Reference Books > John Mitchinson Reference Books

Advantages: People think you are clever without having to tell them lies
Disadvantages: Can only be carried around in your pocket if you are wearing a dressing-gown

I cannot drive - I find it too expensive, and I was put off during a go-karting accident when I was 15. It set on fire with me in it, and the proprietor of the circuit blamed me! It was a very frightening experience which opened an exciting prospect up for me. The prospect of catching trains. When travelling by train, I read a newspaper, tabloid, generally, as the pages in broadsheets are far too big for me to hold, and I would need to lay on the ...
...to music through my mobile phone - at the moment however, Orange are being extremely inefficient and have problems with their activation keys, for downloaded songs. If I'm feeling flush, I will buy a book - normally a fiction book; Nick Hornby and Mark Haddon being favourites of mine. They are good to read on public transport as it gives you something to do and stops you from falling asleep, which I have done once on a train, and woke up when the ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to understand and deliver. FUN
Disadvantages: none - it's great!

An EXCELLENT "couldn't live without it" resource. Once in a while a teaching resource comes along that it so amazingly indispensible that you just have to tell the world about it. This book is one of them. I bought this to use with a mixed age class of Y5 and Y6 pupils at the beginning of the academic year 2007-2008. Admittedly, i didn't know exactly what i was buying (it was an Amazon - buy these two for £X deal), however given the author i suspected ...
...wrong. It wasn't just quite useful - it was amazing! The activities range from modern twists on old-fashioned consequences through to film based drama activities. It even has suggested activities for use when working on poetry. Each activity is clearly explained, easy to deliver and most importantly fun and engaging. Most activites are short and can easily fit into a morning registration period. I put some on the board as an early morning starter ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to read and understand, useful starting points
Disadvantages: Would look better if the pages were in colour

I have used this with my mixed age (and very mixed ability) Y4, 5 and 6 class. They love some of these games! A range of strategies are used to make mental maths interesting (no more sitting at a desk mindlessly chanting multiplicatio tables). It uses a variety of approaches - visual, aural and kinaesthetic. Each activity is classified according to which aspect of the numeracy strategy it links with and includes suggestions for the following strands ...
...understanding number facts and calculating. Each activity is carefully explained and approximate timings for each are given. Some activities are easier than others and as always - some will become firm favourites, whilst others will fall by the wayside. This is an excellent starting point for developing your own activities - we have extended some of these to include musical instruments and even a rap! It also serves as a useful basis for asking ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to read, indispensable, excellent advice, some funny anecdotes.
Disadvantages: None!

This book is absolutely fantastic! Sue Cowley has written several educational books and other people speak as highly of those as I can of this one. About to start the Graduate Teacher programme, there seemed no better book to read and I was right! Sue Cowley writes in an easy to read and understand manner and with genuine enthusiasm for teaching. She is also realistic and presents both the positive and the negative aspects of teaching which I found ...
...of the negative aspects. Cowley gives plenty of helpful tips and ideas and covers every aspect of teaching including lesson planning, behaviour management, pastoral care, paperwork, etc. There are also some funny anecdotes which add to the book's very high quality. I would thoroughly recommend this book as it is insightful and incredibly useful! ... Read review

Advantages: Brilliantly comprehensive.
Disadvantages: Bit dry and academic sometimes.

The Loom of Language - Frederick Bodmer Long review warning!! This is going to shock some folk. I am reviewing a book that was first printed in 1944, and has been regularly reprinted since. I am on my third edition, having acquired my first in 1982 when I started studying German. The book is in four parts, and with appendices is nearly 700 pages long. I recommend 'dipping in'. Many reviews on the internet for this book suggest it is to be utilised ...
...language 'journey', if I list the chapter titles and give you a brief overview, you will get an idea. ~~Introduction~~ The first words in the book drew me in; "What language we speak depends on a geographical accident". The intro goes on to talk about the difficulties in learning languages and the similarities that we can uncover in languages were we to just look a little deeper. The introduction also introduces the concepts of languages being ... Read review