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The Learning Rainforest: Great Teaching in Real Classrooms
The Learning Rainforest is an attempt to capture various different elements of our understanding and experience of teaching. It is a celebration of great teaching - the joy of it and the intellectual and personal rewards that teaching brings. It is aimed at teachers of all kinds; 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; it provides an accessible summary of key contemporary evidence-based ideas about teaching and learning and the debates that all teachers should be engaging in. It's a book packed with strategies for making great teaching attainable in the context of real schools.
The Learning Rainforest metaphor is an attempt to capture various different elements of our understanding and experience of teaching. Tom's ideas about what constitutes great teaching are drawn from his experiences as a teacher and a school leader over the last 30 years, alongside everything he has read and all the debates he's engaged with during that time.
An underlying theme of this book is that a career in teaching is a process of continual personal development and professional learning as is engaging in fundamental debates rage on about the kind of education we value. As you meet each new class and move from school to school, your perspectives shift; your sense of what seems to work adjusts to each new context.
In writing this book, Tom is trying to capture some of the journey he's been on. He has learned that it is ok to change your mind. More than that - sometimes it is simply necessary to get your head out of the sand, to change direction; to admit your mistakes.
The core of the book is a guide to making teaching both effective and manageable; it provides an accessible summary of key contemporary evidence-based ideas about teaching and learning and the debates that all teachers should be engaging in. It's a book packed with strategies for making great teaching attainable in the context of real schools.
The Learning Rainforest metaphor is an attempt to capture various different elements of our understanding and experience of teaching. Tom's ideas about what constitutes great teaching are drawn from his experiences as a teacher and a school leader over the last 30 years, alongside everything he has read and all the debates he's engaged with during that time.
An underlying theme of this book is that a career in teaching is a process of continual personal development and professional learning as is engaging in fundamental debates rage on about the kind of education we value. As you meet each new class and move from school to school, your perspectives shift; your sense of what seems to work adjusts to each new context.
In writing this book, Tom is trying to capture some of the journey he's been on. He has learned that it is ok to change your mind. More than that - sometimes it is simply necessary to get your head out of the sand, to change direction; to admit your mistakes.
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 16, 2023
78 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 23, 2018
UPDATE:
OMG! THE AUTHOR TWEETED ME.
Totally inspiring - 5*
I'll begin my review with a humongous quote.
Despite the many challenges teachers and schools face, I remain fiercely optimistic for the future of education because I meet so many talented, energetic and committed teachers and school leaders who are so dedicated to the professional learning process. I hope that The Learning Rainforest provides a structure and a set of ideas that can help you in what you do, ultimately leading to enhancing the educational experience of your students. This book is my contribution to the process of passing the baton to the next generation. If that includes you – it’s over to you to continue the exploration. I hope that you enjoy the journey and find your rainforest experience as rewarding as mine has been.
I honestly feel pumped and extremely inspired after reading this book. It's that time of year again where I'm stressing about going back to school - a new school with a 'newish' year group doesn't help matters. Honestly, that hasn't stopped but I now feel ready and inspired to face it.
I want to be a better teacher. The year I don't want to be a better teacher is the year I hand my notice in because I know this path of improvement is for my entire career. I want to be a better teacher for every single child that walks into my classroom. I want to be a better teacher teaching Year 4 in 2018-2019 than I was in Year 6 2017-2018. It won't be that difficult as I was an NQT so everything was new. But I want my class to have the best possible teacher because they deserve it. This is where Sherrington comes in. If you're a teacher reading my review, you need to get on EduTwitter - it is filled with multiple CPD opportunities. I would fully recommend following Tom Sherrington on Twitter.
Part 1 of his book documents where The Learning Rainforest came from and how he has been inspired to create this book. I was against this when I first picked this up but I actually found it really inspiring to see that the tips and tricks come from somewhere. PART 2 IS WHERE THE ACTION IS AT. It is filled with so many helpful tips, strategies and tricks that I cannot wait to use in my classroom. My only criticism is that it is more focused on secondary teaching, as that's where he spent his teaching career, but the majority of the strategies can be applied (if not all) and there are a lot of references to primary teaching specific teaching.
Thank you Tom Sherrington.
OMG! THE AUTHOR TWEETED ME.
Totally inspiring - 5*
I'll begin my review with a humongous quote.
Despite the many challenges teachers and schools face, I remain fiercely optimistic for the future of education because I meet so many talented, energetic and committed teachers and school leaders who are so dedicated to the professional learning process. I hope that The Learning Rainforest provides a structure and a set of ideas that can help you in what you do, ultimately leading to enhancing the educational experience of your students. This book is my contribution to the process of passing the baton to the next generation. If that includes you – it’s over to you to continue the exploration. I hope that you enjoy the journey and find your rainforest experience as rewarding as mine has been.
