Getting the Buggers to Write

Buggers

by Sue Cowley

A practical how-to book for teachers in secondary and further education, covering all of the major topics of concern to teachers of writing. Topics exams and assessment; spelling; punctuation; grammar; handwriting; drafting; marking; e-mail and the internet; text messages; curriculum vitae; gifted students; students with special educational needs.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Basirat Atif · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book recently during my teacher's training course and I must say it was very very helpful.
Sue Cowley is an experienced teacher, writer and presenter. She specializes in behavior management. Besides Getting the Buggers to Write, her work also includes How to survive your first year in teaching, Teaching skills for dummies and Getting the buggers to behave.
The book is written in a very well organized and engaging way. It includes many activities and ideas that teachers and parents both will find very useful. I did apply some techniques in my classroom and my students did respond very well.
What I love most about the book is that writing should not be a chore it should be a choice. The book is divided into 4-5 different parts and each part explains in detail how different materials are written and what kind of key words each piece of writing needs, how to write non-fiction, fiction, reports etc. It was really hard to put down and it definitely is a keeper.
I recommend it to not just English language teachers but to all language teachers. Some activities are more useful for older students but can be modified for younger children as well. Whether your kids go to school or home schooled, this book will give you a good idea on how to help children improve their writing skills.

[Nicole Anderson]

A great read for those struggling to get children motivated to write in different forms

[Emily Race · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly practical examples of formative games for the primary or secondary school classroom.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeping in mind I am a parent of primary age children and not a teacher, this was useful book. It helped me understand the ways their teachers might be using different strategies with my kids in the classroom, and how I can adapt them at home for both my little writers, one very reluctant to make a mark on paper, and one over confident in their ability.

[Alice Haylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful and easily digestible.