Who has the time to read great tomes about teaching and learning? Although this book isn’t a substitute for in-depth study, it gives you the gist of what you need to know in a very digestible format.

What's the good of educational theory? Plenty. But it's not always practical to wade through research and long articles to find something you can use in that lesson with Year 9 on Tuesday morning. That's where this book comes in.

With a subtitle of Simple, easy and effective ways to engage learners and measure their progress, the book presents a number of techniques to get groups working together and engaged in a topic. Each chapter is two or three pages long, and follows a set format: a table at the start provides basic information, such as whether the activity is suitable for a large or small group. Then there are sections on what it involves, what it can be used for, the resources needed, advantages and disadvantages, how to measure progress and further reading.

A table of ideas and a comprehensive index complete the offering. A great repository of ideas.

This review was originally published in Teach Secondary magazine.