I honestly feel pumped and extremely inspired after reading this book. It's that time of year again where I'm stressing about going back to school - a new school with a 'newish' year group doesn't help matters. Honestly, that hasn't stopped but I now feel ready and inspired to face it.
I want to be a better teacher. The year I don't want to be a better teacher is the year I hand my notice in because I know this path of improvement is for my entire career. I want to be a better teacher for every single child that walks into my classroom. I want to be a better teacher teaching Year 4 in 2018-2019 than I was in Year 6 2017-2018. It won't be that difficult as I was an NQT so everything was new. But I want my class to have the best possible teacher because they deserve it. This is where Sherrington comes in. If you're a teacher reading my review, you need to get on EduTwitter - it is filled with multiple CPD opportunities. I would fully recommend following Tom Sherrington on Twitter.
Part 1 of his book documents where The Learning Rainforest came from and how he has been inspired to create this book. I was against this when I first picked this up but I actually found it really inspiring to see that the tips and tricks come from somewhere. PART 2 IS WHERE THE ACTION IS AT. It is filled with so many helpful tips, strategies and tricks that I cannot wait to use in my classroom. My only criticism is that it is more focused on secondary teaching, as that's where he spent his teaching career, but the majority of the strategies can be applied (if not all) and there are a lot of references to primary teaching specific teaching.
Thank you Tom Sherrington.
March 29, 2024
Although there was nothing new for me in this book, it was an interesting read. It was great to read about the Trivium (from Martin Robinson's "Trivium 21c") in another book and to have a plethora of examples that connect to the Trivium. It bring together many solid ideas on education without preaching.
The first half of the book explains Sherrington's metaphor of the Learning Rainforest and how it supported by research. The second half offers many examples how to put the theory into action.
Sherrington is not a purist. He defends the idea of students getting knowledge through direct instruction, but also sees the importance of them exploring their own ideas. The Learning Rainforest finds a balance between the two, though leaning towards a heavy knowledge bases curriculum (which I also support).
The first half of the book explains Sherrington's metaphor of the Learning Rainforest and how it supported by research. The second half offers many examples how to put the theory into action.
Sherrington is not a purist. He defends the idea of students getting knowledge through direct instruction, but also sees the importance of them exploring their own ideas. The Learning Rainforest finds a balance between the two, though leaning towards a heavy knowledge bases curriculum (which I also support).
August 27, 2023
Lackluster, uninspired, riddled with swanky metaphors. Offers nothing new to the table in a pedagogical sense and, when it does, it's problematic ideas that will disservice vulnerable students such as 'teach to the top'.
April 6, 2018
At first I thought that this may have been another tired metaphor when I was most tired in my teaching practice and I did read the various introductions and opening chapter before putting it down. Picking it up again for Easter I find a gem of a book, much of it what I strive to do most of the time if not logistically in every lesson and it has the Sherrington touch, something I knew before the purchase of the book (which I did even before thinking of it maybe being a tired metaphor!) from twitter and edu-talk. I hope to catch his presence at an event soon, too. The second section is definitely full of things I’ve tried or will try or try again. Teaching can be a Robert the Bruce thing and I need to keep reminding myself of this, especially as there’s not many lessons left with the General Studies lot I probably wouldn’t wish to see again! Recommended.
June 1, 2021
I really have very mixed feelings as I approached the culmination of this great book, for so much of it (primarily part one) I was so impressed by the phenomenal wisdom and insight that so clearly evident, however it was somewhat disappointing to read through the final section of the book only to come across the same disappointing bias against the effective integration of digital technology in classrooms that appears to beset so many educators in the UK.
It’s somewhat ironic in a way for a man who extols the virtues of direct/explicit instruction—he clearly sees its value for all the mainstream traditional subject knowledge, but when it comes to the fundamental competencies of using computers this is something he clearly feels is the icing on the proverbial educational cake. I find it hard to understand why there is such a acceptance of Digital Illiteracy in the UK even 1/5 of the way into the 21st-century.
249
“I am not a major advocate for education technology unless there is a very specific reason to use it.” 🙄
Putting aside for the moment, why you would ever choose to use any tool without a reason, it beggars belief the fact that this man has advocated so strongly for a knowledge rich curriculum involving Shakespeare and Physics and memorisation of a vast array of factual knowledge—all sorts of detailed elements of knowledge that are highly domain specific and unlikely to ever be of any practical use to any student ever, but which he justifies on the basis of how all of this knowledge “enriches“ the life of every student…. and yet he sees competence with digital technology as something which is ‘nice to have, not need to have’; ie only use it if you have a very specific reason?
