books


Caring about students is at the heart of this highly recommended read


Visible Learning: Feedback by John Hattie and Shirley Clarke Routledge: paperback, 188 pages


What strikes me about this highly engaging book is the life it breathes into illuminating the power of feedback to influence positive teaching and learning and, indeed, student progress and achievement. With that in mind Visible Learning: Feedback, by John Hattie and Shirley Clarke, exposes the best possible feedback frameworks. The authors draw upon these and makes them meaningful and accessible for classroom application, and indeed beyond – for example, in apprentice workplaces. Page after page, case studies and anecdotes


provide a sharp-focused lens that examines the power of conversation. Interestingly, and vitally, it is unpicked from the perception of the receiver (the student) and what the feedback message conveys.


It is this dynamic, student-centred approach which underpins great teaching. It’s informed by the ability to really listen to learners. And this is what lifts this book out of the ordinary and offers agency to students, who are often invisible in textbooks. Indeed, the premise of the book is that visible teaching and learning occurs when teachers see learning through the eyes of students. This, in turn, facilitates them to be their own


OTHER NEW PUBLICATIONS


Achieving QTLS Status: A Guide to demonstrating the Professional Standards By Sharron Mansell Sage Publishing: paperback 184 pages If you are considering Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status as a way of enhancing your teaching practice and career, then this is the book for you. Written by Sharron Mansell, an experienced teacher who has a


36 ISSUE 34 • WINTER 2018 inTUITION


degree in education and training along with QTLS status and membership of the Society for Education and Training, the book draws on the expertise of Patricia Odell, head of QTLS and Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) at the Education and Training Foundation (ETF). More than 20,000 people have gained QTLS since it was launched in 2008, making it a widely recognised badge of professional


knowledge and excellence for teachers, trainers and assessors working in further education and training, and beyond, including the schools sector.


The book, which is edited by


Ann Gravells, a quality and training consultant and author, has 10 well-organised chapters. They take readers through the process of applying for SET membership – QTLS is only conferred through SET – right through to the final stages


of the professional formation process. Each chapter sets out what it will cover and then details what is required. Activities challenge readers


and QTLS applicants to carry out bite-sized tasks along the way, deepening understanding. There are also helpful tips


throughout. These will be useful for QTLS holders seeking to refresh their practice or advise others.


teacher; the art of learning being able to know how to learn. The notion of expert teachers is rightly aligned to the concept that effective educators are highly reflective and focus on critically evaluating the impact they have on their students, and then modifying their teaching methods accordingly. The book is rooted in research and it offers lots


of great examples to draw upon and implement in your teaching practice. I think Visible Learning: Feedback will be useful to both novice and experienced teachers. For me, particular areas of interest in the book include: the importance of sharing learning intentions; co-constructing success criteria; strategies for uncovering student understanding; the power of post-lesson feedback; and ‘The politics of distraction’. This book offers so much that practitioners will be able to call upon, day in and day out, to develop strategies that can be put in place and meaningfully adapted to meet the needs of students.


Indeed, caring about students is at the heart of the book. And by listening to them – really listening – we can create an environment whereby they flourish through powerful feedback that speaks to them and not at them. I highly recommend this book.


Review by Professor Vicky Duckworth, a reader in education in the Faculty of Education at Edge Hill University.


MEMBER OFFER SET members are eligible for a 20 per cent discount on the RRP of this book. The book must be ordered directly from Routledge, using code SET20. The offer is valid until 31 January, 2019.


Book reviewers Want to review a book or have a book to review? Contact us at membership.


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