Ian Gilbert

Hywel Roberts

Helping Children Learn Accidentally

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'This book is a stunner. Writing in an entertaining, page turning style, Ian Gilbert engages the reader with some powerful ideas about learning and teaching...he inspires us to consider the role of the teacher not as the fount of knowledge but as someone who helps children to learn:-Sara Bubb, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Education, London 'This divergent-thinking book is a must read for all who want real, sustainable and effective reform for learning for this century; it should be embedded in the syllabi of colleges of education and education graduate studies worldwide'-Dr Earle Warnica, Professor of Education at the American University of Res Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates 'In his inimitable style, laced with humour and wisdom, Ian Gilbert makes neuroscience reachable, digestible and, above all, applicable to classroom practice...he proposes a new moral purpose for education ù to play a central role in the creation of a society in which you would want your own grandchildren to live. It will become compulsory reading. I couldn't put it down'-Sir John Jones, Presenter, Writer and Educational Consultant Why Do I Need A Teacher When I've Got Google? is just one of the challenging, controversial and thought-provoking questions Ian Gilbert poses. Questioning the unquestionable, this book will make you re-consider everything you thought you knew about teaching and learning, such as: -Are you simply preparing the next generation of unemployed accountants? -What do you do for the 'sweetcorn korn' who come out of the education system in pretty much the same state as when they went in? -What's the real point of school? -Exams-so whose bright idea was that? -What will your school policy be on brain-enhancing technologies? With his customary combination of hard-hitting truths, practical classroom ideas and an irreverent sense of humor, Ian Gilbert takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through burning issues of the 21st century, considering everything from the challenge of the BRIC economies to the link between eugenics and the 11+. As wide-ranging and exhaustively-researched as it is entertaining and accessible, this book is designed to challenge, inform and encourage teachers as they strive to design a 21st century learning experience that really does bring the best out of all young people. After all, the future of the world may just depend on it.

The Essential Guide to the Big Issues for Every Twenty-first Century Teacher

Why Do I Need a Teacher when I've Got Google?

The Little Book of Bereavement for Schools is written by best-selling author Ian Gilbert together with his three children. Is a very personal account of the way educational institutions tried and succeeded, tried and failed and sometimes didn't try at all to help William, Olivia and Phoebe come to terms with the death of their mother.

The Little Book of Bereavement for Schools

We are living at a time when loud voices from inside and outside the profession are telling teachers and school leaders 'this' is the way education should be done. This is how you should lead a school. This is how you should manage a class. This is how children should learn. This is what you should do to make children behave. These m

The Second Big Book of Independent Thinking

There Is Another Way

William Gilbert

Olivia Gilbert

Phoebe Gilbert

Think for yourself before someone does it for you. The first in a new series by and for people who know how important it is to think for yourself. Written by Independent Thinking founder Ian Gilbert, this book is an invaluable collection of reflections, ideas and insights on the nature of learning, thinking, creativity and, drawing on Ian s experience in three continents, the role education has in changing not only people s lives but also entire societies. Combining articles published in the UK, Middle East and South America plus examples of his controversial online postings and Tweets with new observations and insights and at least 100 Twittered Thunks or Twunks this book is the informed ramblings of a passionate educationalist who has made a significant difference to classrooms for over 20 years and has earned the right to speak his mind.

Independent Thinking

Under the banner of Independent Thinking Ltd Ian Gilbert has gathered specialists in the workings of the brain, discipline, emotional intelligence, ICT, motivation, music in learning, creativity and dealing with the disaffected. This is the definitive guide for anyone wishing to understand and use some of the thinking that makes them ITL such a unique and successful organisation. All ages

Do things no one does or do things everyone does in a way no one does

The Big Book of Independent Thinking

This brilliant little book describes in an entertaining style the seven lessons Benny receives from his wise old father, keen to teach his son how to think and think well. Ideal for teachers, parents and older children, this book is an excellent method of introducing the concept of thinking skills and why they are so important. All ages.

