Don’t let this book’s size (nearly 600 pages) put you off. While it’s undeniably comprehensive, covering 12 main areas that include ‘Planning’, ‘Assessment’ and ‘Modelling’, it’s very well structured and laid out. Diagrams at the start of each chapter illustrate clearly what will be covered, alongside numerous bulleted lists and some smart uses of colour, making the material easy to navigate. The lack of an index is made up for by a detailed table of contents, and there are indeed some excellent tips to be had within, drawn from Barton’s own podcast interviews and some well-known names. The latter can sometimes be a mixed bag, though, offering one or two suggestions that seem outright bizarre – but approach it as a critical reader, and you’ll find plenty here for both new teachers and old hands alike. Recommended.
This review originally appeared in Teach Secondary magazine.