Tom Sherrington. The Learning Rainforest: Great Teaching in Real Classrooms. New York, John Catt Educational Ltd, 2017.

What really stunned me about this book is the way that Tom has taken the research evidence that does exist, and woven it into a powerful vision of how education can transform lives, even in the most challenging settings. I know of many books that do a great job of summarizing the research on reading, on memory, on assessment, on feedback, and so on. I do not know of a single other book that addresses so well all the threads that have to be woven together to create great schools, in such a readable way.” - Dylan Wiliam The Learning Rainforest captures different elements of our understanding and experience of the art and science of teaching. It is a celebration of great teaching and the intellectual and personal rewards that it brings. It’s aimed at all teachers; busy people working in complex environments with little time to spare. The core of the book is a guide to making teaching both effective and manageable using a three-part structure: establishing conditions; building knowledge; exploring possibilities. It provides an accessible summary of key contemporary evidence-based ideas about teaching, curriculum and assessment and the debates that all teachers should be engaging in. It’s packed with strategies for making great teaching attainable in the context of real schools. The author’s ideas about what constitutes great teaching are drawn from his experiences as a teacher and a school leader over 30 years, alongside everything he has read and the debates he’s engaged with during that time.