007) BOOK REVIEWS, Journal of In-Service Education, 33:2, 249-259, DOI:10.1080/13674580701293218

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Journal of In-service EducationVol. 33, No. 2, June 2007, pp. 249–259

ISSN 1367–4587 (print)/ISSN 1747–5082 (online)/07/020249–11DOI: 10.1080/13674580701293218

BOOK REVIEWS

Taylor and FrancisRJIE_A_229225.sgm10.1080/13674580701293218Journal of In-service Education1367-4587 (print)/1747-5082 (online)Original Article2007Taylor & Francis332000000June 2007PeterStammersthe.stammers@btinternet.comTroubleshooting challenging behaviourFintan J. O’Regan (1st edn), 2006London, Continuum£12.99, 171 pp. (pbk)ISBN 0-826-49024-7

Fintan J. O’Regan was head of the only specialist school in the United Kingdom forteaching and managing pupils with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. This first-hand experience, together with a total of 18 years in mainstream and special schools,ensures he is uniquely qualified to develop this analysis, and the book is written fromthis practical and pragmatic perspective

Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) is a term that describespupils whose difficulties present a barrier to learning and persist despite an effectiveschool behaviour policy and curriculum. This is by far the biggest issue facing teach-ers today, and this book will challenge current thinking on behaviour management.BESD pupils are broken down into three categories—those who ‘can’t learn’ (atten-tion-deficit hyperactivity disorder), those who ‘won’t learn’ (oppositional defiantdisorder) and those who simply ‘don’t care if they learn or not’ (conduct disorder).

Beginning with an attempt to define what challenging behaviour actually is,O’Regan provides an overview of the major risk factors that some pupils face as wellas how their situations are influenced and perhaps exacerbated by family and thewider community. The nature versus nurture debate is mentioned, as are factorsaffecting boys and girls and also the media’s perception of child and adolescentissues. There then follows a consideration of the categories of BESD as initiallydefined. The ‘can’t learn’ issue, he argues, needs a multi-dimensional approach,including school intervention, behaviour modification and occasionally medicaloptions. Those who ‘won’t learn’, O’Regan states are prone to ‘get in your face’—andhe argues that a ‘won’t back down’ approach works best in teaching and managingthese pupils. The final category, those who ‘don’t care if they learn or not’, presentsa greater range of challenging behaviour and can be some of the most difficult tomanage.

O’Regan highlights a speech made by the then Secretary of State for Education,Ruth Kelly at a headteachers’ conference in Blackpool in February 2005, in which shesuggested ‘off-site support systems to remove disruptive pupils from classrooms’.While agreeing teachers need support, O’Regan argues that such policy would fly inthe face of inclusion. He then presents us with his approach to behaviour management,one that he defines as the SF3R:

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● Structure—the frameworks, systems and rules that all pupils badly need.● Flexibility—maintaining systems with a degree of give and take.● 3Rs—‘those which will sell, support and sustain your systems’; namely, respect,

relationships and positive role-models.

He argues that the origins of this approach come largely from observing the goodpractice of colleagues who have been successful in working with children with chal-lenging behaviour, and sums up the strategy with a quote attributed to Amos:‘Managing SEBD is about having “Rubber Boundaries”’ or, as O’Regan expands,‘structures, routines and systems for all which bend to meet and absorb individualneeds but never break’.

Having established a definitive behaviour management model, O’Regan thenproceeds to discuss the strategies and actions needed to implement such anapproach—or ‘troubleshooting in action’. He discusses the use of behaviour actioncontracts drawn up between the school and the parent or parents. He looks at two keyfeatures of challenging behaviour, bullying and anger management, and offers someuseful advice in dealing with the bullies and the bullied and suggests techniques andapproaches that are appropriate in dealing with anger management.

He proceeds to broaden our perspective by discussing a range of complementaryand contributory issues. The contentious issue of the police in schools drawsheavily on the work of two serving officers who understand youth matters extremelywell and assist in offering—as does the whole text—practical and workable solu-tions. A range of alternative treatments, an area growing in popularity, provides fora further useful chapter, and these include discussions of therapies such as speechand language, music and exercise. Information and communications technology,it is argued, is a growing area in which children with emotional and behaviouraldifficulties can find a non-threatening environment in which to achieve success.Nutrition and supplements are also usefully explored and the impact of diet is high-lighted. Counselling and coaching, it is argued, can help pupils with behaviouralissues and have a role to play in working with schools in the context of behaviourmanagement.