Why doesn’t he feel the need to apply that logic to all of the other knowledge that he treasures?
Possibly because of his age (similar to mine) and the fact that when he went to school digital educational technology barely existed, so now because he’s made his living despite his lack of digital literacy he fails to value the need to facilitate this capacity and competency in a generation that is growing up in a very different world… a world totally dominated and mediated by digital technology. Isn’t that a specific enough reason?
It seems he, like many teachers in the UK, is very comfortable with the idea of leaving the fundamental elements of digital literacy up to little more than serendipity, but he’s not inclined to take that risk with any other form of knowledge?
Interesting to me, as I have now reached over 50 years of age without ever having learned much more than a little Physics, no Chemistry or Biology (I blame the appalling school I went to in Athenry), and yet it has had absolutely no negative impact on my life whatsoever. The one tiny element of physics knowledge I vaguely recall was learning Hooke’s law, what use has that ever been to me? None whatsoever. In that regard I am confident in saying that my knowledge of Physics is definitely in the ‘nice to have, but not need to have’ category, and absolutely not something that meets his standard of ‘requiring a very specific reason in order to use it’. I doubt the same could be said to him or anyone else in the developed world in terms of their reliance on Digital Literacy
Ultimately it should be every teachers responsibility to determine not IF but WHERE digital technology is useful, or can amplify or transform how students learn within their subject, and then as a teacher to teach that skill and knowledge explicitly and ensure it is a competence that they expect every student to demonstrate within the context of the subject domain of which they are an expert.
I’m guessing he’s fallen for the myth of the “digital native“ and so therefore appears to imply a basic advocation for what I would call DIY Digital Literacy …
255
“Use online tutorials for skills you don’t have time to teach yourself. I discovered that students can often use online tutorials for using software packages such as spreadsheets. In one Year 10 class, I had a whole group making spreadsheets with a stopping distance calculator involving drop-down menus, formulas and vlookups. They used online tutorials to teach themselves how to use vlookups with great success. I got some superb results with minimal lesson time given to the spreadsheet business allowing us to focus on the science.”
… and so the double standard rears its ugly head yet again, here is a teacher who would never abandon his students to learn the fundamental principles of Physics by relying on YouTube videos, but has no problem at all with expecting them to teach themselves how to become digitally literate on their own. Why is it that he as a teacher doesn’t include the responsibility to facilitate his students’ Digital Literacy with the same amount of importance as the other subject content? You can be sure there are plenty of online tutorials teaching the fundamental principles of science, but somehow he doesn’t feel that that would be appropriate in science, but it is when it comes to digital literacy?
Ultimately a disappointing end to what was an excellent part one, if I had stopped there I think my opinion of this book would be closer to 5 stars as it is I’m struggling to decide whether to give it three or four… I suspect he’s a little too keen to keep his allies on the Mode A traditional end of the spectrum happy, that probably explains his lack of enthusiasm for teaching ICT skills properly, and his enthusiastic embracing of rote learning and memorisation. Again I cannot think of a single element of anything I’ve ever had to learn off by heart that I’ve actually ever found to be truly useful, other than those elements which I’ve ended up learning off by heart purely through natural repeated use such as my phone number. If there is one positive which has surfaced towards the end of this book is a renewed appreciation of the arguments by Guy Claxton, I think his latest book will be next!
It’s somewhat ironic in a way for a man who extols the virtues of direct/explicit instruction—he clearly sees its value for all the mainstream traditional subject knowledge, but when it comes to the fundamental competencies of using computers this is something he clearly feels is the icing on the proverbial educational cake. I find it hard to understand why there is such a acceptance of Digital Illiteracy in the UK even 1/5 of the way into the 21st-century.
249
“I am not a major advocate for education technology unless there is a very specific reason to use it.” 🙄
Putting aside for the moment, why you would ever choose to use any tool without a reason, it beggars belief the fact that this man has advocated so strongly for a knowledge rich curriculum involving Shakespeare and Physics and memorisation of a vast array of factual knowledge—all sorts of detailed elements of knowledge that are highly domain specific and unlikely to ever be of any practical use to any student ever, but which he justifies on the basis of how all of this knowledge “enriches“ the life of every student…. and yet he sees competence with digital technology as something which is ‘nice to have, not need to have’; ie only use it if you have a very specific reason?
