10 Books Every Teacher Should Read
Recently I was asked to nominate a book or piece of writing that I thought represented the best educational writing of recent years. I took liberties with the brief and chose ‘The Science of Learning’, by the US organisation Deans for Impact. I chose it because it’s a brilliant little summary of what cognitive psychology can tell classroom practitioners about learning, memory and focus, that neither patronises nor flatters the reader. As all good digests do, it’s a collection of memorable headline points, which is essential for time-pressed educators. Best of all it’s free to download here:
So: useful, wise and free; it’s a present you can keep unwrapping all year long.
That got me to thinking: what other writing would I recommend? There are so many books out there. Some are great. Some of them appear to have been written in crayon, others with quills. There’s often a disconnect between the books that teachers need and the books that are written for them. Some are fascinating, abstract fantasies painted as documentary, but written by people who have never been inside a classroom; some are written as pure advocacy by people who wish children were different than they are. Some of them are just impractical. There’s a whole industry of advice for practioners that isn’t very practical at all.
So, if you’re sitting there looking for something on which to blow your Christmas book tokens (do book tokens still exist? I tried to buy a CD for someone the other day and was practically directed to a car boot sale along with the eight-tracks), here’s my suggested list of a decent stack of books that could make a difference to the way you teach, or understand teaching.
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