O’Regan concludes with a number of case studies in which a range of studentprofiles is presented together with a consideration of both short-term and long-termoptions for managing their behaviour.

There is obviously no single solution to managing challenging behaviour but somepossible answers have been highlighted in this book. Whatever their origins, structure,and flexibility, supported by respect, relationships and role-models are, as O’Reganstates ‘key terms in teaching and management’.

David Cobb, Greenwich University

©2007, David Cobb

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Book reviews 251

Inspirations: a collection of commentaries to promote school improvementT. Brighouse & D. Woods, 2006London, Continuum£9.99, 192pp.ISBN 1-855-39222-4

I have read books on education, on teaching, on learning for well over 40 years now,and I have to say some of them were pretty good—some of them were profound andmade me think. Some of them were rubbish, and some of them were so appalling theymade me scream in frustration. And some of them were so insightful, so moving, theybrought tears to my eyes. But there are very, very few that I could not put down andhad to take to bed as bedtime reading. Brighouse and Woods’ book Inspirations: acollection of commentaries to promote school improvement was one of those books; theeducational equivalent of a conceptual hot water bottle, Brighouse and Woodsrevived in me all the hopes, aspirations and dreams I had in my youth when settingout on my professional education journey.

With so many chilly, functional, dispassionate educational models bandied andpromoted by many who should know better, it comes not just as a surprise, but as anutter delight, to discover that two very well respected, very credibly experienced,educators can seriously write a book that sincerely addresses, for example, the role offailure in learning.

‘Failure’? Well, if you think about it, yes; we learn more from our mistakes thanwe do from our successes, and this is embraced by Brighouse and Woods in theirchapter on ‘General Education’. They include quotes from, inter alia, Bill Gates—‘It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure’(p. 17)—and from Thomas Edison: ‘You must learn to fail intelligently. Failing isone of the greatest arts in the world. One fails forward towards success’ (p. 32).You have got to admit, Gates and Edison have very significant cred and if they see‘failure’ in a positive light, then maybe in the educational world we should takenotice.

Not that Brighouse and Woods focus on ‘failure’; but they do include references,quotes and concepts that may not be fashionable in ‘official’ documents and publica-tions. Furthermore, as they point out in the introduction, they utilise the concept of‘butterflies’—yes the concept—from the ‘butterfly effect’ embedded in chaos theory.Now, many scientists (and not just meteorologists) consider ‘the butterfly effect’ andchaos theory to be one of the most profound scientific speculations of the age—somaybe with Brighouse and Woods’ book we are seeing the dawn of a new age of think-ing in education, leadership, teaching and learning and school improvement—alltopics covered in chapters in Inspirations.

But make no mistake, this is a truly serious book with very specific and practicalreferences and examples, scrupulously spelled out—like the school deciding topromote learning by ‘action research’ (p. 176), the school improving the school envi-ronment (‘Making Walls Talk’, p.172) or the school that was ‘unlocking staff energy’(whoever locked it up in the first place? I think we should be told!). Then there is the

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example of the school ‘developing the student voice’, the schools that are raising stan-dards, addressing personalised learning and a host more.

Indeed, topics and government initiatives such as ‘Personalised Learning’ and‘Every Child Matters’, are addressed head on by Brighouse and Woods, making, in ameaningful and serious manner, their book very relevant and up to date. Make nomistake (a popular government phrase!), this ‘little book’ makes a very serious, veryconstructive and a very valuable contribution to the debate on education and schools.For the fact of the matter is (another government popular phrase!), Brighouse andWoods have managed to show that it is possible to publish an analysis of serious issuesin an attractive, very accessible and composed manner that supports the reader inconsidering the significant issues discussed.

That they should start their book with one of my favourite quotes was a majorbonus for me. ‘It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin barefoot irrev-erence to their studies. They are not here to worship what is known, but to questionit’—from Bronowski’s (1973, p. 360) Ascent of man. The significance of that quotedeserves a little explanation; it relates to the puzzling by great minds, in the 1920s, onthe nature of atoms, and in particular of electrons. Are they a swarm of particles orare they oceans of waves? Simple for the ‘ragamuffin’ students, for they were particleson Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and they were waves on Tuesdays, Thursdaysand Saturdays. Why? Because of the university timetable scheduled the ‘particle’-believing teachers and the ‘wave’-teaching protagonists on those different days! Thepower of the timetable!

