James Nottingham is co-founder and director of Challenging
Learning, a group of companies with 30 employees in 6 countries.
His passion is in transforming the most up-to-date research into
strategies that really work in the classroom. He is regarded by
many as one of the most engaging, thought-provoking and
inspirational speakers in education.
His first book, Challenging Learning, was published in 2010 and has
received widespread critical acclaim. Since then, he has written 6
books for teachers, leaders, support staff, and parents. These
books share the best research and practice connected with learning;
dialogue; feedback; the learning pit; early years education; and
growth mindset.
Before training to be a teacher, James worked on a pig farm, in the
chemical industry, for the American Red Cross, and as a teaching
assistant in a school for deaf children. At university, he gained a
first-class honours degree in education (a major turnaround after
having failed miserably at school). He then worked as a teacher and
leader in primary and secondary schools in the UK before
co-founding an award-winning, multi-million-pound regeneration
project supporting education, public and voluntary organisations
across north east England.
Skolv�rlden (Swedish Teaching Union) describes James as "one of the
most talked about names in the world of school development" and the
Observer newspaper in the UK listed him among the Future 500 - a
"definitive list of the UK′s most forward-thinking and brightest
innovators."
"I have witnessed first-hand in my own district and that of others
the power of The Learning Challenge in developing student ownership
over their own learning. This book provides the blueprint for
empowering students to plunge deep into the learning pit and have
the mindset and tools necessary to make them climb out and back in
again. This book gives students the understanding and permission to
challenge prior knowledge, biases, and misconceptions to
substantially enhance learning. I'm thrilled to see a book that
guides students towards the 'voice' and 'choice' they need to
advocate for their own learning and to choose the path less
traveled by to benefit their learning and that of their
peers."--Michael McDowell, Ed.D. Superintendent/Author of Rigorous
PBL by Design
"In beautifully simple and clear language, The Learning Challenge
presents a comprehensive methodology to bring philosophical inquiry
to everyday learning. Nottingham makes a strong case for the
didactic value of cognitive conflict, and offers K-12 teachers the
tools and theory they need to make the learning pit a core part of
their work in the classroom."--Daniel Fisherman, Educational
Foundations
"In this era of rapid change, cognitive conflict is a constant
challenge to be faced. James Nottingham's Learning Challenge offers
learners of all ages a place to be and a process to recognise and
engage with. Offering young learners the opportunity to contend
with the tension that goes with being ′in the Pit′ and think and
talk about their own learning is immensely valuable. My experience,
working with this concept is that it works!"--Simon Feasey, School
Principal
"In The Learning Challenge, James Nottingham shows us how to use
generative concepts as focal points for engaging deep student
thinking and discourse. His visual model of "pits and peaks" helps
us realize that cooperatively grappling with cognitive conflicts in
the pit is necessary to eventually reach new peaks of
understanding. Nottingham provides a wealth of strategies, tools
and examples to aid the teacher. The vast array of questions to
stimulate student thinking is second to none."--H. Lynn Erickson,
Educational Consultant
"James Nottingham compels the reader to feel the urgency in
recognizing learning is a journey and not an end, and can only be
achieved when we transform learning from "knowing what to think" to
"knowing how to think." The Learning Challenge offers a framework
and practical strategies educators of all levels and disciplines
can use to educate the mind to think critically and the heart to
act independently." --Mariko Yorimoto, Vice Principal
"James Nottingham has searched the world and understands what
learning looks like. This is a must read, not only for teachers but
also for students to understand and be deliberate about the way
they approach the challenges, thrills and processes of
learning."--Summer Howarth, Director of Learning Design and
Events
"James Nottingham's work on Challenging Learning is a critical
element of creating Visible Learners. This new series will help
teachers hone the necessary pedagogical skills of dialogue,
feedback, questioning, and mindset. There's no better resource to
encourage all learners to know and maximize their impact!"
--John Hattie, Professor & Director, Melbourne Education Research
Institute
"Nottingham has used trending research to develop a step-by-step
process for educators to engage students in their learning journey.
