Motivated Teaching: Harnessing the science of motivation to boost attention and effort in the classroom: 3 (High Impact Teaching)

I was introduced to Peps’ work at the start of lockdown by my former coach. Since then I have lived and breathed the memorable teaching and lean lesson planning books, using them as valuable evidence to inform coaching sessions with NQTs and UQTs. Although I found most of it is what I already do it is fascinating to understand the science behind what has become instinctive as an experienced teacher. My favourite part of this book found your references for further reading. His book is concise as to not cognitively over load the reader but these further reading references offer you the opportunity to delve deeper into any areas that peak your interest.Although the first two books were awesome nothing has prepared me for motivated teaching. I want to use the term life changing… it seems a bit dramatic but nothing else seems dramatic enough! It really is! Again, some of it is stuff I already do but fascinating to learn why I do it, but then there is so much knowledge that I have gained that I am so excited to implement that I’m kind of gutted that I now have 2 weeks before I can start!!As a teacher of SEN (ASC and PDA) there are so many tips of how to engage students and build belonging discreetly. The chapter on nudging norms has given me so many ideas of how to gradually change the culture and create a solid team. These strategies can be used with students and staff where needed. And it has given me the skills I need to kick the sugar habit! There are just so many wins in this book!Thanks Peps!

There's a telling passage early on in Mccrea's latest: "Today's children are expected to learn things that took humankind centenniels of accumulated endeavour to understand". Not only is it a fabulous insight of the kind that often gets overlooked in education but it's also revealing of Mccrea's approach to his books: he condenses thousands upon thousands of pages of research from across many years, across many academic disciplines, into a package that is not only easy to understand but also fun to read. Or perhaps I should avoid the word 'fun' (see page 36-37). But I surely won't be the only person who finds themself swept up in Mccrea's prose sufficiently motivated to read the whole thing in one sitting.I'm not sure Mccrea would want to hear this as his taking a determindely ultra-concise approach meant the book took him three years to write, but I raced through it in an hour. Like in his previous book, Memorable Teaching (to which this is a sort of sequel), he communicates complex ideas with impressive succintness. So apt are they that they often left me slack-jawed in appreciation.This really is everything you need to know about improving motivation in school in a small but perfectly-formed package.Having enjoyed Mccrea's Memorable Teaching and used it as the basis for a whole year of staff CPD, I eagerly awaited his follow-up and this is arguably even better. I'll be buying copies for my Teaching and Learning Team at school and planning more CPD around my own take aways - of which there are many.

A good way to view motivation in the classroom

I put aside a Sunday afternoon and read this book cover to cover in one go. It’s a succinct, informative, handbook for anyone wanting to gain an understanding what motivation is and 5 core drivers for building it in the classroom. At the end of each chapter are links to further research that Peps has collated so that you can look into any areas that pique your interest, he’s gone to a lot of effort to collate it all so accessibly and coherently.Having read this I shall endeavor to nudge the norms and build belonging (my areas to work on) starting next week with my year 11 class. I shall also try to secure success and run routines personally in my running outside of school after losing focus over lockdown/summer holidays.I really enjoyed this book and am keen to recommend to others.Congratulations to Pep on writing such a helpful book that will no doubt improve the lives of many teachers and their pupils during their time in school and for the rest of their lives.

The way Peps writes is extremely accessible - short, targeted chapters with little fluff, and a focus on exactly what you need to know to understand something. It allows for a great introduction/overview of the idea of motivation, with plently of high-quality and easily searchable sources, should you want to explore the ideas covered in your own time.The book itself is made up of densely packed content that at no times feels overwhelming to engage with. It covers almsot all aspects one could consider when thinking about motivation, from the psychology behind it to the environments required to achieve it and the approaches teachers can take to get the most out of their students.The lessons you take away are not only limited to the classroom - any teacher or educator in any kind of capacity, even any person looking to improve motivation for either themselves or others can pick up key insights upon which to act.A great read for anyone looking to learn more about this highly complex and fascinating subject!

In a sea of interesting and insightful educational voices in what is clearly a golden age of educational books it is hard to find a USP. However, Peps Mccrea has done just that- he makes every word count and writes precise, short and beautifully insightful books. This one is on a topic that has always neared the top of my- I wish I really had a grip on this- list. I remember raising it as my number one topic for further reading at my last school’s Learning Group. The fascinating topic of motivation. I loved the way this book characterised motivation as a system for allocating attention based on the best available investments. It then identified five core drivers- based on economic and psychological thought. All of which made sense and touched on all the key aspects of good teaching (curriculum, positive relationships and pedagogy) but all in 125 pages. Another Mccrea masterpiece.

All of Peps McCrea's books should be in every school faculty library!They are brilliant - succinct and full of brilliant ideas to improve teachers' practice.Thoroughly recommend all of them!

This book is a must read for begining teachers that are in the process of automating their classrooms. This book will fill you in on implementing routines and motivating students not only to fall in line but to also complete the work requested.

This is a concise outline of the research around motivation in teaching, aimed at K-12 teachers. The book is built around what Mccrea has pulled out and sequenced as the five main drivers for motivation, organized in a simple flowchart.Each short chapter is a brief outline of the support for the main points, ending with a bullet point summary and notes for further reading. Each main text point is summarized in a one-sentence Key Idea statement. I appreciate the bit.ly links that I can pull up on my phone when I want to dive into the research for myself.As someone with decades of experience in teaching online, much of this is applicable to today's teaching.My only caveat is that because of the brevity, much of the explanatory detail and nuance is lost, leaving statements that seem almost like Twitter-length aphorisms. As a result, this book would not easily translate to classroom practice for novice teachers. Applying Mccrea's notes would be another book-length endeavor.