And, of course, it was the ‘ragamuffin’ students who subsequently made the break-through in atomic physics, just as these days the breakthrough in solving the problemsof global warming, world health and in all the other major problems facing us will bemade, not by today’s politicians or scientists, but eventually by the students in theschools of which Brighouse and Woods speak. Supporting pupils and students indeveloping that world perspective and creativity for ‘thinking outside the box’ is thereal task facing educators today, and Brighouse and Woods’ book provides a signifi-cant inspiration and guide in that task.

Peter Stammers, Educational Consultant, UK

© 2007, Peter Stammers

Reference

Bronowski, J. (1973) The ascent of man (London, BBC Publications).

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Equal measures: ethnic minority and bilingual pupils in secondary schoolsPenny Travers & Gillian Klein (Eds), 2004Stoke on Trent, Trentham Books£16.99, x + 125 pp.ISBN: 978-1-858-56303-8

Years of immersion in the literature of multiculturalism and antiracism in education,relating to the United Kingdom, Sweden and elsewhere has led me to view the fieldas largely pessimistic, if also analytical, theoretical and exhibiting passion and commit-ment to change. The pessimism lies in the understanding of racism (and other formsof discrimination) as ‘everyday’ and mundane, and therefore difficult to eradicatebecause of their perceived normality and invisibility. The need to understand racismin all its manifestations and with all its dangers has thus been prioritised over the devel-opment of strategies aimed at challenging and changing the situation. Solutions areseen largely in the embedding of progressive, liberal forms of democracy that have attheir core the protection and maintenance of human rights.

However, challenging racism practically and in everyday settings such as class-rooms is enormously important, as are attempts at engagement, dialogue and argu-mentation with pupils and practitioners. I was persuaded of the importance of thispractical strategising when involved in a project aimed at creating antiracist websitesfor young people (see Gaine & Weiner, 2005), and this is why I jumped at the chanceto review Equal measures.

This volume aims to create a vivid picture of the strategies that have been mostsuccessful with secondary pupils in one particularly innovative and committed localeducation authority: the London borough of Enfield. Written by members andcolleagues of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Advisory team, the book offers strat-egies for ensuring that the needs of so-called underachieving groups are addressed,government achievement targets are met, pupils’ cultural and linguistic heritages arerespected, and racism and stereotyping are confronted. As one of the editors, PennyTravers, points out, the perspective offered is broad—which can be a strength but alsohas inherent weaknesses, as we shall see. The accounts draw on practical experienceand perception (mainly of what is seen to work), and are enthusiastic and celebratory.They focus on, for example, teaching mathematics and English language to bilingualpupils (Penny Travers and Lesley Higgs, and Vasant Mahandru), the needs of vulner-able groups such as Roma (Graham Went), working with high-achieving pupils fromAfrican Caribbean backgrounds (Alison Heap) and with other so-called giftedstudents from minority and bilingual backgrounds (John Broadbent). The writing isaccessible, chatty and informal, and illustrations and bullet points abound: all char-acteristics likely to attract, the hope is, like-minded practitioners to try out the strat-egies for themselves.

The book is thus to be welcomed as a positive rejoinder to the pessimism describedat the beginning of this review and as evidence that strategies are being developed thatgo beyond mere government rhetoric or scrutiny of achievement patterns. It is alsoindication that practitioners have important insights to offer to like-minded and

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similarly-positioned colleagues. However, and it is a big however, the book is alsosubstantially lacking: for example, in building proposed practices and strategies onthe analytical and critical perspectives of racism and ethnic diversity described above,which in turn suggests a lack of rigour and reflexivity affecting both the strategiesoffered and how they were evaluated. The book is hopelessly inaccessible to overseasreaders, in its assumption of familiarity with current English (and Welsh) curricularterminology (namely, key stage, Ofsted). Structurally the book is confusing too, withthree introductory chapters (Foreword, Preface and Prologue) and an Afterward(written by the second of the editors, Gillian Klein), the latter of which I read asalmost an apology for the omissions of the book: as she writes ‘But for the momentwe have a fine, functional, if not perfect wheel’ (p. 119). Enough said!