Why doesn’t he feel the need to apply that logic to all of the other knowledge that he treasures?
Possibly because of his age (similar to mine) and the fact that when he went to school digital educational technology barely existed, so now because he’s made his living despite his lack of digital literacy he fails to value the need to facilitate this capacity and competency in a generation that is growing up in a very different world… a world totally dominated and mediated by digital technology. Isn’t that a specific enough reason?
It seems he, like many teachers in the UK, is very comfortable with the idea of leaving the fundamental elements of digital literacy up to little more than serendipity, but he’s not inclined to take that risk with any other form of knowledge?
Interesting to me, as I have now reached over 50 years of age without ever having learned much more than a little Physics, no Chemistry or Biology (I blame the appalling school I went to in Athenry), and yet it has had absolutely no negative impact on my life whatsoever. The one tiny element of physics knowledge I vaguely recall was learning Hooke’s law, what use has that ever been to me? None whatsoever. In that regard I am confident in saying that my knowledge of Physics is definitely in the ‘nice to have, but not need to have’ category, and absolutely not something that meets his standard of ‘requiring a very specific reason in order to use it’. I doubt the same could be said to him or anyone else in the developed world in terms of their reliance on Digital Literacy
Ultimately it should be every teachers responsibility to determine not IF but WHERE digital technology is useful, or can amplify or transform how students learn within their subject, and then as a teacher to teach that skill and knowledge explicitly and ensure it is a competence that they expect every student to demonstrate within the context of the subject domain of which they are an expert.
I’m guessing he’s fallen for the myth of the “digital native“ and so therefore appears to imply a basic advocation for what I would call DIY Digital Literacy …
255
“Use online tutorials for skills you don’t have time to teach yourself. I discovered that students can often use online tutorials for using software packages such as spreadsheets. In one Year 10 class, I had a whole group making spreadsheets with a stopping distance calculator involving drop-down menus, formulas and vlookups. They used online tutorials to teach themselves how to use vlookups with great success. I got some superb results with minimal lesson time given to the spreadsheet business allowing us to focus on the science.”
… and so the double standard rears its ugly head yet again, here is a teacher who would never abandon his students to learn the fundamental principles of Physics by relying on YouTube videos, but has no problem at all with expecting them to teach themselves how to become digitally literate on their own. Why is it that he as a teacher doesn’t include the responsibility to facilitate his students’ Digital Literacy with the same amount of importance as the other subject content? You can be sure there are plenty of online tutorials teaching the fundamental principles of science, but somehow he doesn’t feel that that would be appropriate in science, but it is when it comes to digital literacy?
Ultimately a disappointing end to what was an excellent part one, if I had stopped there I think my opinion of this book would be closer to 5 stars as it is I’m struggling to decide whether to give it three or four… I suspect he’s a little too keen to keep his allies on the Mode A traditional end of the spectrum happy, that probably explains his lack of enthusiasm for teaching ICT skills properly, and his enthusiastic embracing of rote learning and memorisation. Again I cannot think of a single element of anything I’ve ever had to learn off by heart that I’ve actually ever found to be truly useful, other than those elements which I’ve ended up learning off by heart purely through natural repeated use such as my phone number. If there is one positive which has surfaced towards the end of this book is a renewed appreciation of the arguments by Guy Claxton, I think his latest book will be next!
May 16, 2018
I read a lot of ed books. Good ones. (And, yeah, occasional bad ones, but just for research purposes.) This one, though, goes WAY up there. Hits a balance between practical and theoretical that I don't know if I've ever seen. Highly recommended, ed cases.
June 2, 2018
This is one of the most enjoyable and useful books I've read in a while, which is why it has taken me so long to read: I started it, finished and then re-read with purpose because there are so many things I'd like to discuss with colleagues across all subject areas and departments. At its heart is the concept of making school a rich and meaningful process of learning for students, and it tackles both the issue of school culture and the nitty gritty practical components to inform lessons and planning that are necessary to achieve this. Really helpful, interesting and stimulating.
April 21, 2020
Wish I read this book in my training year or NQT year. A great book about the current debates in teaching and research. But beyond that, it's a book which provides so many usable ideas about teaching, questioning, behaviour, activities etc. Can't recommend highly enough for anyone in teaching who has not read it yet - definitely makes you think a lot more about your own teaching and how it can be improved.
September 16, 2024
If You’re Interested In Actual Education…
What I most liked about this book was that it was circumspect. Far too many ideas in education suggest that they’ve found “the answer” and that what worked in one place will work everywhere. Sherrington compares learning to a rainforest and suggests that one needs a lot of factors working in order to achieve the best results. Well worth reading!
