Peter Woods

This book explores how the Catholic Church can connect powerfully with young people through the evangelising mission of the Catholic school. The understanding, commitment, and intentional focus of educators in this mission is critical. Their task is one of proclaiming Jesus through the transforming work of the Spirit. Responding to this grace opens the 'door of faith' for young people and ushers in a lifelong journey of discipleship and relationship. "Throughout my long career working for catholic education in the Vatican, I have read many books and studies about how Catholic education should be. Waves of Grace, based on Peter's own long experience, his professional academic analysis and the success stories of programs like Spiritus, shows a possible and practicable way for educational leaders to transform Catholic schools into lighthouses and power stations of excellent education and evangelisation. Anyone passionate about Catholic schools may find inspiration in this book for their relationship with Christ - like me - and even catch a wave of grace amidst their professional service."Fr Friedrich Bechina - Undersecretary for Congregation for Catholic Education (2013 - 2022) and international consultant in Catholic education.

The fully updated third edition of Successful Writing for Qualitative Researchers includes new material on the nature of qualitative research and the significance of contemporary circumstances in which academic writers have to work, as well as ethical considerations and authorial responsibilities. It provides a wealth of information and practical tips required to successfully translate qualitative research into writing.Using a wide range of examples, the authors provide tried and tested methods that explore the mindsets, strategies and techniques involved in successful qualitative writing, and the opportunities and rewards that are available. Considering the continuing pressure on researchers to produce high-quality writing in difficult circumstances, this book provides guidance on: The nature of qualitative research The conditions for successful writing The responsibilities of the author Getting started and keeping going Organising your work Traditional and arts-based modes of writing Styles of writing Editing your work Preparing for publicationClear, concise, and engaging, this must-read guide is suitable for all those in the social sciences seeking to formulate their qualitative research into writing with maximum effectiveness, including undergraduates, postgraduates, and academics, whether in dissertations, theses, research reports, journal and magazine articles, conference papers or books.

The fully updated third edition of Successful Writing for Qualitative Researchers includes new material on the nature of qualitative research and the significance of contemporary circumstances in which academic writers have to work, as well as ethical considerations and authorial responsibilities. It provides a wealth of information and practical tips required to successfully translate qualitative research into writing.Using a wide range of examples, the authors provide tried and tested methods that explore the mindsets, strategies and techniques involved in successful qualitative writing, and the opportunities and rewards that are available. Considering the continuing pressure on researchers to produce high-quality writing in difficult circumstances, this book provides guidance on: The nature of qualitative research The conditions for successful writing The responsibilities of the author Getting started and keeping going Organising your work Traditional and arts-based modes of writing Styles of writing Editing your work Preparing for publicationClear, concise, and engaging, this must-read guide is suitable for all those in the social sciences seeking to formulate their qualitative research into writing with maximum effectiveness, including undergraduates, postgraduates, and academics, whether in dissertations, theses, research reports, journal and magazine articles, conference papers or books.

How do multicultural children and their parents experience the very beginning of their school careers?How do teachers mediate the demands of the educational system, and how do the children adapt?What kind of access to the National Curriculum is offered to multicultural children?Originally published in 1999, the authors answer these questions by drawing on two years’ intensive research in three multi-ethnic institutions. They explore teachers’ values and beliefs and how they attempt to put them into practice. They describe how, at times, teachers were constrained to get things done because of pressures operating on them, but at other times, taught creatively in a way particularly relevant to the children’s concerns and cultures.The authors studied the children’s experiences on their transition into school, and argue that they were inducted into not only a general pupil role, but also one based on an anglicised model of pupil. Opportunities for learning which children found most meaningful came notably from free play, but these became gradually more limited as they engaged with the National Curriculum. These young children were forming complex identities as they sought to respond to the varying influences operating them. Their parents saw a cultural divide opening up between home and school. Many suggestions for practice and policy are made in the course of the book and are still relevant today.

Changing schools at 11 or 12+ is a critical, often traumatic event in a pupil’s career. Earlier studies had looked at this transitional stage from the schools’ point of view, in the light of institutional aims and objectives. Originally published in 1984, this richly detailed and readable study looks at it from the pupils’ point of view: it illustrates their perceptions of the transfer, their anxieties and their experiences.The book is the result of a research project, in which children transferring from a typical middle school to a typical comprehensive in a Midlands town were observed over a period of eighteen months. The authors reveal various ways in which children adjust to a large, more complex school organisation, to new forms of discipline and authority, and new demands in school work. They emphasise the significance of teenage culture during this period, and identify an important area of interplay between school culture and sub-culture. They pay special attention to gender identities, and the ways in which these affect pupils’ responses to different subjects in the curriculum.Finally, they consider the theoretical and policy implications of their survey, and make positive recommendations for improving school and classroom practice at both primary and secondary level.

