Coming soon – Amba Press

Leading school improvement means navigating long stretches of uncertainty between launching a strategy and seeing results. Too often, school leaders find themselves in what Dr Simon Breakspear calls the messy middle: too far in to stop, but too far from the end to know if they are on track. Lean Monitoring: How to Know if What You're Doing is Actually Working is a practical guide to closing that gap, helping school leaders build simple, sustainable habits for tracking progress during improvement work rather than waiting for end-of-year data that arrives too late to act on. The first book in the Agile School Improvement Series, Lean Monitoring introduces one of three core practices at the heart of Simon's approach to leading change in schools: staying oriented during the journey rather than hoping things are heading in the right direction. Drawing on a decade of work alongside more than 5,000 school leaders across multiple countries, Simon offers clear frameworks and ready-to-use tools including the Impact Canvas, Data Capture Card and Insight Protocol, giving leaders the confidence to make better decisions mid-course and keep improvement moving forward.

Hey. How Are You, Actually? $34.95

Some days you really are fine. And some days you say you're fine because it's easier than explaining what's actually going on. This book is for those other days. You already know how to be a good friend. When someone you care about is having a hard time, you know how to listen, how to be kind, how not to make things worse. Hey. How Are You, Actually? is about turning that same kindness toward yourself – because you deserve it just as much as they do. Inside are twenty small things you can do, most of them only a few minutes long, for the moments that really happen. When your brain won't switch off at night. When you're waiting outside the exam room feeling sick. When a friendship fades and nobody says why. When everyone else seems fine and you're not so sure you are. Nothing you have to believe in. Nothing you have to be good at. Just small, real things that help. One gentle question runs through all of it: what would you say to yourself if you talked to yourself the way you talk to your best friend? Whatever you're carrying right now, you don't have to carry it alone. You can just start here. ________________________________________ For the grown-up holding this book Written straight to teenagers, grounded in real research, and small enough to use on an ordinary day. No pressure. You might find a few of the practices are exactly what you needed too.

The Connection Commitment $39.95

This book is both a permission slip and a challenge. Permission to refuse the disconnection that has become normalised in schools, and a challenge to actually do something about it. Drawing on four classic works — The Outsiders, The Metamorphosis, The Odyssey and The Tempest — Matt Pitman explores how schools can reconnect with their students, their staff, their families and their wider communities. The third book in his acclaimed connection series argues that the crisis facing schools today is not simply a workload or wellbeing problem. It is a disconnection problem, and it requires a different kind of response. Teachers are leaving in record numbers, student attendance has fallen well below pre-pandemic levels, and the gap between people and the institutions meant to serve them keeps widening. The Connection Commitment is not about adding another program or initiative to an already exhausted system. It is about rethinking the conditions under which learning, professionalism and human connection become possible, and committing to building them deliberately. For anyone who works in a school, whatever their role, this book is an invitation to help write a better story.

Driving School Improvement Workbook $39.95

School improvement is not a theory problem. It is a doing problem. Most school leaders know what good improvement looks like – the challenge is knowing what to actually do on Monday, and then after that. The Driving School Improvement Workbook is the practical companion to Pamela Macklin and Vic Zbar's widely used Driving School Improvement series, designed to help school leaders apply a proven improvement approach to the specific circumstances of their own school. From evaluating your leadership and building a cohesive team, to diagnosing where your school is at and carrying staff with you through change, every chapter offers structured tools, pro formas and activities you can use immediately. Grounded in more than three decades of school improvement work across Australia and internationally, this workbook moves beyond argument and into action. It is organised around the key stages of whole-school improvement – leadership, diagnosis, building staff capacity, evidence-informed practice, change management and measuring impact – and is designed to be dipped into as needed rather than read from cover to cover. Whether you are a principal leading whole-school change or a member of a leadership team looking to sharpen your practice, this is the resource that answers the question every school leader eventually asks: so what do I actually do next?

Now You Know, Now What? $39.95

The most powerful lessons a student will ever learn happen can happen inside, and outside of the classroom. Now You Know, Now What?: A Guide to School Service Learning and Immersion Programs is a warm, practical and deeply experienced guide to service learning and immersion programs — what they are, why they matter, and how to do them with the authenticity and integrity that creates lasting change. Drawing on more than two decades of work locally and globally, Lynne Moten argues that the shift from charity to justice to advocacy is one of the most transformative things a school can offer its students, and that when programs are done well, they change not just individuals but entire school cultures. From designing and running overseas immersions to embedding service learning across the curriculum, this book covers every dimension of the work with honesty, humility and hard-won practical wisdom. Lynne writes not as an academic but as a practitioner who has taken more than 200 students overseas and built deep, mutual relationships with partner communities across Australia and India. For school leaders, teachers and anyone who believes that a meaningful education must connect students to the world beyond their privilege, this is the guide they have been waiting for.

