Lear - Guerrilla teaching: revolutionary tactics for teachers on the ground, in real classrooms, working with real children, trying to make a real difference

Praise for Guerrilla Teaching

Jonathan Lear is the voice of the true expert the excellent classroom teacher who, through experience and experimentation, knows what works for his pupils and is not prepared to let outside interference get in the way of doing what he knows is right for their education and wellbeing. There is a blueprint here for great teaching, but its not one the author would have readers follow. Instead, in analysing his methods, Jonathan strips away the unnecessary baggage that has begun to clutter the job of teaching, helping professionals recall a time when they felt confident to trust in their own judgement. He is a champion of creativity in the classroom and shares his playful toolkit with readers. And while his penchant for costumes and characters wont be for everyone, the more theatrical elements never come before, or at the expense of, the focus on content and skills. Behind every comedy moustache is the face of real learning clear objectives, searching questions, and a hard-won understanding of childrens development.

Joe Carter, Editor, Teach Primary

As educators, we have to stop waiting for a knight in shining armour to come riding over the hill and lead us to our childrens promised land. It is up to us passionate, professional, creative people to take the lead and revolutionise schooling. Jonathan Lears authentic and infectious book hits the spot. Use it in order to build your own confidence and capacity and then to lead change for your children in your school!

Richard Gerver, speaker, author, broadcaster

This is a book full of passion. In it Jonathan Lear shares that passion with readers on every page, alongside his wealth of personal experiences in teaching. He skilfully captures a depth of research and communicates this with clarity and ease, and writes with confidence and authority. He talks of starting a revolution with this book and I feel he may just do that. Full of great ideas to take immediately into the classroom and a philosophy that is refreshing and forward thinking. A great read for the next generation of teachers!

Dr Jonathan Doherty, Head of Primary Education, Leeds Trinity University

This is a book about real teaching by a real teacher who has had to work out how to build learning into a school system that should take learning for granted. Jonathan cuts through the rhetoric of the contemporary standards debate with a conversation about how to switch on pupils learning by being the sort of good teacher they need rather than the deliverer of conventional practice. There are numerous examples of how to make things happen for the good of learning and plenty of tips and suggestions to enable the committed teacher to make progress that they value rather than measure.

People often talk about being brave in schools these days. What is there to be brave about in inspiring pupils to learn? Teaching should be a joy and a constant source of fulfilment. Anyone who engages with this book will find it goes under the barbed wire of current orthodoxies, throws a few grenades at the mythologies of teaching and comes up in the middle of the great learning debate. There are moments of subterfuge and examples of camouflaged teaching and there is the wonderful escape to teaching that is gripping and enjoyable for pupils and teachers alike.

Engage with this book and be a learning guerrilla.

Mick Waters, Professor of Education, Wolverhampton University

This is a book you will enjoy reading. Its full of humour; stories about teaching, stories about students, and jokes. There are plenty of great ideas about teaching and learning too.

It takes real talent to write breezily for 200 pages, and Jonathan Lear manages it without becoming cloying and facile. This is a book with quality and substance behind the humour.

Lears central metaphor is the guerrilla teacher, not the hairy kind who eat bananas although there are plenty of these but the kind who stir things up, go against authority and make things happen.

Being a guerrilla teacher doesnt sound like an easy option in these days of Morganite-micromanagement and I cant see this book being bought on mass for the staff of Arkham Academy, but for the rest of us, hiding in the jungle, its a valuable manual to keep tucked in our rucksacks.

Tim Taylor, Teacher

Jonathans manifesto is an excellent guide to teaching creatively in the classroom. Jonathans book stands on the shoulders of the great creative educationalists and encourages a generation of teachers to join the guerrilla revolution. Most manifestos are full of broken promises, Guerrilla Teaching delivers an eclectic range of creative teaching policies designed to turn the mere mortal educator into an inspiring guerrilla teacher.

An indispensable book for any teacher wanting to explore their creative pedagogy and inspire their students. Guerrilla Teaching is an inspiring call to arms; Jonathan writes with humour and his book persuades us all to join his creative classroom revolution. Anybody who reads Jonathans book will want to climb the tallest mountain, raise their arms aloft and shout I am a guerrilla teacher!

A fabulous read, Jonathans guerrilla manifesto takes apart existing teaching methods and rebuilds them, creatively, from scratch. The book contains everything you need to start your very own classroom revolution. I implore every teacher to read Guerrilla Teaching: it can only benefit those who really matter your students, and their futures.

Julian S. Wood, Deputy Head Teacher, Wybourn Community Primary School

Guerrilla Teaching is a great, practical and inspirational book for any teacher at any point in their career.

Its refreshing to find a book that offers support and advice that will actually make a difference to the way the children we teach learn and enjoy school. Its a book that reminds us to consider the type of people we want our children to grow up to be and how to help them achieve that. It reminded me why I choose teaching as a career.

Emma Stevenson, Senior Learning Support Teacher, Fir Vale Family of Schools

For my incredible (and tolerant) wife Emma and my beautiful daughters Eve and Imogen. I couldnt have done any of this without your love, support and inspiration. Thank you for everything.

xxx