Resilience Pocketbook

Resilience is about an individual's readiness to meet the world in a resourceful state. It means being equipped to deal calmly and confidently with challenging circumstances while being able to bounce back or recover quickly from setbacks. With improved resilience comes less stress, less stress-related illness and, ultimately, better performance – and that's good news, not just for the person concerned but for the organisation as a whole. The Resilience Pocketbook is packed with coping strategies, tools and tips to show people how to draw out, strengthen and put into practice their inbuilt resources. It includes a questionnaire to identify strengths and weaknesses, and there is a section on building resilience within teams – invaluable advice for team leaders, HR/OD practitioners and trainers.

The OED defines character as 'the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual'. For sure, some of these qualities we're born with but we know from neuroscience that character is also something we can grow. There's evidence to show that by teaching children how to collaborate, adapt, be curious and creative; to show initiative, persistence, flexibility and good judgement, etc, we are equipping them to learn and be successful in life. We're also increasing their chances of social, emotional and physical wellbeing. This Pocketbook focuses on intellectual character. It starts with attitudes, approaches, events and activities that create a 'character culture' in classrooms and schools. It suggests ways of incorporating character education into lessons: planning, framing and setting tasks that target specific dispositions. Grit – the desire and ability to persevere; rising to a challenge and showing stamina and persistence – has a chapter of its own. So does resilience: the magic ingredient that helps us cope with adversity, disappointment, shock and failure. The author concludes with how to reflect on, evaluate and celebrate personal and intellectual development. C J Simister (National Association of Gifted Children's 'Inspiring Person of the Year', 2011) has almost 20 years' teaching experience. She regularly speaks at international conferences and works with schools around the world, advising on helping young people to develop the intellectual qualities and skills needed to thrive and succeed in school and beyond. The OED defines character as 'the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual'. For sure, some of these qualities we're born with but we know from neuroscience that character is also something we can grow. There's evidence to show that by teaching children how to collaborate, adapt, be curious and creative; to show initiative, persistence, flexibility and good judgement, etc, we are equipping them to learn and be successful in life. We're also increasing their chances of social, emotional and physical wellbeing. This Pocketbook focuses on intellectual character. It starts with attitudes, approaches, events and activities that create a 'character culture' in classrooms and schools. It suggests ways of incorporating character education into lessons: planning, framing and setting tasks that target specific dispositions. Grit – the desire and ability to persevere; rising to a challenge and showing stamina and persistence – has a chapter of its own. So does resilience: the magic ingredient that helps us cope with adversity, disappointment, shock and failure. The author concludes with how to reflect on, evaluate and celebrate personal and intellectual development. C J Simister (National Association of Gifted Children's 'Inspiring Person of the Year', 2011) has almost 20 years' teaching experience. She regularly speaks at international conferences and works with schools around the world, advising on helping young people to develop the intellectual qualities and skills needed to thrive and succeed in school and beyond.

Teaching is a challenging and rewarding profession. If there's a downside, it's the workload: not properly managed it can lead to stress and related problems. If you feel you could be using time better - working less and enjoying life more - then this book offers some useful tips, tools and strategies for work-life balancing. Sections on stress, attitudes and habits, time management and looking after yourself lead to a helpful workload evaluation tool at the end of the book. Drawing on the experiences of real teachers in real schools, you sense that Will Thomas understands the pressures and challenges peculiar to the job and his common sense approach is welcome.

This third edition of the Head of Department's Pocketbook will support middle leaders in both primary and secondary schools in carrying out their jobs confidently and efficiently. Authors Brin Best and Will Thomas know from experience that managing diverse teams in a climate of inflated performance expectations is no easy task. They devote a section of the Pocketbook to leadership and management, encompassing vision, goals and creativity, as well as challenging adult behaviours, up-skilling, influencing and motivating colleagues. A later chapter called 'Raising Student Achievement' looks at excellence in the classroom and includes material on enriching and supporting learning, data use and lesson planning. Effective documentation and raising the profile of your department or curriculum area are also explored. Whether you're new to middle leadership or a seasoned hand, you'll find the self-evaluation checklist at the end of the book a useful professional development tool.

The mental health of teachers in school is just as important as the well-being of the pupils they support. Recent research reveals some alarming statistics, including that 74% of teachers are unable to relax and have a poor work-life balance. This book examines a range of relevant issues including workload, managing behaviour, developing resilience and managing professional relationships in order to address some of these concerns and provide comprehensive guidance and workable, evidence-informed strategies to support all those teaching in schools and colleges.

Building on Monica Hanaway’s previous publications, this timely volume considers the benefits of bringing an existential approach to psychotherapy, coaching, supervision and leadership, particularly in times of crisis. The book uses an existential lens to examine the impact Covid-19 has had on our mental health and ways of being, making connections between situations that challenge our mental resources and the unique ways existential ideas can address those challenges. Featuring contributions from renowned existential thinkers and practitioners, the book connects personal experiences with clinical examples and philosophic ideas to explore concepts like anxiety, relatedness and uncertainty as they relate to key existential themes, helping to inform coaches and therapists in their work with clients. Existentialism in Pandemic Times is important reading for coaches, therapists, psychologists and business leaders, as well as for scholars and researchers interested in applied philosophy.

By helping students to recognise, understand and handle emotions - their own and others' - we can build their self-esteem, improve their confidence and pave the way for them to become educationally and socially successful. The authors use case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of helping children to feel CLASI - Capable, Listened to, Accepted, Safe, Included. There are chapters on building relationships that support learning, on nurturing 'open' conversations, on working effectively in groups and on classroom organisation. Sections on using stories to build emotional literacy and on emotional literacy in the staffroom emphasise the need to keep the bridge open between the thinking and feeling parts of the brain. A reliable and authoritative Pocketbooks that, as one literacy coordinator told us, guides newcomers while stimulating and reinvigorating those already familiar with the field.