Featured Teacher
time to focus on my website www.
lovetoteach87.com.
What inspired you to write a
book?
I was approached in 2015 about writing
a book but I said no as I didn’t have the
confidence to do so, I also felt I didn’t
have the time at that point which was
also a very important factor. Through
continued blogging and sharing, I
started to grow in confidence and
realised that writing a book would not
only be a great learning experience
but it could help other educators.
Twitter can be quite limiting with the
character count of a Tweet and blogs
can be quite informal and shouldn’t
be too long. A book gives the writer
an opportunity to really explore and
discuss resources, ideas and research
in greater depth and detail.
What do you hope that
educators will gain from
reading your book?
I hope educators will be able to
implement the practical ideas and
resources in their classroom whether
they download them directly to use
or tweak and adapt to suit the needs
of their learners. I also know many
teachers that have told me they struggle
to engage in educational research and
academic reading - either with lack of
time due to a busy schedule or unsure
where to begin. I have included and
discussed educational research that
has transformed my teaching practice,
I hope this will do the same for my
readers. I also tackle some educational
myths such as learning styles and the
learning pyramid - hopefully we can
turn our backs on these myths that
claim to be rooted in educational
research but aren’t.
How did you manage to
write a book as a full-time
educator? What strategies did
you employ?
This was very tough and I went through
periods of writing a lot, this would
mainly be during the holidays where it
was quite intense. I also went through
periods of doing no or very little writing
as I was busy marking examination
papers, preparing for inspection or
writing reports. In total I managed to
write my book in a year, but I had been
carrying out the reading, research and
preparation for eight years, so it was
mainly bringing all of that information
together. Colleagues and friends
helped by proof reading chapters to
provide feedback.
What advice do you have for
educators who are reluctant to
get involved in online learning
especially Edu twitter
Simply give it a try! If it isn’t for you
that’s fine, but it could transform
your teaching practice. There are
educational authorswho first joined
twitter, before starting blogging,
which led to writing for educational
magazines like Teach Middle East
magazine, and then finally secured
a book deal. This is the experience I
and others have had but many more
people simply use Twitter for daily
inspiration, ideas, advice and it is great
for international educators to keep up
to date with the latest developments
in the UK and their various home
countries.
What is one of your proudest
achievements to date?
Writing my book has been a wonderful
achievement and I am happier with
my book than I ever imagined I
would be! At the time of responding
to the questions for this article, I
am in Hong Kong presenting at the
Asia-Pacific International Schools
Conference. Working with educators
globally is another great achievement.
Back in the UK, I achieved the Lead
Practitioner accreditation and that
is an achievement that all Lead
Practitioners should be very proud
of as it involves a lot of work and
dedication to developing an aspect of
school improvement.
What are three fun activities
that you do to relax and take
your mind off work?
I love to travel. When I’m in the UAE
I love brunches and beaches. When
I’m in Wales I love spending time
with my friends and family. Now that
I am older I can fully embrace being
a book worm. I read all the time from
educational books, John Grisham
thrillers, travel books. At the moment
I am enjoying reading books by the
author Matt Haig.
Kate Jones is History Coordinator at
Brighton College Al Ain and Governor at
Manor Hall International School, Al Ain.
Love To Teach: Research and Resources for
every classroom is available to purchase
now on Amazon. You can follow Kate on
Twitter @87history.
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