The Emotional Learner

Diane Montgomery, Routledge (2020)

In Tackling Disadvantage and Underachievement in Schools, Diane Montgomery has written a useful and highly accessible resource for teachers from Early Years to secondary school. Using evidence from decades of research, practical examples and case studies, Professor Montgomery guides the reader through the factors that may cause underachievement, including the role of the individual child (such as personality, intelligence, and fear of failure), parental influences and social context, before investigating the role of school and wider educational concerns such as assessment for learning, curriculum, and school organisation.

From here, the author moves seamlessly through useful case studies in diagnosis and intervention, literacy, and the development of higher order skills before looking at practical teaching strategies across the curriculum and age ranges.

Of particular interest is the advice on why and how schools can carry out audits as a vital part of raising achievement and countering disadvantage, from auditing provision through to motivation and behaviour management policies. What sets this book apart from other similar texts is the inclusion of Early Years provision, an area often neglected in favour of teaching and learning in older students.

The book takes a broadly social constructivist approach, a factor that may not sit well with the increasing number of teachers who identify as ‘traditionalist’, however, there is more than enough here to inspire teachers regardless of their ideological position, level of experience or stage in their career. Trainee teachers will also certainly find it useful, particularly the emphasis on case studies and real-world examples that manage to animate what could have been a overly dry academic text.