Newly published title from our fantastic Faculty, this is a publication not to be missed. Available in print in the Education Library, the new edition of Learning to Teach in the Primary School (5th ed.) has chapters written by Faculty members: Jane Warwick, John-Mark Winstanley and Roland Chaplain and current PhD Student, Anna Harrison who is also one of the editors.

Cremin, T., Hendry, H., & Harrison, A. (Eds.). (2025). Learning to teach in the primary school (5th ed.). Routledge.

Learning to teach in the Primary School

I was delighted to become an Editor on this updated textbook for new teachers. This role provided me with a space to shape some of the important new chapters. In particular, a chapter on Adaptive Teaching by Dr Sarah Leonard from Roehampton University provides new teachers with the latest insights about how to support children who have a range of individual needs.

Other authors I was able to include were Dr Verity Jones (Associate Professor in the School of Education and Childhood at the University of the West of England) who co-wrote a chapter with a Headteacher, Joanne Farbon on Sustainability and Climate Change Education. This chapter is about young children knowing that their voice matters as they begin to understand the complexity of this field.

My own chapter was about getting your first job in teaching (Ready, Steady, Teach…)
I start with a true story of encountering a real pigeon in my classroom on my 5th day ever of teaching!
When I let readers know how I gently sorted the pigeon out, the chapter is full of useful advice about
thinking through what motivates you and what principles and practicalities might guide you in securing your first teaching post.

This textbook has 41 chapters in nine clear sections. There are key chapters about the curriculum areas;
extremely useful insights into managing behaviour and learning, mental health and the importance of the Arts and Sciences together with how to promote creativity within Education.

I believe that it is truly comprehensive as a textbook, and we are fortunate to have secured top experts to write each chapter.
Anna Harrison

Chapter 1.1: Primary teaching: Personal perspectives. (pp. 3-11). Written by Teresa Cremin, Helen Hendry and Anna Harrison

Chapter 1.3: Capitalising on professional practice: Making the most of your placements. (pp. 31-46). Written by Jane Warwick, John-Mark Winstanley and Mary Anne Wolpert

This chapter examines how beginning primary students can capitalise on professional practice by making the most of the opportunities afforded by their school placements and how day-to-day experience of working with children in school will give them understanding of why theory and research are integral to effective teaching. It highlights the sometimes unexpected tensions that placements might raise and emphasise the importance of being a reflective practitioner, and examining how the dispositions you present, the questions you ask yourself as expert practitioners and the relationships you develop on placement are key factors to becoming an effective teacher. Classroom experiences provide crucial, yet sometimes challenging, learning opportunities, and they chapter offers vignettes from successful beginning students who provide insights into significant elements of their school placements.
Jane Warwick

Chapter 3.4: Managing classroom behaviour: Creating a positive classroom climate. (pp. 148-163). Written by Roland Chaplain

This chapter highlights the importance of proactive classroom management planning to create the conditions for learning and develop a positive classroom climate. You are provided with an evidence-based approach to understanding: the school as an organisation; classroom processes; yourself as a teacher; and your pupils.  Whilst it provides and overview of these topics, you are also provided with a number of references to extend and deepen your understanding of the complexities of effective behaviour management and developing positive professional relationships with your pupils.
Roland Chaplain

Chapter 9.1: Ready. Steady. Teach… (pp. 555-570). Written by  Anna Harrison and Paula Moses

Our ‘New in the Library’ shelves by the Welcome Desk and our most recently purchased ebooks section are full of a wide range of interesting titles that have been added to the Education Library Collection, including these recent publications written by members of the Faculty.

First we hop straight into the Counselling & Psychotherapy section of the Library collection (131/32) with a chapter written by Fiona Peacock:

Crenshaw, D. A., Ray, D. C., Stewart, A. L., & Brown, S. (Eds.). (2025). Play therapy: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Chapter 2: Theraplay: An attachment theory-based treatment for relational and developmental healing (pp. 19-33). Written by Fiona Peacock, Sandra Lindaman and Phyllis Booth.

Play Therapy edited by Crenshaw, Steward and Ray is now in its second edition.  It is a ‘go to’ text for graduate play therapy training in the US and provides information on the eight seminal theories of play therapy as recognised by the US Association for Play Therapy.

It was, therefore, an exciting opportunity for me to work with Phyllis Booth, one of the founders of Theraplay, and Sandra Lindaman another key mover and shaker in the Theraplay world, to update their chapter on Theraplay as one of those seminal theories of play therapy.  While it was a challenge to squeeze so much thinking into one small chapter, we managed to link the story of Theraplay, current research, including my doctoral research, and narrative to give a felt experience of Theraplay for a child and family. 