In understanding the student perspective, educators will be
empowered in their professional practice to understand their own
learning journey."--Karen L. Beattie, Principal
"Nottingham provides real-life instructional lessons that deepen
students′ thinking by taking them in and out of the learning pit.
Schools will create student efficacy, thinkers, by making the
Learning Challenge part of their instruction. Nottingham′s message
in The Learning Challenge gives new traction to the old term
metacognition."--Genie Baca, Principal
"Nottingham's The Learning Challenge is a seminal piece and should
be considered mandatory reading for every educator. The examples
included throughout help to paint a clear picture of how teachers
can create the conditions to encourage and support students' deep
understanding of complex concepts."--Jenni Donohoo, Author of
Collective Efficacy
"The name James Nottingham is virtually synonymous with the 'The
Learning Challenge' the study of thinking as a process of inquiry,
or better known to many as 'The Learning Pit' in which students are
challenged to think more skillfully. His coverage is comprehensive,
ranging from the processes educators can use to get students deeply
engaged and collaboratively involved in their learning to practical
suggestions for lesson design...moving the educational culture from
one of input and teaching to one of learning and impact."--Julie
Smith, Ph.D., Author/Consultant
"The Learning Challenge provides a valuable balance between
practical tools, applications and underpinning theoretical
constructs. The format of each section made concepts clear and
develops understanding of the principles explored in practice.
Ideal for teachers who are planning for the effective use of the
Learning Challenge and The Learning Pit to deepen pupils′
understanding and support their progression."--Pippa Leslie, QKS
School Direct University Program Lead
"The Learning Pit has become one of the most powerful and popular
heuristics of learning over the past 10-20 years, and James′ new
book will become the go-to resource for its fullest explication and
application over the next two decades. Though weighted heavily
towards classroom practice, it is happily respectful of the many
theoretical connections, and both theory and practice support each
other beautifully."--Barry J. Hymer, Professor of Psychology in
Education
"We all recognize that schooling is no longer about imparting
information in the hope that it will be put to good use. We know
good schooling is about providing students with continuous
opportunities to develop the ability and practices to think deeply.
Deep learning is hard work. It is complex, complicated, not
particularly comfortable at times (see 'The Pit'). In The Learning
Challenge, Nottingham takes us through the four stages of the
Learning Challenge, a framework for thinking and learning, in which
students learn to step out of their comfort zone so that they can
make meaning and connections in order to engage in deep
thinking.
Hattie (2016) states that 90% of what is taught in schools is at
the surface level. That is not a comforting statistic. In The
Learning Challenge, James Nottingham has provided us a clear path
for engaging students in deep and meaningful learning complete with
student-friendly language, stages and steps, examples, tools and
tactics to guide us in engaging students in rigorous learning."
--Barb Pitchford, Co-author
"James Nottingham provides educators with a practical way to get
students to challenge their thinking, through questioning and
dialogue. The Learning Challenge is jam packed with ideas on how to
take a simple concept and turn it into a full-blown learning
experience."--Kelly Fitzgerald, Instructional Coach
"Research into how we learn has continued to highlight the value of
desirable difficulties. Wrestling with big ideas, although
uncomfortable at times, leads to stronger, deeper learning.
However, in the age of accountability, classroom teachers are
finding it difficult to set aside time for such wrestling in
exchange for more test preparation. James Nottingham has provided a
clear, concise, and research-based approach to creating cognitively
challenging classrooms that captivate, activate, and invigorate
learners. This book takes every reader through the learning pit,
challenging their prior beliefs, and leads them to construct and
consider a new and innovative way to promote stronger and deeper
learning for their students." --John Almarode, Professor of
Education & Co-Director of the Center for STEM Education and
Outreach
"The Learning Challenge is an incredibly valuable book for anyone
seeking to motivate students, deepen their learning and improve the
quality of their thinking. It contains outstanding explanations and
examples on every page. I highly recommend this book!"--Julie
Stern, author of Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding
"Profound, practical and precise: James Nottingham tells you how to
make your classroom a place where young people would love to
be."--Guy Claxton, Author of Intelligence in the Flesh
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
