This book is a major contribution to school improvement and explains what VT is and how it works to raise standards, re-invigorate the aspiration gene and so make schools more fun. It returns schools to a process of effective learning relationships and explains why VT is cultural transformation that raises standards and reinvigorates teaching and learning. VT invites schools to a simpler organisational world where learning is a process and where every child actually matters. It invites sch...

This book examines the school as an operational organization through the lens of systems thinking. In this way it serves as an invitation to look again at schools and how they operate as learning systems. It begins by showing exactly why our inherited, industrial school model, can never be made to work effectively no matter how hard school leaders try or how well schools are judged.This book uses systems thinking to explain and describe the management unlearning and new learning ne...

The inherited model of schooling based on same-age tutor groups is not only wrong but anti-learning and unsafe. When examined from a systems perspective, the assumptions are revealed. This explains why schools fail to respond to reform and why reform is the wrong approach. It blames the same-age structure as the direct cause of bullying, poor parent partnership, mental health issues and more, pointing out the system’s separation from psychology and child welfare. When schools adopt a mixed...

This book explains how school organization by age (grade) alone, sets schools on a factory course that is harmful and ultimately self-defeating to all involved and to ecology. It returns us to three systems thinking concepts; purpose, measures, and method. The book explains why school managers and administrators are deluded by the system they operate and by how they understand complexity (the variety of value demand on the system, or what people need to be able to draw-down to make progres...

In The Art and Science of Dealing with Difficult People, David Brown pinpoints the seven principles of relationship building that are crucial to creating a successful working environment. Brown breaks down each principle by providing easy to understand instructions and universally applicable management skills.Brown’s philosophy is to approach work place discord as a problem from both a managerial and lower level perspective. He offers advice on how to treat employees, whil...

While we'd all like a quiet life, there are some situations that can't be ignored - a survey by Staffordshire University Business School estimated that 53% of us will be bullied at work at some point during our working life. In offices, workplace bullying is on the rise and discrimination is commonplace. Key customers are ever more demanding, won't take no for an answer and aren't afraid to tell you so.This fully revised and updated Steps to Success title ...

Positive Psychology at Work brings the fields of positive psychology and appreciative inquiry together for the first time to provide leaders and change agents with a powerful new approach to achieving organizational excellence.Draws together positive psychology and appreciative inquiry in the context of leadership organizational challenges for the first timePresents academically rigorous and referenced material in a jargon-free, accessible mannerA...

SMEs need to become more sustainable. To reach such a goal they also need to become more professional in their outlook and approach. In this way they may be able to deal with the instability, complexity, ambiguity and uncertainty of change; and to cope with the ever increasing pressures brought by change. After outlining what is meant by sustainability and professionalism, some strategies for how SME owner/managers might become more professional by focussing on the development of their own...

With forewords by Professor Tanya Byron and Octavius Black, Educating Ruby: What Our Children Really Need To Learn is a powerful call to action by acclaimed thought-leaders Guy Claxton and Bill Lucas. It is for everyone who cares about education in an uncertain world and explains how teachers, parents and grandparents can cultivate confidence, curiosity, collaboration, communication, creativity, commitment and craftsmanship in children, at the same time as helping them to do well in public...

Building on the success of the first edition, this book provides a focused up-to-date introduction to the current themes and dimensions of educational leadership through contributions from some of the leading authors in the field.Each chapter introduces the reader to a key aspect of leadership. This new edition has been fully updated to include recent developments, new chapter summaries and further reading, and a new chapter on Developing Leadership.Written in an accessible...

Covering the essential key skills and personal development of the successful coach, mentor or supervisor, with guidelines for practice.

Perfect People Skills helps you to deal with other people effectively and how to be aware of your own behaviour too. Differences of direction and motivation, personality, ethnic group, gender, class and ability can all bring problems, as well as those challenges presented by 'difficult types'. The author provides some powerful ideas for preventing people problems, resolving conflict and building harmonious homes and workplaces. The book is comprehensive and yet co...