Hywel Roberts – författare

Written by Hywel Roberts,Botheredness:Stories, stance and pedagogyis a funny, engaging and rapturous read that will inspire teachers to reclaim their professional imagination and reignite the excitement they felt when they entered the teaching profession. It's about botheredness - a made-up word that everyone

The book also shines a spotlight on the role of the teacher and how he or she can do the right things to get the absolute best from students.Some of the best learning takes place when, rather than imposing on young people a pre-determined curriculum, you find the stimulus that is relevant and engaging for them and build from there. Then the curriculum starts to emerge in a way that simply hooks students into learning almost despite themselves. There is nothing for them to push against (''What''s the point?!'', ''This is boring..!'') as they have helped shape the direction of the lesson in a way that makes it real and useful to them. All this without them even realising what is going on!They have been ''lured into learning'' and the process is shared with teachers in this book, with examples as to how it can be done and how the author has done it. Reading this book will support teachers in developing ideas that motivate everybody in the classroom, from infants to secondary and beyond.Whether you''re new to teaching or have vast experience you will find in this book inspiration to raise achievement, improve behaviour and enhance creativity in the classroom; and you will change the way you approach lesson planning forever.Shortlisted for the Education Resources Awards 2013, Secondary Resource - non ICT categoryOops Book Launch, Waterstones, Sheffield, May 2012:Photography by Jane Hewitt www.janehewittphotography.co.uk

Hywel Roberts and Debra Kidd''s Uncharted Territories: Adventures in learning is a book of prompts, provocations and possibilities designed to nourish creativity and generate ideas that will get teachers and pupils excited about learning. In this time of high-stakes testing, growing mental health issues among young people and increasing pressure on teachers to focus on rote repetition and practice papers, we have to step back and ask: "What is the purpose of education?" If you think it is to get children through tests, then this book is probably not for you. If, however, you think it is to develop wisdom in children - the capacity to think, to apply knowledge, to empathise, to weigh up evidence, to consider consequences and to make informed choices - then this book is most definitely for you. Rooted in practice and grounded in research, Uncharted Territories invites a reassessment of what curriculum coverage can look like and provides an abundance of hooks into exploratory learning that place learners - of whatever age - knee-deep in dilemma, so that they are thinking deeply, analytically and imaginatively. These are not knowledge organisers or schemes of work; rather they are inspirational forays into imagined contexts for learning which, as fantastical as they may appear, always have the real world as their destination. Signposted by story starters and inductive questions - not to mention the beautiful illustrations which are sure to fire children''s imaginations - Hywel and Debra''s innovative routes to learning will help teachers stray from the beaten track of the curriculum and instil in learners a sense of purpose as they discover, manipulate and apply knowledge and skills across a range of collaborative, cross-curricular problem-solving contexts. Each chapter focuses on a different place - such as a remote castle or a mysterious cave, where the learning will be applied and challenged - and is packed with starting points and "what ifs ...?" to establish rich landscapes for exploration and a wide range of opportunities for discussion and writing. To help map out the territory ahead, Hywel and Debra guide the teacher around the key learning landmarks linked to each context''s overarching concepts and lines of inquiry, and point out the many different curriculum areas to which the explorations naturally lend themselves to. The authors go further by offering transferable ideas which can be adjusted to work with whatever age group, as well as a variety of context-based tasks to enable the teacher to explore how elements of, for example, literacy and/or numeracy could be incorporated in order to save curriculum time. While Uncharted Territories is a rallying call to arms for the imagination, in each of its chapters Hywel and Debra also delve into the why in order to present the teacher with a comprehensive debrief of the learning processes and the theoretical and academic underpinning. Furthermore, the authors provide a helpful listing of drama techniques and relevant books and poems that can be incorporated into the learning journeys, as well as useful advice on how to assess and evidence their outcomes. Designed for use with learners of all ages, from early years to secondary.

This is an education book that is like no other that has gone before. It won''t tell you what to do minute by minute, lesson by lesson, day by day. It won''t batter you with impenetrable research or tell you what you must think. You won''t even find a scheme of work in it some planning ideas, for sure, even a template or two, but there''s no spoon-feeding here. It''s just a book that invites you to consider where you are in your own educational journey. It''s a book to get youbothered.Botheredness is a word Hywel Roberts uses to sum up the kind of authentic care and adult positioning that is real and deliberate and gets children and young people on board with learning. It is the holy grail of teaching and something that will both significantly improve your enjoyment of teaching and benefit your classes enormously.This book is therefore an exploration of the road less travelled, backed up with Hywel''s own experiences, reflections and research down the rabbit hole of contemporary education. It''s about the reinstatement of professional integrity, the teacher as storyteller, and the need for our professional imaginations to be nurtured and curated. Hywel sets out to help teachers enhance their understanding of what it means to lead learning and thinking, to stand beside children as well as in front of them, whilst developing their knowledge acquisition with compassion, warmth and optimism.If you are looking for an education book that will inspire not dictate, that will entertain, challenge and fire up your imagination in equal measure,that allows you to think beyond a path laid out by scripted lessons, downloadable schemes and quick-fix fads, then this is the book for you.Providing clear strategies around imaginative and effective planning, supported by genuine examples of powerful classroom work from primary, special and secondary settings, this book is an essential guide to reclaiming your professional warmth, passion, and care - your botherednesss - in the classroom. Written by a travelling teacher and film buff who''s on a mission to put botheredness into classrooms everywhere.Suitable for teachers, teaching assistants and school leaders, as well as other education professionals.