Gaby Weiner, University of Edinburgh

© 2007, Gaby Weiner

References

Gaine, C. & Weiner, G. (Eds) (2005) Kids in cyberspace: teaching anti-racism using the internet inBritain, Spain and Sweden (Oxford, Symposium Books).

Developing effective teacher performanceJeff Jones, Mazda Jenkin & Sue Lord, 2006London, Paul Chapman Publishing£20.99, 165 pp.ISBN-13: 978-1-412-91929-6ISBN-10: 1-412-91929-0

This book has been produced by practitioners for practitioners and is aimed at deal-ing with under-performing teachers. It is not only a guide for teachers, but has alsobeen designed to help school leaders and senior staff at both primary and secondarylevel to develop strategies to highlight and rectify under-performance.

From the first chapter, this guide challenges both schools and under-performingteachers, as it not only outlines the consequences of under-performance but alsoposes a number of key questions in relation to this issue. Thus it has the effect of stim-ulating the reader’s interest and actively engages them in seeking answers to this prob-lem. The guide then goes on to outline strategies to deal with improving teachers’practice, consistently taking into account the needs of the individual, which in turnwill then help the pupils and the school.

The authors highlight the importance of self-reflection and set out methods as tohow to ensure this is adopted not only by individual teachers but also to encourageline-managers to pursue this option with colleagues who need to improve their practice.Of particular interest to school leaders and line mangers will be the section dedicated

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to coaching, which clearly outlines the benefits of using this strategy and the skills neces-sary to do it effectively. The summary of the coaching process is clearly laid out, easyto follow and will be of benefit to those who have been or will be appointed as coaches.

As stated above this book benefits from having been put together by practitioners,and this is highlighted throughout the guide by the authors having constructed andinserted a series of points of reflection for both teachers and their managerialcolleagues. These have the effect of not only re-emphasising points made by the authorsin relation to performance and practice, but act as significant signposts in relation toimproving performance and practice. The points of reflection are backed up by ques-tions that will make both teachers and managers think, reflect and, in all probability,adjust their approach. However, the authors do not rest on their laurels as, in additionto these points of reflection and questions, they have devised a number of scenariosand case studies that will further stimulate reflection and questioning of practice.

In my opinion what sets this guide apart from others is that the authors haveensured that it does not deal with what could be regarded as the negative aspects ofimproving performance. They have achieved this by putting together a number ofchapters that move beyond this. Firstly, they promote a whole-school approach tocontinuing professional development, particularly in meeting the developmentalneeds not only of newly qualified teachers but also teachers who have been promotedto managerial positions. The authors quite rightly point out that it is unacceptable forsenior school leaders to think that those promoted to managerial positions should justget on and do the job. This is an issue that I have personally come across time andagain in my evaluations of organisational performance, and one that deservedlyshould be highlighted and dealt with.

Secondly, the authors deal directly with recruitment and selection, and this addsfurther depth and strength to this guide as the clear link is made with teacher perfor-mance. Significantly, the chapter dealing with these issues has been specifically writ-ten for middle-ranking school leaders who will be engaged in this process for the firsttime. The aim of this chapter is to lay out a number of processes and strategies thatwill guide those involved in choosing the right person that will not only be effectivebut help improve a school’s overall performance. This section highlights the need toask whether an appointment is necessary and when it should be made in relation tothe school year. It also deals with the issues of advertising; defining the post, the typeof information to be given to applicants, job descriptions, short-listing applicants andthe interview process.

The manner in which these subjects are dealt with is clear and concise, and theaccompanying guidelines, points of reflection and questions can be adopted astemplates by schools. The authors also highlight the importance of schools makingevery effort to impress interviewees, thus emphasising the crucial factor that the inter-view process is a two-way procedure. Equally, the authors place a significant empha-sis on observing them delivering a lesson and set out a procedure that should befollowed that is well laid out and will improve the interview process.

The book concludes with a chapter full of case studies for school leaders based onauthentic scenarios. Each case study is followed by points of reflection and questions,

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and brings together the key issues and themes raised in the previous chapters. Thecase studies deal with issues surrounding newly qualified teachers and mature teach-ers returning to teaching at both primary and secondary level, which adds to the prac-tical nature of this book.

The authors should be commended for producing a guide that is not full of jargon,can easily be followed and provides solid practical solutions to the problems faced byschools in relation to teacher performance, recruitment, selection and whole-schoolapproach to continuing professional development.