What I most liked about this book was that it was circumspect. Far too many ideas in education suggest that they’ve found “the answer” and that what worked in one place will work everywhere. Sherrington compares learning to a rainforest and suggests that one needs a lot of factors working in order to achieve the best results. Well worth reading!
December 30, 2022
I enjoyed part 1 of this book much more than part 2. Part 1 was much more engaging and really got me thinking whereas part 2 (the toolkit) felt much more like repetitions of good practice. Not a bad idea, but just not the same. I really enjoyed that the writer was a science teacher and so many examples of integrating into the curriculum were subject specific to me.
February 19, 2019
A very interesting and enjoyable read. Gave me a lot to think about and I found myself agreeing more than I disagreed.
Personally, I wasn't too keen on the large sections of material copied and pasted from his blog but he explains why he does that at the start.
Personally, I wasn't too keen on the large sections of material copied and pasted from his blog but he explains why he does that at the start.
May 23, 2021
No es un mal libro, pero apenas me ha aportado nada. Me salté incluso algún capítulo. Hace muchas reflexiones interesantes pero las recomendaciones y técnicas que da las explica de manera muy superficial y con pocos ejemplos. Recomendaría otros libros antes que éste.
May 8, 2018
I really enjoyed this book - infinitely readable and just plain good sense.practical and theoretical with good chapter summaries to assist with looking back and revisiting key points
March 8, 2019
Well written but hard to look past his recent track record. Google and you’ll see what I mean. Pinch of salt.
March 15, 2020
Amazing book! Everyone interested in education must read it.
July 20, 2020
Lots that's very good about the book, and I found lots helpful. But it felt like it was trying to cover too many bases overall, and the first chapter could be cut without any major loss.
Read
March 31, 2021Excellent book. Must read for all teachers and school leaders
September 16, 2021
Not sure this added anything that you don’t get, better, from Lemov.
June 9, 2022
A teaching Bible!
December 15, 2025
The Learning Rainforest is a great read. I find the book's central metaphor quite thought-provoking. The structure divides into three main sections: the rainforest metaphor itself, Mode A teaching, and Mode B teaching. The Mode A and B framework particularly resonated with me.
I appreciated Sherrington's categorisation of Direct Instruction as Mode A and independent practice as Mode B. His suggestion that teaching should comprise roughly 80% Mode A and 20% Mode B is useful. It's a helpful guide, though I'd offer a quick reminder that we shouldn't be dogmatic about these percentages. What I like is having 80% of the curriculum focus on direct, explicit instruction where knowledge takes priority. Knowledge remains the most essential aspect of learning. The remaining 20% consolidates that knowledge whilst developing skills.
If Mode A is teacher-led, then Mode B is student-led. I appreciate how Sherrington explains that these Mode B activities are enriching things that have value for their own sake. This Mode B component is what I find particularly interesting. Sherrington invites readers to pick up the ideas in the book and run with them, which sparked my thinking about how to develop this challenging aspect of teaching and learning. I'm keen to explore how we help students make their knowledge flexible, developing genuinely transferable skills.
The book offers a clear framework without being prescriptive. It's given me something practical to work with as I think about balancing explicit instruction with opportunities for students to apply and extend their learning.
I listened to the audiobook version, and Sherrington does a good job as narrator. His delivery makes the ideas accessible, which suits the practical nature of the content.
I appreciated Sherrington's categorisation of Direct Instruction as Mode A and independent practice as Mode B. His suggestion that teaching should comprise roughly 80% Mode A and 20% Mode B is useful. It's a helpful guide, though I'd offer a quick reminder that we shouldn't be dogmatic about these percentages. What I like is having 80% of the curriculum focus on direct, explicit instruction where knowledge takes priority. Knowledge remains the most essential aspect of learning. The remaining 20% consolidates that knowledge whilst developing skills.
If Mode A is teacher-led, then Mode B is student-led. I appreciate how Sherrington explains that these Mode B activities are enriching things that have value for their own sake. This Mode B component is what I find particularly interesting. Sherrington invites readers to pick up the ideas in the book and run with them, which sparked my thinking about how to develop this challenging aspect of teaching and learning. I'm keen to explore how we help students make their knowledge flexible, developing genuinely transferable skills.
The book offers a clear framework without being prescriptive. It's given me something practical to work with as I think about balancing explicit instruction with opportunities for students to apply and extend their learning.
I listened to the audiobook version, and Sherrington does a good job as narrator. His delivery makes the ideas accessible, which suits the practical nature of the content.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews