The What If...? Box is a brilliant tool for use in any lesson across the curriculum. It contains 168 questions, all of which begin with 'What if...' Students can select questions at random by clicking on the coloured dots which are flying out of the What If...? Box. The resource is particularly good for developing critical and creative thinking.

The Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Assessment for Learning is the fifth book in my Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide Series. What exactly is assessment for learning and how does it work? Why should assessment for learning be an integral part of any teaching assistant’s practice? And what can you do to make sure assessment for learning has a positive impact on all your learners? In the Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Assessment for Learning join Mike Gershon, bestselling author and expert educator, as he takes you on a practical, down-to-earth tour of AFL. Inside you’ll find the answers to all your questions about Assessment for Learning – as well as a host of practical strategies and techniques you can use to support learners and develop yourself professionally. This easy-to-use, expertly written guide is perfect for the busy teaching assistant who wants to help their pupils and improve their practice. Chapters Include: What is assessment for learning and how does it work? Eliciting Information Opening Up Success Criteria Self-Assessment Peer-Assessment Series Introduction: The ‘Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide’ series developed out of Mike’s desire to give teaching assistants across the country a set of practical, useful books they could call on to help them in their work. Having worked with teaching assistants throughout his teaching career and knowing full well the hugely positive impact they can have on learners in a whole variety of different classrooms, he thought it was high time there was a series of books dedicated to supporting them in their working lives. Each volume in the series focuses on a different aspect of teaching and learning. Each one aims to give teaching assistants a quick, easy way into the topic, along with a wide range of practical strategies and techniques they can use to support, guide and develop the learners with whom they work. All of the books are designed to help teaching assistants. Each one goes out of its way to make their lives easier, and to help them develop professionally. But, crucially, the ultimate aim of each book is to give teaching assistants the tools they need to better support the learners they spend their time working with. The whole series is written with the classroom in mind. This is a collection practical of books for what is a practical job.

The Teaching Assistant’s Guide to Growth Mindsets is the first book in my Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide series. What’s the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset? How do growth and fixed mindsets influence pupils’ attitudes to learning? And what can you do to help pupils move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset? In the Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Growth Mindsets join Mike Gershon, bestselling author and expert educator, as he takes you on a practical, down-to-earth tour of growth mindsets. Inside you’ll find the answers to all your questions about growth mindsets – as well as a host of practical strategies and techniques you can use to support learners and develop yourself professionally. This easy-to-use, expertly written guide is perfect for the busy teaching assistant who wants to help their pupils and improve their practice. Chapters Include: What is a growth mindset? How can you help learners build a growth mindset? What sort of language is good for promoting growth mindsets? How can you help learners to keep going when learning gets tough? What can you do to help learners see mistakes as a useful part of learning? Series Introduction: The ‘Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide’ series developed out of Mike’s desire to give teaching assistants across the country a set of practical, useful books they could call on to help them in their work. Having worked with teaching assistants throughout his teaching career and knowing full well the hugely positive impact they can have on learners in a whole variety of different classrooms, he thought it was high time there was a series of books dedicated to supporting them in their working lives. Each volume in the series focuses on a different aspect of teaching and learning. Each one aims to give teaching assistants a quick, easy way into the topic, along with a wide range of practical strategies and techniques they can use to support, guide and develop the learners with whom they work. All of the books are designed to help teaching assistants. Each one goes out of its way to make their lives easier, and to help them develop professionally. But, crucially, the ultimate aim of each book is to give teaching assistants the tools they need to better support the learners they spend their time working with. The whole series is written with the classroom in mind. This is a collection practical of books for what is a practical job.

The Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Questioning is the second book in my Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide Series. What makes a good question? What can we do to raise the quality of the questions we ask in the classroom? And how can we ensure our questioning helps learners to learn as much as possible, and to think in creative and critical ways? In the Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Questioning join Mike Gershon, bestselling author and expert educator, as he takes you on a practical, down-to-earth tour of the subject. Inside you’ll find the answers to all your questions about questioning – as well as a host of practical strategies and techniques you can use to support learners and develop yourself professionally. This easy-to-use, expertly written guide is perfect for the busy teaching assistant who wants to help their pupils and improve their practice. Chapters Include: What’s in a question? Opening Up Learner Thinking Getting Past ‘I Don’t Know’ How to Get Better Responses Creative Questioning Techniques Series Introduction: The ‘Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide’ series developed out of Mike’s desire to give teaching assistants across the country a set of practical, useful books they could call on to help them in their work. Having worked with teaching assistants throughout his teaching career and knowing full well the hugely positive impact they can have on learners in a whole variety of different classrooms, he thought it was high time there was a series of books dedicated to supporting them in their working lives. Each volume in the series focuses on a different aspect of teaching and learning. Each one aims to give teaching assistants a quick, easy way into the topic, along with a wide range of practical strategies and techniques they can use to support, guide and develop the learners with whom they work. All of the books are designed to help teaching assistants. Each one goes out of its way to make their lives easier, and to help them develop professionally. But, crucially, the ultimate aim of each book is to give teaching assistants the tools they need to better support the learners they spend their time working with. The whole series is written with the classroom in mind. This is a collection practical of books for what is a practical job.

The Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Feedback is the third book in my Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide series. Why does feedback matter? How can you make sure the feedback you give learners has the biggest impact possible? And what can you do to help your learners understand the value and power of feedback? In the Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Feedback join Mike Gershon, bestselling author and expert educator, as he takes you on a practical, down-to-earth tour of the subject. Inside you’ll find the answers to all your questions about feedback – as well as a host of practical strategies and techniques you can use to support learners and develop yourself professionally. This easy-to-use, expertly written guide is perfect for the busy teaching assistant who wants to help their pupils and improve their practice. Chapters Include: Why does feedback matter? What makes good feedback? Verbal Feedback Techniques Giving Written Feedback Feedback Troubleshooting Series Introduction: The ‘Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide’ series developed out of Mike’s desire to give teaching assistants across the country a set of practical, useful books they could call on to help them in their work. Having worked with teaching assistants throughout his teaching career and knowing full well the hugely positive impact they can have on learners in a whole variety of different classrooms, he thought it was high time there was a series of books dedicated to supporting them in their working lives. Each volume in the series focuses on a different aspect of teaching and learning. Each one aims to give teaching assistants a quick, easy way into the topic, along with a wide range of practical strategies and techniques they can use to support, guide and develop the learners with whom they work. All of the books are designed to help teaching assistants. Each one goes out of its way to make their lives easier, and to help them develop professionally. But, crucially, the ultimate aim of each book is to give teaching assistants the tools they need to better support the learners they spend their time working with. The whole series is written with the classroom in mind. This is a collection practical of books for what is a practical job.

The Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Differentiation is the fourth book in my Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide Series. What is differentiation and how can teaching assistants personalise what they do in the classroom? How does differentiation affect learners? And what different things should teaching assistants do to ensure their differentiation has the best impact possible? In the Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide to Differentiation join Mike Gershon, bestselling author and expert educator, as he takes you on a practical, down-to-earth tour of the subject. Inside you’ll find the answers to all your questions about differentiation – as well as a host of practical strategies and techniques you can use to support learners and develop yourself professionally. This easy-to-use, expertly written guide is perfect for the busy teaching assistant who wants to help their pupils and improve their practice. Chapters Include: What is differentiation? Essential Techniques for Personalising Learning Scaffolding Strategies Differentiating Your Questions Increasing the Level of Challenge Series Introduction: The ‘Teaching Assistant’s Pocket Guide’ series developed out of Mike’s desire to give teaching assistants across the country a set of practical, useful books they could call on to help them in their work. Having worked with teaching assistants throughout his teaching career and knowing full well the hugely positive impact they can have on learners in a whole variety of different classrooms, he thought it was high time there was a series of books dedicated to supporting them in their working lives. Each volume in the series focuses on a different aspect of teaching and learning. Each one aims to give teaching assistants a quick, easy way into the topic, along with a wide range of practical strategies and techniques they can use to support, guide and develop the learners with whom they work. All of the books are designed to help teaching assistants. Each one goes out of its way to make their lives easier, and to help them develop professionally. But, crucially, the ultimate aim of each book is to give teaching assistants the tools they need to better support the learners they spend their time working with. The whole series is written with the classroom in mind. This is a collection practical of books for what is a practical job.