Alex Alexandrou, IPDA Chair

© 2007, Alex Alexandrou

Professional development, reflection and enquiryC. Forde, M. McMahon, A. McPhee & F. Patrick, 2006London, Paul Chapman PublishingNo price given, 188 pp. (pbk)ISBN 1-412-91937-1

This book sets out to consider the factors influencing ‘teacher professionalism’ andprovides an historic guide through the policy developments of the past 30 years thathave resulted in the change of emphasis placed on the notion of a profession as itapplies to the teachers of today. This approach is supplemented by reference to otherprofessions, as examples that illustrate how teachers sit within a community and howthey influence that community. Parallels are drawn with nursing and the ways inwhich this profession has struggled with similar developments to maintain itseminence. The challenge offered by this book is to encourage teachers to take owner-ship of their development, throughout their career, to provide an evidence base fortheir actions that justify their values. It prompts teachers to construct a new profes-sional identity that validates their influence on policy making.

In undertaking this work, the authors have examined policy directives from each ofthe four home countries but have emphasised the developments in Scotland andEngland. Each of the individual chapters is presented well for the research student orfor those who would prefer to ‘dip in and out’, with an introduction to the mainemphasis of the chapter and a summary section to draw the arguments profferedtogether. Each of the chapters is grouped into appropriate sections: ‘Teacher Profes-sionalism’, ‘Exercises of Professionalism’, ‘Professional Development’ and ‘Conclu-sion’. Within these sections the responsibilities of the teacher are examined in termsof their role, individual authority and as part of a wider community. Similarly, theperception of ‘profession’ is examined to consider whether the traditional view is validin a context of rapid change, where the school is an entity, where the changing natureof the teacher’s work includes the need to manage other adults, where interactionwith various agencies is deemed essential, and where the centrality of the school

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within the community is a focus for current attention; all of which aggregate to chal-lenge the conventional view of teacher professionalism. It does not deviate from thefundamental responsibilities of a teacher—to know their subject, be skilled in learningand teaching, and understand child development—but it does encourage a coherentprogression of professional development that supports teachers in their career, frominitial qualification.

In its examination of teacher professionalism, the authors reflect on the changes thathave taken place in the education systems of the United Kingdom and consider theirimpact on the underpinning elements of teacher identity and agency. Fundamentally,the book examines the loss of ‘autonomy’ by the teaching profession from the early1970s and the extent to which regulations, managerialism and public opinion have,to a greater extent, marginalised teachers from the decision-making processes thathave shaped the education systems in place today. The authors chart the rise ofGovernment involvement within education and the increase in bureaucracy, account-ability and performance management. These policy directives are related to researchstudies examining the impact of such change on teacher morale, ownership and inclu-sion, and the cumulative effect of such change is contextualised and examined as ameans of promoting a ‘new professionalism’.

In undertaking this ‘professional change’ approach, the authors have interwovenstudies that, although time-specific, provide coherence for the perceptions relating toprofessionalism within the current teaching force. In addition to the use of researchstudies, small-scale investigation and case-study material is provided to achieve a levelof detail to the arguments made and to enrich the pictures presented. Throughout thebook, every effort is made to provide a balance to the arguments, encouraging thereader to examine their own perspective and attitude to the changes addressed. Thereis no allusion to the traditional view of a profession that was characterised by auton-omy, if ever such a state existed, but rather to re-conceptualise the ways in whichteachers should exert a significant influence over future developments in education,engaging proactively rather than merely responding.

Potential readers should not engage with this book as a textbook. There is no inten-tion to provide answers in the traditional sense; it is designed to encourage discourse.As a text outlining change within the closing decades of the twentieth century, thebook is a sound reference, although there are a few misunderstandings of thecommonality of policy directives between England and Wales. Moreover, there is aconcentration on the education system of Scotland, not surprising when the book isdesigned to support candidates on the Chartered Teacher Programme. The bookaddresses issues and sets challenges that will be of interest to those willing to exploreopportunities that would enable teachers to reclaim their profession. As such, it offersa more theoretical engagement than a pragmatic description of continuing profes-sional development needs. While it recognises the current opportunities for profes-sional development in terms of milestone awards in each of the four countries andrecognises that there is a need to support teachers to remain in the classroom ratherthan seek promotion via a management route, the book does not deal with these issuesin depth. The view of the authors is that professional development is key to securing

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new identities for the teaching workforce, enabling teachers to establish a professionalownership and, as such, the book will be of interest to those designing continuingprofessional development engagement, rather than managing existing programmes.As a criticism, the back page ‘blurb’ from the publishers does little justice to the qual-ity of the contents, indicating a more practice-based text, whereas in reality this is abook that encourages engagement with ‘purpose’ rather than ‘practicality’.