Creative teaching is an art form – aesthetic, intuitive and expressive. The proliferation of new educational policies in the early 1990s and the related increase in tensions and dilemmas facing schools, combined with the growing demand for a wider range of skills and knowledge among children meant that there was an even greater need for creative teaching than before the National Curriculum. Originally published in 1996, this book addresses this need by: exploring the features of creative teaching with a focus on the day to day practice of primary teachers; showing how teachers used emotion, created atmosphere and stimulated imagination to enhance their teaching; examining the ways in which teachers managed the National Curriculum and developed a new professional discourse in response to government pressures at the time. This book is a sequel to Creative Teachers in Primary Schools and builds upon this work providing new insights into the art of teaching.

Is creative teaching still possible in English schools? Can teachers maintain and promote their own interests and beliefs as well as deliver a prescribed National Curriculum?Originally published in 1995, this book explores creative teachers’ attempts to pursue their brand of teaching despite the changes. Peter Woods has discovered a range of strategies and adaptations to this end among such teachers, including resisting change which runs counter to their own values; appropriating the National Curriculum within their own ethos; enhancing their role through the use of others; and enriching their work through the National Curriculum to provide quality learning experiences. If all else fails, such teachers remove themselves from the system and take their creativity elsewhere. A strong theme of self-determination runs through these experiences.While acknowledging hard realities, the book is ultimately optimistic, and a tribute to the dedication and inspiration of primary teachers.The book makes an important contribution to educational theory, showing a range of responses to intensification as well as providing many detailed examples of collaborative research methods.

Drawing on wide ranging research this book, originally published in 1997, explores how the policy changes of previous years were affecting primary teachers and their work at the time. Within the context of worldwide restructuring, the thoughts, feelings and activities of teachers in their daily work are examined. The core argument is that what used to be a complex but fulfilling job distinguished by professional dilemmas, which are amenable to professional skill, had become increasingly marked by tension and constraint, which frustrates teacher creativity. While some teachers found new opportunities in the ‘new’ primary school, many used strategical and micro-political activity in order to cope, while others fell victim to stress and burnout. The authors argue that teachers’ own active involvement in policy change is required if their creative potential is to be realized. The book will still be of interest to teachers in primary schools, researchers and policy makers.

How do multicultural children and their parents experience the very beginning of their school careers?How do teachers mediate the demands of the educational system, and how do the children adapt?What kind of access to the National Curriculum is offered to multicultural children?Originally published in 1999, the authors answer these questions by drawing on two years’ intensive research in three multi-ethnic institutions. They explore teachers’ values and beliefs and how they attempt to put them into practice. They describe how, at times, teachers were constrained to get things done because of pressures operating on them, but at other times, taught creatively in a way particularly relevant to the children’s concerns and cultures.The authors studied the children’s experiences on their transition into school, and argue that they were inducted into not only a general pupil role, but also one based on an anglicised model of pupil. Opportunities for learning which children found most meaningful came notably from free play, but these became gradually more limited as they engaged with the National Curriculum. These young children were forming complex identities as they sought to respond to the varying influences operating them. Their parents saw a cultural divide opening up between home and school. Many suggestions for practice and policy are made in the course of the book and are still relevant today.

Eldenburg's Management is an introductory text that focuses on presenting content in an easy to understand way that encourages students to think critically and draw connections between theory and practice. This new seventh edition has a strengthened focus on technology and features have been updated to help students further consolidate their knowledge.This includes various forms of revision materials such as auto-graded knowledge-check questions and self-skill assessment. There is also a broad variety of concise case studies, including new ones with a strategic focus, which enable instructors to have thought-provoking and engaging tutorials. An exciting addition to the interactive e-text are the new ANZ videos that feature a diverse group of management thought-leaders who give insights and 'tales from the front.' This will provide supplementary content for lectures or serve as pre-work for a flipped classroom.

Changing schools at 11 or 12+ is a critical, often traumatic event in a pupil’s career. Earlier studies had looked at this transitional stage from the schools’ point of view, in the light of institutional aims and objectives. Originally published in 1984, this richly detailed and readable study looks at it from the pupils’ point of view: it illustrates their perceptions of the transfer, their anxieties and their experiences.The book is the result of a research project, in which children transferring from a typical middle school to a typical comprehensive in a Midlands town were observed over a period of eighteen months. The authors reveal various ways in which children adjust to a large, more complex school organisation, to new forms of discipline and authority, and new demands in school work. They emphasise the significance of teenage culture during this period, and identify an important area of interplay between school culture and sub-culture. They pay special attention to gender identities, and the ways in which these affect pupils’ responses to different subjects in the curriculum.Finally, they consider the theoretical and policy implications of their survey, and make positive recommendations for improving school and classroom practice at both primary and secondary level.

