Eight Books for Your Teacher Bookshelf
I think education would be in a way better place if we all threw our phones in the sea and picked up a book instead.
But... I'm got to be realistic.
I am encouraged, though, by the teachers who pull out a book while they wait for their Pizza Hut on a Friday night, when everyone else is playing Candy Crush.
If that's you, I don't need to convince you to read more. You already know it's a great thing. What I can offer is a bit of curation, because not all books written for educators are created equal.
I've read every book on this list at least once. I've run workshops on them. I've hosted book clubs to talk about them. My copies are highlighted and dog-eared, and one of them is about twice as thick as when I started because it's stuffed with Post-its.
I haven't been in the classroom for a while now. I still think about what these books taught me.
1. Disobedient Teaching by Welby Ings
My number one. I don't care if you pick up anything else on this list, but I can't recommend this one enough.
It was one of the first professional books I picked up by choice. It wasn't required reading for some PLD. I saw a teacher present on it at a conference, totally fan-girled, and it became the catalyst for me going above and beyond what was dished up at BT courses and staff meetings.
Welby writes about being a young teacher in the 80s, grappling with the tension between what the curriculum said he had to do and what he thought was right for his learners.
The way he thinks about education completely changed how I saw the job. It's an extraordinary privilege to work with kids. We often spend more time with them than their parents are able to, and that's a massive responsibility to do right by them.
This is the Post-it one. My copy is signed by the man himself, and I ran a 12 month professional learning programme for the Ministry of Education on the assessment chapter alone.
2. When the Adults Change, Everything Changes by Paul Dix
One of the key mantras for my life: changing your own behaviour is hard, changing someone else's is impossible. That's this book in a nutshell.
It makes it crystal clear that our behaviour programmes shouldn't be built around what the learners say and do. They should be built around what the educators say and do.
It's based in the UK, so skip over the stuff that gets into the nitty-gritty of their school system.
What I love most is the "Testing" section at the end of each chapter, where Dix gives you some practical challenges to begin to shift your practice. They make great conversation fodder with your colleagues.
3. Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn
This is a weighty tome at 480 pages. Outside of doing a Masters, it's the deepest dive you'll find into the benefits of intrinsic motivation over extrinsic.
I like it because this book turns up with receipts. There's some really compelling research all the way through to think about.
Rather than tell you what to do, Alfie encourages you to question the way you celebrate success with your learners and simply ask: is there a better way for me to approach giving feedback?
4. Running the Room by Tom Bennett
There are a lot of books about behaviour management. This is one of the best.
It's realistic, acknowledging the whole way through that there are no silver bullets, but there are plenty of pebbles for your slingshot. A key theme throughout is "make it easy to behave, and hard not to".
There are so many practical ideas you can begin to implement right away, everything from how to transition between tasks to a script for tricky phone calls home.
This is a great one to read together with your colleagues and run as an in-school book club.
5. Become Unstoppable by Gilbert Enoka
This one is on the list because I want you to read widely. Professional growth can be inspired from all sorts of places, and in this case it's the All Blacks changing rooms.
Now, I don't give a hoot about rugby, but I got so much out of this book. It's about personal growth driven by discipline, reflection and collaboration.
If you want to read something that will inspire change beyond just your practice, grab this one and see how lessons from high performance athletes can influence every area of your life.
6. Invisible Intelligence by Welby Ings
Welby is back, this time asking us to consider whether what we're measuring is helping learners or harming them.
He looks (very) critically at the direction our curriculum is heading, and takes swings at the politicians who have made education a political ping-pong ball.
The way he writes is stunning. This book has humour, emotion and an unwavering focus on looking well beyond achievement data.
7. After the Adults Change by Paul Dix
The sequel to When the Adults Change. This time, Paul is taking a look at school culture.
This one is for you if you're a middle or senior leader who wants to create change that benefits your whole community.
There's a big focus on coaching throughout, which I love. It really is the secret sauce for excellent communication between you and your learners.
It wasn't quite the show-stopper that When the Adults Change was, but if you loved book one, you'll get heaps of cherries on top from this one.
8. It's Never Just About the Behaviour by Claire English
Claire takes us through a trauma-informed approach to behaviour management, asking us to explore the "why" behind the behaviour, the "what" that's going on in the body and the brain, and the "how" of proactively crafting your practice.
If you're the type of person who teaches from a deep emotional place, this one will really resonate.
It's not lost on me that six of the eight books on this list were written by white dudes. So if you've got some recommendations from authors who bring a bit more diversity to the bookshelf, please let me know. I'd love to check them out.
If you're a member of SchoolKit, log in and visit my space there called Plot. You'll find a special discount code for educators. I can also do some deals for bulk sets if you want copies for the whole team.
Kate oxox