New publications

The Literacy Wars examines increasingly fierce debates in the media over how to teach children to read and write, noting that these debates have significant repercussions for policy decisions and funding. Drawing comparisons with Britain and the USA, The Literacy Wars aims to show how the debates in Australia resonate with similar battles in other parts of the world. Topics include grammar, reading, culture, gender, assessment, technology and curriculum. See publisher's description, which links to an online extract from the book.

Providing guidance on a broad range of issues for young children and adolescents, Ergonomics for Children is designed to convey a deep understanding of how children develop and how these developmental changes can influence the design of products and places for children. Illustrated with photos and other images, the book aims to be broad in coverage and international in perspective. The contributors review the ways in which children develop physically, perceptually, cognitively, and socially and then use this information to provide practical guidelines for the design of places and products for children. Discussions of book bags, high-tech toys, and handwriting are included. A section on education covers preschool and day care design, children and handwriting ergonomics, school furniture for children, ICT and child-friendly user interfaces in the digital world, and rethinking school design to help child learning. Adapted from publisher's description.

This revised and updated edition of Designing Brain-Compatible Learning seeks to apply the latest brain research to the development of teaching tools and strategies that integrate thinking skills, cooperative learning, and authentic assessment into the classroom. The book features step-by-step strategies for teaching concepts, skills, and content to all age groups and learning styles. Charts, diagrams, and other visual tools to reinforce learning are also included. Adapted from publisher's description.

Expectations have been raised in Australia and comparable countries for an 'education revolution' that will secure success for all students in all settings. Why Not the Best Schools? offers a 10 point, 10 year plan for the transformation of Australia's schools. Fifty indicators are provided to help shape strategies for policy makers and practitioners in schools and school systems. This book draws on a five-year study conducted in Australia, China, England, Finland, the United States and Wales. There are six Case Study books on each of the six countries, sold separately. Adapted from publisher's description.

Children who struggle with their own behaviour, just like those who struggle with an academic task such as learning to read or doing mathematical calculations, need extra, structured, support. This resource is designed to help educational staff teach young people to improve their behaviour without resorting to punishment or to strategies based on lost learning opportunities. The worksheets encourage pupils to understand their own behaviour, see others' point of view, think about the future, consider the range of choices for action, and check and review their progress. Adapted from publisher's description.

One hundred years ago, Maria Montessori, the first female physician in Italy, devised a very different method of educating children based on her observations of how they naturally learn. In this book, the author presents the research behind eight insights that are the foundations of Montessori education, describing how each of these insights is applied in the Montessori classroom. The book presents studies that show how children learn best, explain why many traditional practices come up short, and describes an alternative that works. Adapted from publisher's description.