Stress Free Teaching: A Practical Guide to Tackling Stress in Teaching, Lecturing and Tutoring

Citation

Mathers, E. (2001), "Stress Free Teaching: A Practical Guide to Tackling Stress in Teaching, Lecturing and Tutoring", Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 54-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/qae.2001.9.1.54.2

There are many books available that describe the causes, symptoms and treatment of stress. What makes this book special is that it focuses exclusively on the “coal face” of education – teaching. The author uses the word in its widest sense and includes lecturers and tutors in his definition. This book focuses on managing, reducing, and coping with negative stress, whilst recognising that pressures and positive stressors can stimulate, energise and motivate. The book aims to help those who manage the providers of education as well as the providers themselves.

Although the book includes examples and case studies from across the spectrum of teaching from primary school to university, it seems to be more applicable to teachers in secondary school and less‐advanced Further Education courses. The strategies for re‐appraising one’s teaching and assessment methods, for instance, seem less appropriate for university education. There are chapters for managers which draw attention to organisational issues to reduce stress in teaching. Whether insensitive managers would actually recognise that this book might be for them is questionable, and some of the suggestions seem a little simplistic. Teachers becoming aware of feeling stressed will find the book reassuring in its descriptions of familiar symptoms and situations, thereby reducing the sense of shame or embarrassment or isolation that often accompanies the problem.

One of the strategies for coping with stress recommended by the author is to review lesson preparation. The book models good practice in that the chapters identify goals, the sections are clearly headed and described and there are copious lists, bullet points, hints and tips. Most chapters conclude with a summary. My personal favourite was the list of ten commandments for reducing negative stress which is listed at the end of the final chapter.

Chapters one to three identify the causes and effects of stress in both general and educational environments. Chapter four considers the legal aspects and implications of work induced stress, for both managers and employees, with explanations of compensation procedures. Chapters five to seven look at strategies for coping with and reducing negative stress, from organisational and personal perspectives. Alternative techniques that may prove useful in maintaining improvements are described. Lastly, a broad range of case studies from teachers, each giving their own coping strategies demonstrates some of the ideas in action.

The book is easily read, yet has plenty of ideas which are thought‐provoking and can be tried. The text is not heavily laden, and the content is practical rather than deep. The style is direct and well‐paced; the author does not go into detail but rather offers an overview before moving into practical suggestions. This highlights a weakness in the book for me, in that there are few references, no glossary (a major drawback for those readers unfamiliar with the initials of examination boards and awards, for instance) and no bibliography. Two chapters conclude with suggestions for further reading but I foresee that some readers might look for more examples of self‐help material than those mentioned.