In late 2008 I posted The Best Education-Related Books Visitors To This Blog Read In 2008.
I’d like to do it again this year.
Feel free to leave your recommendations in the comment section of this blog and I’ll hold them in moderation until I print the whole list.
The books could have been published earlier. The only requirement is that you’ve read them sometime this year. They might not be obviously connected to education — just briefly explain how it is connected in your mind.
Please leave the title of the book; author’s name; why you like the book (or books) so much — please keep the explanation to no more than two or three sentences; and how you’d like me to describe you.
Deadline — December 30th.
Best book of 2009: “Stuck in the Shallow End” by Jane Margolis
About reasons for the lack of diversity in the field of computing. Hits the nail on the head.
One of my favorites is definitely Activating the Desire to Learn by Bob Sullo. It is a book based on the premise that student behavior is based on the desire to satisfy specific needs and that we, as teachers, can boost student achievement by acknowledging and strengthening that connection. Here’s a link:
http://shop.ascd.org/productdisplay.cfm?productid=107009
Wounded by School: Recapturing the Joy in Learning and Standing Up to the Old School Culture by Kristen Olson.
Offers the how and why students and teachers are wounded and solutions for change and healing for teachers, students, and parents/guardians.
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. Although not really an education book, the book has lots of suggestions that could help teachers make sure their lectures “stick.” And isn’t that what learning is all about?
I’d like to nominate my own book, Taking Back the Classroom: Tips for the College Professor on Becoming a More Effective Teacher. The book is based on my 28 years of teaching experience (learned the hard way at times) and would be useful for both college and high school teachers.
I really enjoyed reading Daniel T. Willingham’s “Why Don’t Students Like School.” I teach in an urban middle school and have found his thoughts intriguing. It has helped me rethink how I should teach.
For me it was Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough – though parts of it were discouraging (especially since I teach secondary), I found most of it inspiring and very informative.