The Human Advantage $39.95

Generative AI has arrived in schools faster than any technology in history. Teachers are asking urgent questions about assessment, creativity, academic integrity and what it even means to learn when an AI tool can produce a polished essay in seconds. The Human Advantage: Teaching, Learning and Leading in Gen AI World cuts through the noise to offer something more useful than either alarm or enthusiasm. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience across classrooms, school leadership and education consultancy, Dr Tim Kitchen argues that AI has not created the challenges schools are grappling with – it has exposed them. And that means this moment is also an opportunity. At the heart of the book is a simple but powerful idea. In a world of intelligent machines, the most important capabilities are the ones that remain uniquely human. Curiosity, creativity, discernment, empathy, critical thinking and ethical judgement cannot be automated. Structured around practical strategies, classroom activities and frameworks for rethinking curriculum and assessment, The Human Advantage gives teachers and school leaders the confidence to embrace AI wisely, use it ethically and keep people at the centre of education. Because great teaching, now more than ever, is a deeply human endeavour.

Dare to Think! $44.95

In an age of artificial intelligence, standardised testing and information overload, the ability to truly think has never been more important or more neglected. Dare to Think! is a passionate, practical inquiry into what thinking actually is, why it matters and how educators can deliberately create the conditions for it in their classrooms. Drawing on nearly three decades in the classroom and a rich tradition of philosophical inquiry from Aristotle to Wittgenstein, Andrew Rogers argues that too many students have been trained to remember and reproduce rather than question, wonder and reason, and that this is a problem educators have both the power and the responsibility to address. Structured as a genuine inquiry rather than a prescriptive manual, the book uses philosophy as both its method and its message. Andrew defines what thinking actually is, exposes the imposters that masquerade as it and makes the case for dialogue, curiosity and reasoning as the foundations of transformative education. He writes as a co-inquirer alongside the reader, sharing what has worked and inviting educators to reflect on their own practice. For any teacher who has glimpsed that rare moment when students are genuinely alive with ideas, this book offers a clear path to making it happen every day.

Start Where You Are $29.95

You are not behind. You are just figuring it out. And so is pretty much everyone else, even if they do not look like it. Start Where You Are is not a book full of perfect advice from people who have life sorted. It is an honest, practical companion for the moments that actually happen. When you are waiting to feel ready before you start. When you are comparing your life to everyone else's highlight reel. When something goes wrong and you are not sure what to do next. When you have no idea what path you are supposed to be on. Written by Ash Manuel, founder of Growing With Gratitude and former teacher whose own teenage years included three attempts at Year 12 and a football dream that did not work out, this book is built around real stories, short ideas and small actions you can actually try. Twelve chapters you can dip into whenever you need them, each one a reminder that the messy middle of life is where most of the learning happens. Because small actions repeated over time quietly change everything. Your path will not look like everyone else's. It does not have to. You are not behind. You are building.

The Livewired Teen $39.95

Every teenager is navigating one of the most extraordinary periods of brain development in their lifetime – a brain that is constantly growing, adapting, and rewiring itself in response to the world around it. In The Livewired Teen renowned educator and neuroscience researcher Dr Michael C. Nagel takes parents and educators on a fascinating journey through the adolescent brain, from the onset of puberty through to early adulthood. Drawing on the latest neuroscientific research, Dr Nagel reveals how the experiences we provide teenagers in these pivotal years don't just shape who they are – they quite literally wire the architecture of their brains. Written in an accessible and engaging style, The Livewired Teen bridges the gap between cutting-edge brain science and the everyday realities of raising and educating adolescents. Covering everything from learning and identity to emotional regulation and cognitive development, Dr Nagel offers practical insights to help parents, teachers, and caregivers make the decisions that matter most – because understanding how a teenager's brain evolves is the first step to supporting it well.

Making the Most of Your Learning Environment $49.95

The spaces where we teach are more than containers for learning. They are active and influential forces shaping how students engage, think and grow. Yet most teachers have never been supported to evaluate whether their spaces are actually working, or shown how to make them work better. Making the Most of Your Learning Environment: A Guide for Teacher-Led Evaluation of Spaces and Practices changes that. Drawing on nearly two decades of research by the Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) across Australian and international schools, Wesley Imms and Julia Morris offer a practical, step-by-step guide to help teachers and school leaders assess their spaces with confidence and purpose. Structured around a clear evaluation template, the book walks educators through every stage of the process, from identifying a focus and writing a question through to collecting and analysing data and sharing findings with others. This is not a book that tells teachers what a good learning environment looks like. It is a guide to helping them work that out for themselves, in their own context, using research-informed approaches proven to work in real schools. For any educator who believes that space is part of their pedagogic toolkit, this book is the missing resource.

Teaching Grammar F–6 $39.95

Grammar is one of the most important and least understood areas of primary teaching. Many educators entered the profession with little formal grammar training, only to find themselves navigating a curriculum that draws on two distinct and sometimes confusing approaches. Teaching Grammar F-6: A Year-by-Year Resource for Building Teacher Knowledge cuts through that confusion with clarity, warmth and practical purpose. Written by a curriculum expert with decades of experience supporting classroom teachers, this book builds confident, working knowledge of both traditional and functional grammar so that teachers can teach it meaningfully rather than simply manage it. Structured year by year from Foundation to Year 6 and aligned with the Australian Curriculum: English Version 9.0, the book gives teachers exactly the grammatical knowledge they need for their year level, without unnecessary complexity. Each chapter unpacks the relevant content descriptions and elaborations, explains the key concepts in plain language, and shows what this looks like in real classroom practice. Whether you are new to grammar or returning to it after years of uncertainty, this book offers the confidence and clarity to make grammar a genuinely powerful part of your students' learning.

