Ahh, summer break. I don’t know about you all, but my summer break consists of reading, reading and more reading. If you read my classroom library post, you may know about my love of children’s books. My love extends to all books, of all genres.
Here are my favorite professional development books, broken down by category. All books are linked to Amazon.com with affiliate links (SSE makes a small commission if you use her link) where you can read a bit more about them and decide if you want to read the book!
Note: Most of these books are NOT instructional text books. The large majority are written in a narrative style. If you have any questions about how to integrate the suggestions in your classroom, leave a comment below.
Teaching/Pedagogy
The First Six Weeks of School
The Morning Meeting Book
Teach Like a Pirate
Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differently in the Primary Grades
Educating Esme (Recommended for ALL First year teachers!)
Helping Children Succeed
Special Education Teaching/Pedagogy
Rethinking Disability
Just Give Him The Whale!: 20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism
(Un)Learning Disability: Recognizing and Changing Restrictive Views of Student Ability
The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention
Anti-Bias/Anti-Racism (ABAR)
Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom
Multiplication is for White People: Raising Expectations for Other People’s Children
Teaching When the World is on Fire
The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts Language and Culture in the Classroom
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood and the Rest of Y’all Too
A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America *
A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America *
This Book is Anti-Racist
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching in the Pursuit of Educational Freedom
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria
Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Anti-Racist and Anti-Bias Work in Your School Community
*These are the same book. One is for adults (or high school students) and the “young people” version could be read by middle school students. This is GREAT for differentiation!
Behavior
Lost At School: Why Our Kids With Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them
The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students
Other Topics
Outdoor Education
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Cognition and Brain Based Learning
Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
Obviously, there are a lot of books on this list.
That being said, no reason to read them all or take everything they say to heart. Read the ones that interest you and apply what you learn in ways that work for you and your students. Remember, nothing is one size fits all; including any suggestions that these books may make.
Are there any professional development books you love that aren’t on my list? Let me know in the comments!
Beyond Behaviors