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Teaching Skills for Dummies

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Being a "good teacher" is a difficult goal to achieve, being largely dependent on a huge variety of skills outside of the main curriculum. Teaching Skills For Dummies focuses on these 'soft' skills of teaching, from maintaining discipline to creating engaging lesson plans and monitoring performance. This essential guide promises to help teachers gain the respect of their pupils, manage potential confrontations and ultimately get the best out of both their careers and their students. Teaching Skills For Dummies includes information on:

Developing Your Teaching Style Teaching a Class Managing a Class Dealing with Different Kinds of People Succeeding Beyond the Classroom

"Don't let the title fool you; this is an essential guide and resource for any aspiring teacher. Sue Cowley uses her experience and insight to provide a comprehensive and informative resource, packed with excellent advice and brilliant suggestions for making both teaching and learning effective. A must for any teacher's bookshelf!"
- Peter Hadfield, Principal lecturer in Education, University of Bedfordshire

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

12 people are currently reading
64 people want to read

About the author

Sue Cowley

47 books13 followers
Sue Cowley is an experienced teacher, writer and presenter, whose specialism is in the area of behaviour management. After qualifying as a primary school teacher, she taught in a number of different secondary schools in London and Bristol. Sue has also taught overseas, at an international school in Portugal. She still works on a voluntary basis with children in local schools, to ensure that she keeps up to date with life 'at the chalkface'. Sue was recently called as an Expert Witness on behaviour, to appear in front of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education.

Sue is the best selling author of twenty books for teachers and parents, including Getting the Buggers to Behave, Teaching Skills for Dummies and How to Survive your First Year in Teaching. Her books have been translated into many different languages, including Slovene, Spanish and Polish. Sue has been a regular contributor to the TES and for Scholastic Magazines. She has written articles for a range of other teacher publications, and also for parenting magazines. She has also produced materials about behaviour management for the Open University / BBC. Sue has recently created a series of Positive Behaviour Management DVDs, in conjunction with educational company Creative Education.

A key part of Sue’s work is in providing training in positive behaviour management for schools and colleges around the UK and in Europe. She has given presentations for the National Union of Teachers and the General Teaching Council, for FastTrack and Advanced Skills’ teachers, to students at Cambridge, Bedford and Southampton Universities, to staff at the renowned Wellington College, and also to a number of deputy and head teacher conferences. Sue has also travelled to Europe to give training for teachers working for Service Children's Education, to teachers at international schools in Switzerland, and to teachers and trainee teachers in Slovenia. She combines her writing, training and presenting work with the wonderful job of being a parent.

Sue’s primary aim through her work is to give practical, realistic and honest advice to teachers and parents. Her books offer a combination of tips, ideas and strategies, written in an easily accessible and amusing way. Through the training courses that she runs, Sue puts across her ideas about teaching and behaviour management in a fun and engaging format.

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Brittany Fletcher.
49 reviews
June 9, 2025
Sue Cowley’s Teaching Skills For Dummies is a highly accessible, informative, and practical guide for both new and experienced educators. Written in a clear and engaging style, the book covers essential aspects of classroom teaching, from lesson planning and behaviour management to differentiation and assessment strategies.

What makes this book stand out is Cowley’s real-world experience and her talent for demystifying the complexities of teaching. The content is well-structured, full of actionable tips, and rooted in everyday classroom realities. It offers not just techniques, but also the confidence and mindset needed to thrive in the profession.

Whether you're training to teach or looking to refresh your skills, Teaching Skills For Dummies is a reliable, supportive companion that delivers genuine value. A must-have resource for anyone serious about making a positive impact in education.

Profile Image for Aida Saldana Hernandez.
290 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2021
A great book about the craft of teaching. It's very complete and gives you guidance on resources for further developoment in the last chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Risa.
762 reviews31 followers
May 6, 2014
A great book. Although some aspects were based largely on the educational system in the UK, most of the concepts can still be adapted and applied elsewhere in the world.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

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