Interview With Author Nicola Walsh

 

 

1.      What inspired you to write this book? 

I was originally inspired to write the articles for a business magazine in Sri Lanka. I was at the hairdressers and reading a very mediocre entry about education in schools in a leading top- quality magazine (Lanka Magazine Digest) and thought I can do this. So, I contacted the editor and began writing on education topics, which continued for the next 3 years. I eventually ran out of education topics and continued to write about business. Big Data AI etc.  I used my writing on education topics as a way to inform business leaders and hopefully school principals in Sri Lanka about the latest thinking in education, largely based on a UK perspective but referencing international issues.   

2.      What exactly is it about and who is it written for? 

The book is about education topics that are of interest to school leaders and anyone with an interest in education internationally. The book was written to explain some of the terminology in education that is used now excessively in English, and also to explain the reasons behind why schools are now expected to do the things that they do. 

A sample of the topics covered are; inspection, attendance and punctuality, effective teaching, reading for meaning, maths, gifted and talented, critical thinking.  

Each chapter is 800 words so easy to read and informative with links to other relevant sources of information. At the end of each chapter there are a set of questions based upon the chapter  so that school leaders can use the topics in each chapter as a starting point in professional development sessions with teachers in schools.  

3.      What do you hope that readers will get out of reading your book?

      Enjoyment through learning more about a familiar topic. Most people have experienced school, so they have some understanding of what schools do and he purpose of education. But they may not understand the reasons behind why there has been so much change in education in the past 50 years, and the terminology that is used.  

      To be better informed

       As an information text for entry into the profession. 

2.      How did I decide on the books title and cover design?

The book cover is based on a design of a text book that I liked, I looked at a few and wanted a design that was bright and could be easily seen on a shelf, hence the yellow and blue background. The photograph is from a remote, rural village school in Cambodia and I wanted to convey a hands-on practical approach to education. I feel this may have gone against me as the teacher audience in developing countries such as south Asia and UAE are teachers who are trying to move away from that type of schooling and will see that as a backward approach, I think.   I should have had a more modern image, however I wanted to convey that this isn't a text book of scholarly articles.  

3.      What advice do you have for fellow writers? Give it a go! For me, writing in small chunks worked. And draw upon what you know and keep thinking about who you are writing for.  

4.      What trends do you see in the book world now? That anyone can be a writer. There is a wealth of written work now on the internet and also published in hard copy. However, I still think that there is a place for published material as at least when you see anything that has been published by a reputable publisher there's a chance that it is meaningful, because it has had to go through a screening process to get published.   

The other trend is the importance of the marketing, now it is all in the marketing on social media. That's where I feel maybe I could have done better. Marketing is not by word of mouth anymore, it’s by the words on social media pages.  I believe that the publishing industry will continue, as the online marketing of books has opened up ease of supply. I can order a book today and it's on my table tomorrow, or an e-book can be with me in seconds. How amazing is that. Audio books may increase and maybe in other language there's a need for that. I would like my book to be translated into Arabic where I believe there's a massive market for information on education.  

I regularly drew upon experiences in my personal and professional life in writing this book, the chapter on being an effective teacher starts by talking about how there's a teacher in all of us. I refer to my father teaching me to drive and how the learning was hard because he wasn't experienced. My years as a teacher have enabled me to draw upon the information and experiences that I gathered along the way. In the UK in the 1980's there was massive change in education and that's what I draw upon.  

5.      What is your writing style like? It is not a in depth scholarly literature reviewed type of text book.  The only book I can think of are books in the series by Tim Marshall who is a very well-known news journalist so his writing is much better than mine and he writes about politics and geography but in an informative and easy to read style. Prisoners of geography Tim Marshall Elliott and Thompson 2015.  

6.      What challenges did you overcame in writing this book? My use of time, as I have other demands on my time. And not spending too much time on a book that you are not sure is going to be read. However, since it has been published people who read it give favorable comments, so I am hopeful.  I had a lot of issues with editing, and getting the book published, I learnt a lot from that.  

7.      If one were to read one book a month, why should it be yours? If you want to know more about education, my book will do that in a relatively short and easy read. The whole book you can read in less than a week, and even if the reader is an expert in education or not, I am confident there is something in there that will be new information, and prompt deeper thinking. Education is used increasingly as a political item so we all have a good reason to be informed about education. As I state at the beginning of the book, it is the job of us all to ensure universal understanding of education policy and practice that has touched the lives of many in the past 50 years. 

About The Author: Nicola Walsh is an experienced teacher, school principal and schools’ evaluator with over 40 years’ experience in education internationally and in the UK.  Nicola has worked as a head teacher in the UK and as a principal of a large, regional school in Sri Lanka.  She has inspected UK government schools as an Ofsted inspector.  Later she worked for the Ministry of Education in Dubai and following this held responsibility for primary and early years at The British Council in Sri Lanka.  She currently works freelance and has evaluated whole school provision in schools in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, North Africa, Cambodia and Europe. Her passion is in training teachers and sharing her knowledge. Her book published in English and Sinhala,  ‘A broad view of educational perspectives’ is accompanied by a podcast, It’s a STEAL, (Sessions for Teachers who are using English as an Additional Language) and is produced as a professional development tool for school leaders and teachers.  Link to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/its-a-steal/id1701099111 and https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/a-broad-view-of-educational-perspectives

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.