Phil Bassett, Dean of Learning & Teaching, Head of School: Education &Community

© 2007, Phil Bassett.

Creative teaching: getting it rightDavid Starbuck, 2006London, Continuum International Publishing Group£9.99, US$19.95, 160 pp. (pbk)ISBN 0-826-49158-8

What does a hippopotamus have to do with a book about creativity? Well, to find out,you will have to read this book to engage your reticular activating system, and transposeyourself into a creative state of mind—or access your ‘radiant inner glow’ (p. 11). Theauthor, David Starbuck, describes the physiology of learning that includes terminologysuch as synapses, dendrites, axons, neurons and neural networks, and then skilfullyrepackages these terms into simplified terms using language such as ‘right-brain’(creative) and ‘left-brain’ (logical). He offers three theories—(1) visual auditorykinaesthetic, (2) the multiple intelligences, and (3) emotional intelligence—attemptingto link these theories to creativity. Creative teaching: getting it right describes the mentaland physical barriers to creativity, such as stress. It suggests engaging in yoga exercisesto reduce stress; a creative and calming rally cry of sorts.

So are you thinking that you are ready to gather your sketch books, sticky tape andoil pastels to get creative? Before doing so, the author wisely suggests a plan for class-room management. Without this critical element, pencils will be flying, tempers flar-ing and an overall sense of defeat, the antithesis of a creative classroom atmosphere,will likely be pervasive in the classroom. The author does a fine job of emphasisingthe role of classroom management in harnessing creative energy in students. Thewriter, however, skates through several concepts, barely eluding the slippery slope ofa few potentially dangerous academic pitfalls. First, he manages to avoid citing anyreferences while describing some pretty hairy concepts that require the voice of anexpert. Secondly, the author defines creativity by breaking the cardinal rule of defini-tions; by using the word you are trying to define within the body of the definition:‘Creative teaching is when you appeal to the creative side of pupils’ brains’ (p. 2).Third, the author mentions concepts such as ‘enjoyable’ and ‘fun’ as a rationale forencouraging creativity in the classroom. These are not sound educational objectives,

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but rather the bi-products of an engaging curriculum that allow pupils to makeconnections between information and the ‘real’ world and have ‘Ah ha’ moments!(The author describes it as the firing of the synapses between the neurons to furthercreate a web of neural network pathways within the reticular activating system.)Fourth, the author offers three theories and attempts to link them to the construct ofcreativity. An explanation about how these theories link to the physiology of the brainis needed in order to make the theories plausible in terms of linking them to thescience of creativity.

As a whole, this book lacks inspiration. Perhaps the inclusion of pragmatic exercisesmoving the reader in the direction of creative enlightenment would have been helpful;a series of ‘how to’ statements, as such. For example, while explaining the physiologyof creativity, it falls short in moving the reader to that state of mind. The authorimplies that you can will creativity to happen. So, OK, Close your eyes (OK, keepthem open so that you can continue to read on …). Spin around three times andrepeat after me. ‘I think I can.’ ‘I think I can.’ ‘I think I can.’ Now open your eyes.Have you reached your creative zenith? Probably not. My suggestion would be to putthe book down, roll up your sleeves, hike up your britches and get to thinking abouthow you can pragmatically implement creativity in your own classroom.

The title Creative teaching: getting it right implies that there is a ‘correct’ or ‘right’way of getting creative. Is that not just the opposite of what the book is suggesting?Anyway, do not forget to check out the authors company. It is mentioned repeatedly(pp. 7, 80, the logo on the cover of the book, the logo on the back of the book, as wellas the full page insert). Did I mention this bias and that it taints the entire book,making it seem as though the book is one long advertisement?

P.S.—Pluto is no longer considered a planet; therefore, let us try this mnemonicdevice instead …

Many

Very

Educated

Mentors are

Just

Schoolmarms with

Untrained

Neural networks

… Now that is creative!

Cristy Jefson, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, USA

© 2007, Cristy Jefson

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