The Wellbeing Ecosystem $39.95

Too many teachers are giving everything they have, and running out. Too many schools treat wellbeing as an add-on rather than the foundation everything else depends on. The Wellbeing Ecosystem: How Thriving Teachers and Students Transform Schools Together makes the case that this needs to change, and offers a clear, practical framework for making it happen. Drawing on more than two decades of working alongside schools across Australia, Tony Cox argues that when we take care of the people who teach, we take care of the people who learn, and that thriving in schools should be structural, not accidental. At the heart of the book is the FIFTHER framework, built on seven core values: Family, Integrity, Fun, Tenacity, Health, Education and Respect. These values power five gears of growth and a six-domain Wellbeing Wheel that together form a living, interconnected system for whole-school flourishing. Grounded in honest stories from the field and ending each chapter with practical reflection and action tools, this is a book for teachers who still want to make a difference, leaders who want to create conditions for others to thrive, and schools ready to become more human again.

Teaching Parables $39.95

Jesus was a master teacher. His parables — drawn from everyday life, ordinary objects and human relationships — have endured for more than 2000 years precisely because they speak to something universal and urgent in the human condition. Teaching Parables: Transforming Scripture into Action brings those stories into the contemporary classroom, bridging the gap between ancient scripture and the lived experiences of modern students. Written for teachers in faith-based primary and secondary settings, this book gives educators the theological confidence, cultural context and practical tools to make the parables not just understandable but genuinely transformative. Each of the 30 chapters covers a single parable and functions as a complete, ready-to-use instructional toolkit. Detailed teacher background information builds theological and historical understanding, while a flexible matrix of differentiated activities draws on Bloom's Taxonomy, de Bono's Six Thinking Hats, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and Socratic questioning to engage students at every level. Woven throughout is a commitment to connecting Jesus' teachings to the most pressing issues of today — servant leadership, care for the marginalised, ecological responsibility and the courage to act rather than look away. For busy teachers who want to teach scripture with depth, rigour and real-world relevance, this is the resource they have been looking for.

Stop Think Do Social Skills Training 12–15 $39.95

STOP THINK DO is an Australian social skills program for use in schools with children who have emotional–social–behavioural difficulties that affect their ability to make friends. It is also designed as a classroom curriculum for children to prevent such difficulties arising. It develops a positive social culture in classrooms, particularly because teachers are modelling the same skills they teach students. The academic progress of children is also facilitated by a co-operative classroom. STOP THINK DO develops emotional and social intelligence in children as they learn how to understand and control their feelings at STOP, how to think about their options and likely consequences at THINK, how to behave appropriately at DO, and how to be motivated to use these skills in all social situations in their lives. This revised and extended edition modernises this best-selling program, incorporating current research trends, visual resources, simplified lesson formats and practical suggestions for applying the program in regular classrooms, in small groups, for special needs students, for peer mediators, or as a whole school. Parental involvement is also encouraged. Stop Think Do Social Skills Training: Middle years of schooling ages 12–15 covers: Why train social skills and emotional intelligence in children? How to apply the program in classrooms with special needs children, for peer mediators, as a whole school, and with parental involvement Social skills lessons for children aged 12-15 An overview of the traffic light training posters Pre and post program assessments. Please note. These are scanned editions and the best we can do as the original files were lost. Apologies in advance.

Social Savvy $34.95

How do you react when your child has a tantrum in the supermarket? When your children argue, do you intervene? Do you resist the urge to fight their battles for them? Social Savvy is about: helping your child to make friends and fit in socially; improving your own relationship with your child; and dealing effectively with your child’s misbehaviour. This is a ‘how to’ book for all adults caring for children, who want a more positive family and social life. By following Lindy Petersen’s guidelines, you will learn how to better manage situations and avoid reacting impulsively to your child’s behaviour. Learn what to say to your child and teach your child positive social skills to adopt with others. Please note. These are scanned editions and the best we can do as the original files were lost. Apologies in advance.

Tapping for Schools $39.95

The social and emotional needs of students have never been greater, and teachers are expected to meet them with limited time, limited training and an already full plate. Tapping for Schools offers something genuinely useful – a simple, evidence-based technique for helping students manage stress, regulate emotions and build resilience that takes minutes to learn and can be embedded into any classroom routine. Written by Margaret Lambert PhD and grounded in original research conducted across several primary schools, this book combines a clear explanation of what tapping is and why it works with everything teachers need. Part 1 covers the background and evidence base for EFT. Part 2 shares direct findings and quotes from teachers and students about their experiences using tapping in real classrooms. Part 3 provides a full suite of ready-to-use scripts, cards and worksheets for Time Out Tapping, Target Tapping and Goal Setting. For teachers and school staff wanting a support strategy that is genuinely easy to learn, easy to use and easy to embed into everyday classroom life, this is the resource they have been waiting for.

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