‘St. Cupid’s: The Rise and Fall of an Inner-City School’ by Kevin Oldham

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You can buy St. Cupid’s on Amazon here.

When young teacher Paul Flynn arrives at St. Cupid’s, a secondary school situated in the heart of London’s east end, he encounters a daunting and alien world: poverty-stricken children, incompetent managers and teachers who are wilder than their students. After some hilarious mishaps, he soon settles in, finding that he has mastered the art of getting the kids to behave, an achievement most of his colleagues find impossible. He’s become a successful survivor in a world of surreal lunacy, with teaching a secondary consideration to enjoying life. However, in the 1990s, disaster strikes: Miss MacDougall is retired and is replaced by a maniac from the north, Mr Crutwell. This man sucks all the life out of the school with his insane desire to boost the results in any way possible. Will Paul survive? Will Crutwell ever get the come-uppance he richly deserves? Read this fantastic novel and find out!

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‘Learning Matters’ by Roger Titcombe

New cover jan 2015

You can buy Learning Matters on Amazon here.

What leading academics are saying about the book:

“This is a crucial time for English education. Teachers are burdened with an unsettling and ultimately destructive culture of command and control that has persisted for more than two decades. Roger Titcombe provides a critical and penetrating overview of these matters, while offering robust and well researched proposals on how the fundamental issues can be addressed. This book gets to the heart of the problem and deserves to be widely read, not just by educationalists, but also by parents and all those who are concerned by the current state and direction of the English education system.” Maurice Holt, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Colorado, Denver.

“There are many parts of this book that I embrace whole heartedly and other parts I disagree with, but all of it I find stimulating. It offers a fresh, challenging, well researched and well argued approach to the question of what makes for a successful education. Parents, teachers, educationalists and – most of all, politicians – should all read it.” Peter Saunders, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Sussex (also Professorial Fellow at Civitas).

“The GCE O-grade was achieved by less than 20% of the whole population. Yet now more than 50% of the population gets C-Grade GCSE. Are standards really rising or is this an illusion? If teaching-to-the-test undermines understanding, then what kinds of learning promote cognitive development and hence better understanding? Titcombe addresses this question and also analyses the success of Mossbourne Academy to argue how the whole school system should be reformed, rejecting both the right and the left wing establishment in the process. This is some achievement.” Michael Shayer, Emeritus Professor of Applied Psychology, King’s College, London.

This book argues that there is an urgent need for a fundamental change in the direction, governance and public accountability of the English education system. This is a view that is widely shared by education professionals, teachers and increasingly parents, but it has not been at all reflected in the mainstream media.

There are a number of things that make Roger Titcombe’s polemical guide so unique. It is written by a teacher but it is not exclusively for teachers, although many will find it essential reading. It combines gritty, no-nonsense analysis with powerful personal stories that show beyond doubt that a toxic cocktail of factors have poisoned our school system.

Roger Titcombe says: “If it contributes in even the smallest way by clarifying what is really meant by ‘good education’ and in bringing about the necessary changes, I will be very happy.”

The Turn of the Screw: The Study Guide Edition

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“A great teacher,” Jeremy Paxman, BBC’s Newsnight.

“Clearly Francis Gilbert is a gifted and charismatic teacher,” Philip Pullman, author of ‘Northern Lights’.

“Gilbert writes so well that you half-suspect he could give up the day job,” The Independent.

Are you a student struggling to understand Henry James’s classic novella?

Or are you an educator wanting ready-made exercises and guidance to help you teach this difficult text? Do your students need support to understand the language properly and work independently on the book?

This edition of James’s haunting narrative contains a comprehensive study guide as well as activities that stimulate and engage. Aimed specifically at pupils reading the book as an exam text, there are detailed instructions about how to understand the challenging language, to appreciate the novel’s contexts and to write effective essays. The complete text is punctuated by analysis and questions on every chapter with answers provided at the back. Essential reading for all students and teachers!

You can buy the paperback here.

 

Wuthering Heights — A Study Guide

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You can buy the book here on Amazon.

Do you know the answers to these questions?

What fantasy world did Emily and her sisters invent which influenced the writing of the novel?

What does the novel have in common with modern-day soap operas?

How and why does Bronte make Heathcliff so unpleasant and yet so attractive?

How and why was Bronte influenced by Elizabethan dramas called Revenger’s Tragedies?

In what ways is the novel about social status?

If these questions have got you think, then maybe you should buy this study guide.

This is a detailed guide for anybody either studying or teaching Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights. It is tailored to help students write an excellent piece of coursework on the book, or assist them with studying for an exam. It could also be very useful for a teacher teaching the text in the classroom: it includes a long section which consists of important passages in the book, together with useful literary analysis of these quotations, followed by comprehension questions and discussion points. The guide is possibly more useful than many on the market because it is a) modern in its approach b) encourages a personal response to the text — vital if a candidate is going to get a higher mark in an exam. The guide includes a detailed discussion of the context Bronte’s fiction arose from, and an exploration how we interpret the novel now. It is lively and engaging in its approach and includes a useful summary of the book. It is written by an experienced teacher who understands what needs to be covered in a study guide. It should prove to be an excellent resource for GCSE and A Level students.

