During the summer term, some of you have told us that you would like some reading recommendations for over the summer break. While we wanted to encourage everyone to take a proper break, we also wanted to support those of you who were interested in delving deeper into education topics.
We therefore shared books across our social channels, including newly release publications, that were suggested from teachers, school leaders, trainee teachers and more. Read on to see what was recommended this year!
1.
The first of our summer reading recommendations was ‘Cultivating Belonging in Schools’ by Hannah Wilson.
What Chartered College of Teaching Fellow, Amy Sayer FCCT NPQSL, said about this book:
“Provides meaningful reflection opportunities on questions that really matter when considering how to cultivate genuine belonging in schools. There are great links to further resources and articles and great take-aways for schools.”
A Member of the Chartered College and want to purchase this book? Login to MyCollege to access your 30% discount for Sage.
2.
The next of our summer reading recommendations was ‘Succeeding as a Deputy Head’ by Adam Kohlbeck FCCT CTeach (Leadership) and Chris Passey FCCT.
A Member of the Chartered College and want to purchase this book? Login to MyCollege to access your 20% discount for Bloomsbury.
3.
The next of our summer reading recommendations was ‘Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools: Understand more deeply and better address inequalities in your school’ by Katrina Morley OBE FCCT and Sean Harris FCCT.
A Member of the Chartered College and want to purchase this book? Login to MyCollege to access your 20% discount for Bloomsbury.
4.
Our fourth summer reading recommendations was ‘What Teachers Need to Know about Memory’ by Dr Nasima Riazat and Jonathan Firth.
About this book: “Full of practical strategies to support students with recalling and embedding the learning of their work for exams.”
5.
The next of our summer reading recommendations was ‘Reading Lessons: The Books We Read at School, the Conversations They Spark and Why They Matter’ by Carol Atherton.
What our member, Finn O’Callaghan-Doyle, said about this book:
“So informative, relatable and interesting. The discussions of these seminal texts and their impacts and links to current issues really inspired me as I was about to start my PGCE English journey. A very diverse selection of texts discussed, and an inclusive outlook, which as an LGBTQ+ person I always appreciate. Atherton was also lovely when I spoke to her, and very encouraging.”
6.
The next of our summer reading recommendations was ‘The Human Side of School Leadership: How Courage, Connection and Care Transform Culture’ by Shaheen Myers.
About this book: “This guide offers a deeply human exploration of what it means to lead schools where people truly matter. Drawing on years of coaching and wellbeing supervision with headteachers, CEOs, and leadership teams, Shaheen Myers provides a powerful reimagining of leadership that places care, connection and courage at its core.”
7.
Our seventh summer reading recommendations was ‘Punished by Rewards’ by Alfie Kohn.
What our member, Lizzie Nurse, said about this book:
“This book, albeit a pretty dated one, poses an interesting question as to whether the extrinsic rewards we offer both children and adults ultimately reduces their intrinsic motivation. As a teacher who often finds herself asking ‘how do I get my students to love learning for its own sake, not just what they will be tested on?’ the core argument of this book that any offer of ‘do this and you’ll get that’ ultimately renders the ‘this’ an obstacle to be endured in order to get the reward is a thought-provoking one. In a post-pandemic educational landscape, where emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) and a sense of school belonging have become increasingly prominent concerns, it is worth examining whether traditional behaviourist approaches based on rewards and sanctions remain the most effective means of ensuring that every child feels recognised, understood, valued, and welcomed within our school communities”.
8.
The next of our summer reading recommendations was ‘Teacher Autonomy. Where Has It Gone and Why We Need It Back’ by Sophie Smith-Tong MCCT.
What our member says:
“I believe this book is more important now than ever before. If we don’t start questioning the initialising of the profession the retention crisis will worsen. Finally, without teacher autonomy there is no child autonomy – the lack of child led learning is the reason behind low child engagement and an attendance crisis”.
9.
The next of our summer reading recommendations was ‘186 Days in Teaching: A Month-by-Month Guide to Being a Secondary Teacher’ by Dr James Shea and Mohammed A.Amin.
What our member, Taiyib Hussain, said about this book:
“I love this book. What a great way of setting up the chapters. Each month there are things I didn’t realise needed to happen like how to use data in December or evaluating sequences of learning in April”.
10.
Our final summer reading recommendations was ‘A little guide for teachers: differentiation and adaptive teaching’ by Caroline Bentley-Davies.
What our member, Nicola Copitch, said about this book:
“An accessible and practical guide, built on sound theoretical underpinnings and wide personal experience”.
Bonus books
Our summer book recommendation form overflowed this year- a huge thank you to those who got involved- and we didn’t want to miss any, so here are more we think you’ll love:
- AI Bias in Education: Performing Critical Oversight: Perspectives and Practical Approaches for Educators by Victoria Hedlund
- What They Didn’t Teach Me on My PGCE – and other routes into teaching by Jill Berry
- 10% Braver by WomenEd
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- In Praxis: SEND and Inclusion by Chartered College of Teaching and Twinkl [coming soon]
- Kind Leadership by Joanna Povall [Chartered College members can login to MyCollege to access a 30% discount for Crown House Publishing].
- Developing a Metacognitive Curriculum by Nathan Burns [Chartered College members can login to MyCollege to access a 30% discount for Sage].
- School Leadership and Pedagogy for the Common Good by Antony Luby
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott
- Developing Subject Knowledge Across the Primary Curriculum by Dr Jen Aggleton [Chartered College members can login to MyCollege to access a 30% discount for Sage].
- Love the One You’re With: Why teachers stay and what we can learn from them by Dr Haili Hughes FCCT and Sam Gibb FCCT [new release]
- Leading Secondary English by Donal Hale MCCT
- Kilter Leadership by Alan Rodgers