Little Owl's Book of Thinking

Praise for the 1st edition: 'This is now one of my top five education books. .I was absorbed and uplifted by it and my own practice as a teacher will undoubtedly change as a result. Surely there can be no higher recommendation.' - Geoff Barton, Times Educational Supplement Essential Motivation in the Classroom is the definitive one-stop guide for teachers who want to know how to motivate children - and how children learn to motivate themselves. In the ten years since this book was first published, it has proven to be a best selling text that informs, inspires and amuses educationalist around the world. This fully updated and revised tenth anniversary edition continues to take the reader on a rollercoaster ride through the theories of teaching, learning and thinking. Ian Gilbert highlights the 'seven keys' of motivation, offering a range of strategies, ideas and insights to help learners become motivated from within. An entertaining and inspiring read, this book is full of useful, practical advice, ranging from motivational research from leading theorists to philosophical gems from Homer Simpson. Teachers in all sectors of education will find this book indispensable, helping them to change the culture of their classrooms and improve the effectiveness of their teaching.

Essential Motivation in the Classroom

Georgia Holleran

Teachers around the world have found Ian Gilbert’s classic text Essential Motivation in the Classroom an inspiring and provocative read. This ground-breaking companion to the book is a definitive one-stop guide for teachers who are looking for inspiration into how his ideas can be put into practice in every-day classrooms. A truly lively and engaging resource, it scrutinises each aspect of Gilbert’s now famous ‘seven keys’ of motivation and provides a wide range of practical ideas, activities and launch-pads for discussion which can be blended seamlessly into your own lessons. Taking as its starting point the right of every child to an inspirational education that develops their values, attitudes and skills, this book provides you with the means to unlock even your most challenging of pupils and will act as a spring board for visionary learning in the classroom and beyond, Key ideas explored include: • Goal setting strategies • Students’ own intrinsic motivation • Preparing effective challenges • Developing multiple approaches to learning • Using physical activities to anchor learning • Helping students to understand themselves better and be better prepared for the world today For teachers of pupils at all ages and stages, this book is easy to follow, easy to ‘dip in and out of’, is conversational in tone, and has the potential to be a game-changer for any teacher wishing reinvigorate their pupils, colleagues and classrooms.

Resources and activities to inspire and engage your students

A Teacher’s Companion to Essential Motivation in the Classroom

In The Working Class: Poverty, education and alternative voices, Ian Gilbert unites educators from across the UK and further afield to call on all those working in schools to adopt a more enlightened and empathetic approach to supporting children in challenging circumstances. One of the most intractable problems in modern education is how to close the widening gap in attainment between the haves and the have-nots. Unfortunately, successive governments both in the UK and abroad have gone about solving it the wrong way. Independent Thinking founder Ian Gilbert's increasing frustration with educational policies that favour 'no excuses' and 'compliance', and that ignore the broader issues of poverty and inequality, is shared by many others across the sphere of education - and this widespread disaffection has led to the assembly of a diverse cast of teachers, school leaders, academics and poets who unite in this book to challenge the status quo. Their thought-provoking commentary, ideas and impassioned anecdotal insights are presented in the form of essays, think pieces and poems that draw together a wealth of research on the issue and probe and discredit the current view on what is best for children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. Exploring themes such as inclusion, aspiration, pedagogy and opportunity, the contributions collectively lift the veil of feigned 'equality of opportunity for all' to reveal the bigger picture of poverty and to articulate the hidden truth that there is always another way. This book is not about giving you all the answers, however. The contributors are not telling teachers or schools leaders how to run their schools, their classroom or their relationships - the field is too massive, too complex, too open to debate and to discussion to propose 'off-the-shelf' solutions. Furthermore, the research referred to in this book is not presented in order to tell educators what to think, but rather to inform their own thinking and to challenge some of the dominant narratives about educating the 'feckless poor'. This book is about helping educators to ask the right questions, and its starting question is quite simple: how can we approach the education of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in a way that actually makes a difference for all concerned? Written for policy makers and activists as well as school leaders and educators, The Working Class is both a timely survey of the impact of current policies and an invaluable source of practical advice on what can be done to better support disadvantaged children in the school system. Edited by Ian Gilbert with contributions from Nina Jackson, Tim Taylor, Dr Steven Watson, Rhythmical Mike, Dr Ceri Brown, Dr Brian Male, Julia Hancock, Paul Dix, Chris Kilkenny, Daryn Egan-Simon, Paul Bateson, Sarah Pavey, Dr Matthew McFall, Jamie Thrasivoulou, Hywel Roberts, Dr Kevin Ming, Leah Stewart, (Real) David Cameron, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, Shona Crichton, Floyd Woodrow, Jonathan Lear, Dr Debra Kidd, Will Ryan, Andrew Morrish, Phil Beadle, Jaz Ampaw-Farr, Darren Chetty, Sameena Choudry, Tait Coles, Professor Terry Wrigley, Brian Walton, Dave Whitaker, Gill Kelly, Roy Leighton, Jane Hewitt, Jarlath O'Brien, Crista Hazell, Louise Riley, Mark Creasy, Martin Illingworth, Ian Loynd, David Rogers, Professor Mick Waters and Professor Paul Clarke.