To sum up, this study guide is useful in the following ways:

It is a great resource for students aiming for top grades;

It offers a fantastic stimulus for encouraging students to develop personal responses to the text, which are vital if they are going to achieve at a high level;

It could prove to be a great classroom resource for teachers too; the important sections of the novel are quoted in full here, together with useful discussion points/comprehension questions;

It is written by an experienced teacher who has taught the text in “real” classroom situations and knows what students need to learn. You get the book here on Amazon.

Brontë’s Wuthering Heights: The Study Guide Edition

 


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“A great teacher,” Jeremy Paxman, BBC’s Newsnight.

“Clearly Francis Gilbert is a gifted and charismatic teacher,” Philip Pullman, author of ‘Northern Lights’.

“Gilbert writes so well that you half-suspect he could give up the day job,” The Independent.

Are you a student struggling to understand Emily Brontë’s classic novel ‘Wuthering Heights’?

Or are you an educator wanting ready-made exercises and guidance to help you teach this difficult text? Do your students need support to understand the language properly and work independently on the book? This edition of Emily Brontë ‘s classic novel contains a comprehensive study guide as well as activities that stimulate and engage. Aimed specifically at pupils reading the book as an exam text, there are detailed instructions about how to understand the challenging language, to appreciate the novel’s contexts and to write effective essays. The complete text is punctuated by analysis and questions on every chapter with answers provided at the back. Essential reading for all students and teachers!

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Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: The Study Guide Edition

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“A great teacher,” Jeremy Paxman, BBC’s Newsnight.

“Clearly Francis Gilbert is a gifted and charismatic teacher,” Philip Pullman, author of Northern Lights.

“Gilbert writes so well that you half-suspect he could give up the day job,” The Independent.

Are you a student struggling to understand Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice? Or are you an English teacher wanting ready-made exercises and guidance to help you teach this difficult text? Do your students need support to understand the language properly and work independently on the book? This edition of Austen’s classic novel contains a comprehensive study guide as well as extensive questions that stimulate and engage. Aimed specifically at students and teachers reading the book as an exam text, there is a detailed introduction which outlines the historical context of the novel, the ways in which it was influenced by the other genres/writers and how it is structured. The complete text is punctuated by useful comments and questions on every chapter.  There is also a section on how to write successful essays. When you buy the paperback, you will be able to access the e-book for free and use many of the web links which are embedded in it.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Study Guide Edition

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“A great teacher,” Jeremy Paxman, BBC’s Newsnight.

“Clearly Francis Gilbert is a gifted and charismatic teacher,” Philip Pullman, author of Northern Lights.

“Gilbert writes so well that you half-suspect he could give up the day job,” The Independent.

Are you a student struggling to understand Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein?

Or are you an educator wanting ready-made exercises and guidance to help you teach this difficult text? Do your students need support to understand the language properly and work independently on the book?

This edition of Shelley’s classic horror novel contains a comprehensive study guide to the work as well as extensive questions for students to work on in order to help their understanding. Aimed specifically at students and teachers reading the book as an exam text, there is a detailed introduction which outlines how to understand the difficult language, how to write top grade essays, and how to discuss the contexts of the novel. The complete text is punctuated by useful comments and engaging tasks on every chapter. When you buy the paperback, you will be able to access the e-book for free and use many of the web links which are embedded throughout the text.

“What’s really great about this edition is that my students can work through it and there are interesting and useful questions waiting for them at the end of every chapter,” a secondary English teacher.

“This was a good book to work through on my own. Buying the paperback meant I got the e-book free and I was able to use all the nifty links embedded in the text as well,” an A Level student.

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: The Study Guide Edition

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“A great teacher,” Jeremy Paxman, BBC’s Newsnight. “Clearly Francis Gilbert is a gifted and charismatic teacher,” Philip Pullman, author of Northern Lights.

“Gilbert writes so well that you half-suspect he could give up the day job,” The Independent.

Are you a student struggling to understand Brontë’s classic novel Jane Eyre?

Or are you an educator wanting ready-made exercises and guidance to help you teach this difficult text? Do your students need support to understand the language properly and work independently on the book? This edition of Brontë ‘s classic novel contains a comprehensive study guide as well as activities that stimulate and engage. Aimed specifically at students and teachers reading the book as an exam text, there are detailed instructions about how to understand the challenging language, to appreciate the novel’s context and to write effective essays. The complete text is punctuated by analysis and questions on every chapter.

The e-book contains the best weblinks on the novel.

“What’s really great about this edition is that my students can work through it and there are interesting and useful questions waiting for them at the end of every chapter,”  a secondary English teacher.

“This was a good book to work through on my own. Buying the paperback meant I got the e-book free and I was able to use all the nifty links embedded in the text as well,” an A Level student.

Roger Titcombe biography

New cover jan 2015

Roger Titcombe was an enthusiastic science teacher for thirty-two years, including eleven years in Leicestershire where he became Vice-Principal and Acting Principal of a Leicestershire 14-18 school.  He completed an M. Ed (distinction) at Leicester University in 1982 and has maintained a career long interest in the relationship between curriculum and learning. In 1989 he was appointed Headteacher of an inner urban 11-16 school in a northern industrial town from which post he retired in 2003. He has since been an independent educational researcher. He is married with six grandchildren and lives in South Cumbria.