In The Zone: Helping Children Rise to the Challenge of Learning

In the Zone aims to put children’s learning firmly at the forefront of everything a teacher does in their professional life. Written in the conviction that education is far more than a means to improved SATs and GCSE results, Mike Lansdown focuses relentlessly on learning, thinking, and the importance of challenge in ensuring children achieve what they can- both in class and beyond the school gate. Including chapters on Creativity, The Terror of Error, and Flow in Learning this book gets beneath the skin of what it is to learn effectively, and to use the words of a contributor, celebrates “the slips, stumbles and blunders along with the moments of grace and unpredictable brilliance of children.”

Mike draws on a wide range of research and expert opinion from around the world and explains, in simple terms, how we can use this collective wisdom to improve the learning experience for children and, as a direct result, enjoy our teaching more.

This book is a must have for any trainee, NQT, or more experienced teacher who feels they need to be reminded of why they came into teaching in the first place!

Mike Lansdown has a BSc and PGCE from the University of Wales and an MA in Education from the Open University. He has over forty years' experience as a teacher, both in the UK and abroad. He has taught learners from three years old to those drawing their pensions, and has been a secondary Geography teacher, a teacher of English as a second (and foreign) language, an advisory teacher for assessment and a the head-teacher of two Hertfordshire primary schools. Since retiring, he has worked for Achievement for All as an achievement coach and is now a PGCE tutor at the University of Buckingham. This is his first academic publication, but he has also written an historical novel, Adam's Lock, available from the endlessbookcase.com