Poverty, education and alternative voices

The Working Class

Ian Gilbert with Mark Anderson, Lisa Jane Ashes, Phil Beadle, Jackie Beere, David Cameron (The Real David Cameron), Paul Clarke, Tait Coles, Mark Creasy, Mark Finnis, Ian Gilbert, Dave Harris, Crista Hazell, Martin Illingworth, Nina Jackson, Rachel Jones, Gill Kelly, Debra Kidd, Jonathan Lear, Trisha Lee, Roy Leighton, Matthew McFall, Sarah Pavey, Simon Pridham, Jim Roberson, Hywel Roberts, Martin Robinson, Bethan Stracy-Burbridge, Dave Whitaker and Phil Wood. We are living at a time when loud voices from inside and outside the profession are telling teachers and school leaders ‘this’ is the way education should be done. This is how you should lead a school. This is how you should manage a class. This is how children should learn. This is what you should do to make children behave. These messages are given as if there is only one way to achieve these things - their way. However, with decades of experience working in all types of school around the globe, the many Associates of Independent Thinking know there is always another way. This book is for educators everywhere who are hearing these loud voices yet who know there must be another way. Full of examples to prove this is the case and inspirations to try new things, There is Another Way is a call to action to swim against the tide and reclaim the heart of education. Nearly 10 years after the publication of the first Big Book of Independent Thinking, Ian Gilbert and the Associates combine their collective wisdom and experience to take a fresh look at the present and future of education and invite the reader to think, deeply, on what really matters and to reflect on their practice accordingly. Regardless of the specialism or background you are from, there is something for everyone in this diverse and insightful anthology. Covering a myriad of issues facing educators today - issues including motivation, behaviour, understanding educational research, values, school improvement, work-life balance, politics, conditions for learning, the importance of libraries, assessment and examination, thinking for yourself, seeing students as more than data, engaging learning with awe and wonder and storytelling, coping with complexity, aspirations, technology and digital learning, values led leadership, speaking out, educational imperatives, emotional health, teaching and learning, education and inequality, restorative practice, coaching, continuing professional development, challenging curricula, art therapy and learning and feeling - the book shows how there is another way.

There is Another Way

A Thunk is a beguiling question about everyday things that stops you in your tracks and helps you start to look at the world in a whole new light. The author guides you through the origins and uses of Thunks and demonstrates how this powerful little book can develop philosophical thinking for all ages ... remember there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. How liberating is that ...? Winner of The Author's Licensing and Collecting Society Award for Educational Writing by the Society of Authors.

Ian Gilbert

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