Life Raft Media Ltd Take Control of the Noisy Class

This book literally changed my career forever. He gives tons of applicable realistic applications of good classroom and just all around good classroom environment! I buy this book for every person I know that is going into a career of teaching! Lots of things applicable for all grade levels! I am a high school math teacher and I use a lot of the things it talks about, but it could definitely be applied in a preschool classroom and everything in between. I used one of the strategies in this book called an anchor during an observation my principal did and she gave me a shout out in front of everybody at the next staff meeting because of how well it worked (almost magically). You will not regret getting this book! Some stuff that is definitely hard to implement, but I have no doubt that if a teacher implemented everything in this book they would have a thriving and joyful teaching career!!!

What I like about the author, Rob Plevin is that he gives real-life examples of what he did wrong and how he learned from his mistakes. This book is straight forward, clear and I think easy to apply. If one strategy doesn't work for you, there's plenty more. Can you tell I'm a big fan? Thanks Rob for all your work!!

Livre indispensable à tout jeune professeur en difficulté avec sa classe et à toute personne devant dispenser des formations en règle générale (oui, ça marche aussi sur les adultes, j'ai essayé !). Amélioration garantie dès la mise en pratique. Mais ces méthodes demandent quand même un certain investissement en temps de la part du professeur. Une traduction en français serait bienvenue

Perhaps it’s the title that draws you into this book by Rob Plevin, perhaps it’s because you are a teacher and want to improve your pedagogy or perhaps you picked it up because you had little else to do at the time. Whatever the reason – read it, it’s about much more than just controlling a noisy class!My father used to say there is nothing common about common sense. My time in teaching suggests this is true and that when you do find it you find it by the thimble full and not by the bucket. In his book Rob has managed to fill several buckets full of this rare commodity. As a result the book is full of strategies that you find yourself saying, “That’s so simple but effective, its common sense”, time after time.“Strategy” is a key word for what Rob presents, they are well thought out and cover all the key issues of managing teaching and creating an engaging learning environment. Don’t be put off by some of the extreme examples Rob includes, this is both a reflection of the effectiveness of the strategies and his experience in refining them “at the sharp end” so you know they work. There is much here that a “seasoned” teacher knows and Rob does an excellent job of sharing this in a practical way. Just remember to ask “What colour are your socks?” next time you face a conflict situation.Other key words and actions that run throughout the book include “empathy”, “consistency”, “being clear”, “consequences” and “humour”. It is not until part way through the book that Rob’s humour begins to show but it is essential to recognise it if you are going to get the most from the strategies he suggests. Simply copying what Rob suggests to your own teaching without considering this most effective element will mean you fail to gain the most from his words. You will be a marionette carrying out somebody else’s action and they will not be genuine to you. Be warned students will work this out and they do not trust a simulacrum.If this book does not do anything else it should make you reflect on your own teaching. It should encourage you to see the why behind the success of the strategies you already use and how to improve those that do not always work. Some sage advice from Rob “Whatever you allow to happen in class, you effectively encourage”Finally Rob acknowledges the importance of home relationships throughout the book. I know this can appear time consuming, the letter home, the phone call, the meeting but as Rob points out it is essential if you are going to take control. The partnership of home, school, and student is the most effective one for showing you care and even the most pressured teacher should include it in their strategies.

Must have!! Practical examples to put into practice! It helped me a lot to set expectations, rules in my classroom