The stash of books I want to
read keeps growing and growing. In fact, I probably have enough in my pile to
last several months past summer—which is a good thing.
Some of the books I want to
read are just for my own pleasure-reading. They help me “rest” and escape from
the flurry of everyday work. The others are to develop my own personal skills
in being a better educator. So which do I start with—professional or personal? Maybe
mix it up a bit.
Why read at all? What does
reading do for you? What are the benefits of reading everyday?
For one, it keeps your brain
active. It provides mental stimulation. Studies have shown that staying
mentally active can slow the progress of Alzheimer’s and Dementia—and it may
possibly help prevent them. The brain, just like any other muscle in your body,
needs regular exercise to keep it strong and healthy.
Reading also provides some
stress relief and may even lower your blood pressure. A novel can transport you to a different
“world”, distract you from the present, and allow you to relax. Reading also
gives you new knowledge and that is always handy. The more you read the more
you will expand your vocabulary. Reading to stay current with local and global
issues will help you to be a better communicator when talking with colleagues
and friends–.
Here are
five more I have added to that list:
Visible Learning for Teachers: maximizing impact on learning by
John Hattie
“Recognizing what makes a difference
enables reflection on how to do more that makes a positive difference. Reading
this book should make obvious the swathes of time-consuming tasks that make no
(or worse, negative) impact, making them easy to remove. It is fabulously
well-researched.”
Mary Bousted, general secretary, Association of Teachers and Lecturers
The Smartest Kids in the World: and how they got that way by
Amanda Ripley
“Amanda Ripley follows
three American teenagers who each chose to spend one school year living and
learning in a different country: Finland, South Korea and Poland. Through their
adventures, Ripley discovers startling truths about how attitudes, parenting
and rigorous teaching have revolutionized these countries’ education results.
Ripley’s astonishing insights reveal how kids learn to think for themselves,
and that persistence and resilience matter more to our children’s life chances
than self-esteem or sports.”
Andreas
Schleicher, director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, OECD
Outliers: the story of success by Malcolm
Gladwell
“This is a must-read for teaching
staff. Gladwell explores why some people achieve so much more than others, and
puts forward the theory that none of us is naturally talented. Rather, we
become good at things by working away, for 10,000 hours, at whatever it is we
want to excel in.”
Helen Fraser, chief executive of the Girls’ Day
School Trust (GDST)
Reading Without Nonsense by Frank Smith
“As a literacy teacher for 40 years,
Frank Smith continues to be the theorist who most informs my work with
children. In this refreshing book, Smith rightly characterizes much reading
instruction as ‘ritual and nonsense’, starting with an overreliance on
systematic phonics in both the UK and US. Instead, he urges teachers to
understand what skilled readers actually do and what the beginning reader is
trying to do.”
Nancie Atwell, author, teacher, winner of the
inaugural Global Teacher Prize and founder of the Center for Teaching and
Learning
I Am Malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by
the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina
Lamb
“I suggest keeping a copy to hand and
letting it inspire you on the days when the disadvantage that follows some
children to school seems impossible to overcome, and when it all seems too
hard. A book to remind us that education is precious, sought-after and fought
for.”
Julia
Gillard, chair of the board of directors, Global Partnership for Education
Here is a link to another list of books for professional development that you may want to consider putting on your own summer reading list: Summer Reading List for Educators
Try this for fun:
Go to the website: What should I read next
Type in the title or author of a book you like.
The site will analyze their huge database of real readers' favorite books to
provide book recommendations and suggestions for what to read next.
You may find some great choices to add to your own reading list.
Have fun composing your own summer
reading list--and reading from it.
Now--back to one of my books.
Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.
So today I bring you a list of things to just play around
with—books to read, apps to try, and ways to take notes on your smart devices.
Some are useful to use in your classroom with your students, some may even be
applicable for use in an online classroom. They are in no particular order, so
just play with them. Keep what you like, ignore what you don’t like. Have fun
in the sandbox—just don’t throw sand at anyone.