Is creative teaching still possible in English schools? Can teachers maintain and promote their own interests and beliefs as well as deliver a prescribed National Curriculum?Originally published in 1995, this book explores creative teachers’ attempts to pursue their brand of teaching despite the changes. Peter Woods has discovered a range of strategies and adaptations to this end among such teachers, including resisting change which runs counter to their own values; appropriating the National Curriculum within their own ethos; enhancing their role through the use of others; and enriching their work through the National Curriculum to provide quality learning experiences. If all else fails, such teachers remove themselves from the system and take their creativity elsewhere. A strong theme of self-determination runs through these experiences.While acknowledging hard realities, the book is ultimately optimistic, and a tribute to the dedication and inspiration of primary teachers.The book makes an important contribution to educational theory, showing a range of responses to intensification as well as providing many detailed examples of collaborative research methods.

Creative teaching is an art form – aesthetic, intuitive and expressive. The proliferation of new educational policies in the early 1990s and the related increase in tensions and dilemmas facing schools, combined with the growing demand for a wider range of skills and knowledge among children meant that there was an even greater need for creative teaching than before the National Curriculum. Originally published in 1996, this book addresses this need by: exploring the features of creative teaching with a focus on the day to day practice of primary teachers; showing how teachers used emotion, created atmosphere and stimulated imagination to enhance their teaching; examining the ways in which teachers managed the National Curriculum and developed a new professional discourse in response to government pressures at the time. This book is a sequel to Creative Teachers in Primary Schools and builds upon this work providing new insights into the art of teaching.

Drawing on wide ranging research this book, originally published in 1997, explores how the policy changes of previous years were affecting primary teachers and their work at the time. Within the context of worldwide restructuring, the thoughts, feelings and activities of teachers in their daily work are examined. The core argument is that what used to be a complex but fulfilling job distinguished by professional dilemmas, which are amenable to professional skill, had become increasingly marked by tension and constraint, which frustrates teacher creativity. While some teachers found new opportunities in the ‘new’ primary school, many used strategical and micro-political activity in order to cope, while others fell victim to stress and burnout. The authors argue that teachers’ own active involvement in policy change is required if their creative potential is to be realized. The book will still be of interest to teachers in primary schools, researchers and policy makers.

Originally published in 1990. Following the Swann Report of 1985 and its pleas for ‘Education for All’ the need for multicultural education in all areas was generally recognised. This need was particularly pressing in primary schools since racial attitudes are formed early in life and may be difficult to change later. This book documents and evaluates a number of approaches in this area, considering their effects on pupil learning and development. These include whole-school projects in mathematics, environmental studies, and a school exchange; and experiences of pupils at key stages. The authors argue that collaboration, participation and democratic procedures lay behind the more successful developments.

Originally published in 1990. Following the Swann Report of 1985 and its pleas for ‘Education for All’ the need for multicultural education in all areas was generally recognised. This need was particularly pressing in primary schools since racial attitudes are formed early in life and may be difficult to change later. This book documents and evaluates a number of approaches in this area, considering their effects on pupil learning and development. These include whole-school projects in mathematics, environmental studies, and a school exchange; and experiences of pupils at key stages. The authors argue that collaboration, participation and democratic procedures lay behind the more successful developments.

Ethnography has much to offer teachers, especially at a time of growing interest in the `teacher-reseacher' and in `action' and `collaborative' research.

This is an introduction to interactionist work in education during the 1970s and 80s. The interactionist viewpoint concentrates on how people construct meanings in the ebb and flow of everyday life – what they think and do, how they react to one another – and has in recent years established itself as one of the leading approaches in education. It has generated illuminating research studies which, by being firmly based in the real world of teaching and dealing with the fine-grained details of school life, have helped to break down the barriers between teacher and researcher. This volume presents the results of this valuable work, within a coherent theoretical framework, by focusing on the major interactionist concepts of situation, perspectives, cultures, strategies, negotiation and careers. By bringing them together in this way, the author demonstrates their collective potential for the deeper understanding of school life and the possibilities for sociological theory. His book therefore offers both a summary of and a reflection on achievement in the area of interactionism as it relates to schools.

In this ethnographic study of a secondary school in the UK, the author presents an incisive account of school life from the various points of view of the pupils, teachers and parents. He describes and analyses major areas of experience and methods of adapting to school for both the children and their teachers; school experience is shown to be widely varying from boredom, despair and humiliation, to gaiety, exultation and comradeship some of it officially and some of it unofficially sponsored. The description reveals a number of marked and interpenetrating divisions within schools: between teachers and pupils, parents and teachers, parents and children and between pupils themselves. These divisions are explored, analysed and related both to institutional factors and to factors outside the school. The study suggests how these factors influence pupil and teacher strategies, and hence how the details of school life relates to wider society.

This volume describes and analyses exceptional educational events – periods of particularly effective teaching representing ultimates in teacher and pupil educational experience. The events themselves are reconstructed in the book through teacher and pupil voices and through documentation. A model of ‘critical event’ is derived from the study, which might serve as a possible framework for understanding other such occurrences in schools.