The Lazy Teacher's Handbook: How your students learn more when you teach less

by Jim Smith, Ian Gilbert

Ever wondered what would happen if you stopped teaching in your lessons? You might be surprised. If you want your students to learn more and you to work less, then this book provides you with all the arguments and evidence you need to become a lazy, but outstanding teacher. Gathered over 10 years in the classroom, this handbook of tried-and-tested techniques shifts the emphasis away from the teaching and onto the learning, and makes your life so much easier in the process. Fed up missing out on those sunny Sundays? Maybe your marking could be done by the local community instead? Sick of planning lessons? Get the students to plan them for you. (After all, personalised learning can't involve 30 lesson plans!). This powerful book is packed full of easy-to-apply and highly effective strategies (which Ofsted have rated as 'outstanding' ). What's more, they all have the seal of approval of real students in real classrooms. In fact, many of them have been thought up by the students themselves, but that's why Jim Smith is called the Lazy Teacher. So, next time someone says to you to get a life, this book will make it possible.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Teachers

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Jim Smith, the laziest (yet still professional) teacher in town, is a head of school, education consultant, Independent Thinking Associate, speaker and bestselling author.

Reviews

[MrBReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very readable, simple (yet not at all simplistic!) book with one key message: we need to stop putting so much pressure on our own active teaching, and instead see how we can empower our pupils to actively learn. In other words, 'How your students learn more when you teach less'.
This book is not a deep, theoretical book. Instead it provides many examples of how a teacher can switch their focus from teacher-exertion to student-initiative.
In particular I really enjoyed the section on meta-cognition and the example of a 'meta-menu', and I shall certainly be looking to take elements of this, at age-appropriate level, to the year 2 class in which I am currently a Teaching Assistant, and beyond as I consider taking the teaching plunge!
If you can get hold of this work (I got mine from my local library!), I would certainly recommend you do - this is one of the easiest reads I have tackled this year and for an education book that must surely tempt you!

[Ben KR · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very much centred around a British educational context and thus, while Smith does explain how the 'lazy way' improves student learning, there is far too great an emphasis on ticking boxes for the seemingly feared and loathed Ofsted inspectors. And while there were some practical suggestions that I found intriguing and will look to try in my classroom, many of the suggestions appear quite outdated.

[Marieke Izelaar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weinig vernieuwend als je onlangs (laten we zeggen in de afgelopen 5 jaar) met didactiek bezig geweest bent. Dit kan ofwel in de vorm van een opleiding, ofwel door eigen literatuur. Op wilskracht uitgelezen. Desalniettemin toch 3 notities gemaakt met werkvormen die mogelijk boeiend lijken.

[Nathan Oldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The word "Lazy" is a marketing ploy; the cruz of this book is supposedly that if you provide your students with less structure, they'll become more independent learners. This is a valuable lesson. My beef with the book is that there are pages and pages of lesson ideas that *seem* like they're just different ways you can make a class do some creative thinking together. I got about 1.5 pages of notes out of the book, and it was a breezy read, but it wasn't what I'd hoped it would be. Also, I personally did not like the author's attempts at being funny at the beginning of each chapter.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a student teacher I really felt this was the book I needed, as it provided so many "Ah Uh" moments and "I cant wait to use that idea." It's very simple to read and also refer back to, providing so many great ideas but also taking into consideration how much teachers have to fit in, in a very short amount of time. Would highly recommend this book to any teacher.

[Luana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plenty of level-headed and even quite innovative advice, but hidden under a thick layer of attempts at humour and waffling on about... well, who knows. The irony was not lost on me that I had to wade through so much padding to get to the time-saving tips.

[Carrie Ann Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book which gives me some good ideas for the classroom is worthy of 5 stars...One good idea is worth its weight in gold!

[Wayne Symes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What is we were able to work less? What if we stopped trying to control everything that happened in our classrooms, all the time? What if we could have the students doing more of the work” (vi)

While you could argue that the title of this book has unfortunate implications the key focus, that when students are given more responsibility for their own learning that learning resonates more, is a solid one. While the author (and consequently most of the examples and stories) originates in the English system there is much in here that can be applied no matter what the context. As I read this book, it also struck me that the focus is also upon upper Primary to Middle School students, however much of what is here could also be easily adapted to High School with just a small amount of imagination.

Smith's focus is all about involving students more in their own education (rather than lecture style or teacher centered learning) which fits beautifully with the student-centered learning that is the focus of the I.B. so this is a really useful resource in order to try and include more of this practice in our teaching. Primarily, it is a list of suggestions of different approaches, techniques, and lesson options that can be adapted and applied across the curriculum in order to give more variety to our teaching and work more effectively with the young people in our classrooms.

The chapters include:

1. Old Fashioned Teaching with a Twist (making small adjustments to your approach)

2. Lesson Outcomes (making sure that the outcome is the focus of planning)

3. Structuring (including time for review of what has been learned)

4. Great Ideas (a series of ideas for different lesson styles)

5. Marking (how to improve student interaction with feedback and grading)

6. Using Technology (how it can be used to make learning better, not just for its own sake)

7. Language (being conscious of the way we speak to students)

8. Differentiation (focused on knowing our students and their needs)

9. S.E.AL. (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning)

10. Teaching Assistants (how to work more effectively with others)

and 11. Tutor Time (how to make use of a homeroom/advisory class)

While I read this book from cover to cover, and that was useful, ultimately I believe that I will keep going back to this book and dipping into different sections to give me ideas to spice up my classroom practice (after all, I get bored of doing the same thing all the time just as much as my students do). While there are many things about our teaching that we can't necessarily change, such as the assessment that needs to be completed for the Diploma, the ways in which we can present information can certainly be more varied and this book is an excellent resource for encouraging me to think of different ways to do this.

[LAURA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reminder of strategies a teacher can use so that learners do more learning. As the author says, this is “the Lazy Way – a philosophy that shifts the emphasis from teaching to learning, as well as shifting the workload from the teacher to the students…
“The act of being lazy (and, as you know, teaching is in no small part an act) is actually masking your work by setting up highly personalised, creative learning experiences that progress students’ learning without them always noticing.”

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. I may have to implement some of the tips for the next school year. Why should I expend all my limited energy on the job and not get results when I could utilize the students' energy and they learn something during the process?

[Joyce527 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read. I got inspired by many practical classroom routines and techniques. I will try out some of the ideas in life. It’s inspiring. The laziest teacher focus on the essence: work on building human connections with the students.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a seminal book that every teacher should read.

once they have read it, they should enact it.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/4 Some of it seemed like ways to save time (fair enough) but I did find some helpful tips and strategies that I want to try to implement.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous book. Entertaining to read and full of fabulous ideas to get students engaged and learning.

[Cigdem · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair, this book is not written for university teachers. There are some interesting tips there, mostly common sense, and not much to apply to classes of 380 students.

[G M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant book with excellent advice and very practical strategies.
Definitely aimed more for older/secondary students.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really easy and quick book to read, with lots of bullet points. I like that after a long day.

It contained lots of different ideas which involved the teacher doing less and encouraging more child let learning. It provided lots of ideas for different areas, including; differentiation, marking and teaching. None were specific to a year group or subject but most could be adapted for my class. I liked that I did a lot of his ideas already without even realising it - especially behaviour management. Both myself and my house mated (year 1 +2) were able to take ideas and apply them the next day.

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is filled with concrete 'how to' strategies to manage a teacher's workload. The options and opportunities to think about alternatives for assessment tasks while considering - with depth and complexity - the nature of learning outcomes is profoundly useful.

At its most basic, this asks teachers to re-consider the nature of 'busy work.' Are the tasks we complete important, relevant or even useful? This book provides not only answers to that question, but alternative modes of working, teaching, learning and thinking.

[Aaron Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent purveyor of my mindset towards teaching - which is Teach Less, Learn More. This is chockfull of methods and strategies designed to save the teacher time and expect more of the students. Highly recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book that clearly unpicks every aspect of a lesson then helps you put it all together in a new 'lazy' way. Excellent ideas to move towards and achieve good/outstanding independent learners in the classroom. Highly recommend.

[Joss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of good ideas, not all applicable to all subjects or all contexts, but inspiring enough that one can come up with one's own variations.

Recommended to all teachers, be they overworked, creative, inexperienced or, ahem, old school.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! This shows you how to give students a fishing rod rather than a fish. I am going to use some of the activities in my classroom next term.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life saver!

[Judymay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really great. I enjoyed it a lot. Lots of really helpful hints and tips. I'm converted to the Lazy Way.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good ideas but the self-satisfaction is strong.