Hopefully the chapter will enthuse readers to find out more about this magical way of working with children and their primary caregivers and inspire them to learn more about the model.
Fiona Peacock

Next we head to the virtual shelves of our Education Ebook Collection with a chapter written by Pauline Rose and Ricardo Sabates:

Jules, T. d, Schweisfurth, M., Shields, R., & Thomas, M. A. M. (Eds.). (2025). The Bloomsbury handbook of method in comparative and international education. Bloomsbury.

Chapter 24: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Approaches in Comparative and International Education: (pp. 320-334). Written by Pauline Rose, Ricardo Sabates, Miriam Broeks , and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie.

In this chapter, we describe experimental and quasi-experimental research approaches, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We provide some examples in the comparative and international education (CIE) literature to illustrate benefits and challenges associated with them. Finally, we discuss future applications for experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, highlighting the importance of mixed methods.
Ricardo Sabates

Our next publication is available as both an ebook and a print book and features chapters by Karen Coats, Anna Harrison (current PhD), Rachael Levy (former PhD) and Samantha Hulston (former PhD):

Cremin, T., & McGeown, S. (Eds.). (2025). Reading for pleasure: International perspectives. Routledge.

Chapter 4: Sensory literacies to foster reading for pleasure (pp. 45-62). Written by Karen Coats

Chapter 8: Informal body talk (pp. 111-124). Written by Samantha Hulston, Lucy Leon, Helen Hendry and Teresa Cremin

Chapter 10: Home, parents and siblings (pp. 141-154). Written by Anna Harrison and Rachael Levy

In the section on Environments Conducive to Reading for Pleasure, Rachael and Anna explored the special contribution that parents and siblings make to young children’s engagement with reading within the home. In particular, the chapter demonstrates how parents (including all adults with caring responsibilities) and siblings have a significant impact on children’s relationships with reading and volitional reading practices.
Anna Harrison

Next, we head to the Second Language Teaching & Learning section of the Education Ebooks Collection with a book written by Phung Dao:

Iwashita, N., Dao, P., & Nguyen, M. X. N. C. (2025). Understanding interaction in the second language classroom context. Multilingual Matters.

This book provides an overview and analysis of the role that classroom interaction plays in instructed second language acquisition. It brings together cutting-edge research to highlight how classroom interaction facilitates L2 learning, examining it through three key theoretical lenses: the cognitive-interactionist perspective (which focuses on how conversational exchanges enhance L2 processing and acquisition), the sociocultural approach (which views cognitive development as emerging through social interaction), and language socialization (which investigates how learners navigate social interactions to integrate into the target language community). Additionally, the book critically evaluates how these research insights can be applied in classroom practice across various L2 learning environments, offering practical pedagogical implications and recommended teaching activities to help language instructors and teacher educators maximize the benefits of classroom interaction. Its primary audience includes pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as teacher trainers, who seek pedagogical guidance for L2 instruction in diverse teaching and learning contexts. The book is also relevant for undergraduate and postgraduate students aiming to understand the role of classroom interaction in L2 acquisition, as well as for researchers looking to stay updated on recent findings regarding the benefits of classroom interaction in SLA.
Phung Dao

Our last stop on this Spring selection takes us to the Classics section both in our physical library and the Education Ebooks Collection with a book edited by Steve Hunt:

Hunt, S., & Bulwer, J. (Eds.). (2024). Teaching classics worldwide: Successes, challenges and developments. Bloomsbury.

The book has six sections: Europe, The Americas, Middle East and Asia, Australasia, Africa, and Other (International Schools and Informal & Online Learning). Each section ends with a short ‘Further Reading’ section, which is a round-up of information about Classics Education in countries where there is insufficient to make a full chapter of their own, along with references to historical articles and other information which might be described as Classics Education in its broadest sense. An index provides a list of all countries mentioned. Sadly, not every country has a curriculum in which classical languages, literature or civilisation is included, but we have done our best to mention all those which have the vestiges of one. Each chapter follows a similar format: the provision of Classics Education nationally; aspects of pedagogy, course content and materials; types of assessment; contemporary challenges, concerns and success stories; teacher training; and links with outside agencies such as universities, museums and other historical sites. There is some variation, of course, and we have tried not to ‘smooth out’ the individual ‘voices’ of the writers, which we felt gave texture to the particular characteristics which Classics teaching held in each country. In those places where Classics Education is not mainstream at the secondary (high school) level, we have included information about undergraduate courses and how universities attract students to them. In some cases, this is through outreach into particular schools, using undergraduate students; in others it is through outreach activities such as Classics events and competitions.
Steve Hunt

Read more about this publication in Steve Hunt’s full introduction below: