The Engaging Educators Summer Reading List

At the top of our summer learning list are some terrific books. We’ve gotten our hands on nine great titles that we’re going to explore during the next few months. There are obviously some common threads–innovation, creativity, 21st century learning, to name a few. There is quite a bit of inspiration within all these pages, I’m sure of it.

Stay tuned for full reviews throughout the summer. In the meantime, here are the titles…read along with us and let us know what you think:

Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth & Christopher Lehman

I’m looking forward to gaining some insight into implementation of the ELA Common Core State Standards. This book breaks down both the Reading and Writing standards and discusses them in detail. Should be an excellent resource for ELA teachers around the country.

Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

Not written with educators in mind, I still think this book about creativity has tons of educational implications. Creativity is something we need to do a better job of fostering in students. I think this book will be inspirational in that regard.

Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner

Not many books have changed my thinking as much as Wagner’s The Global Achievement Gap. That revealing exploration of America’s educational system is followed up by this book, which explores how we can do a better job fostering the seven key character traits Wagner discovered were missing in the prior book. Wagner is a gifted writer, and this promises to be a great read.

Shifting the Monkey by Todd Whitaker

I’m not a school leader. Nor do I play one on television. However, I am interested in learning as much as I can about leadership, because I like to consider myself a “teacher leader.” I think this book will have some great tips.

Teaching 2030 by Barnett Berry and the Teacher Solutions 2030 Team

What will the educational system look like in the year 2030? That’s the question this book attempts to answer. Each chapter is written by a different educator, thereby guaranteeing multiple perspectives on an important question.

Rigor is NOT a 4-letter Word by Barbara Blackburn

Injecting more critical thinking and rigor into classrooms is something that’s high on our priority list. This book has the potential to serve as a guidebook for this mission. Not only does it explain what rigor is, but what it isn’t as well, which is important, too.

inGenius by Tina Seelig

Subtitled “A Crash Course on Creativity,” this book, like Imagine, is not directly aimed at the education market. I do think, however, that it will be an intriguing read because it focuses on ingenuity and how to foster it.

Bringing Innovation to School by Suzie Boss

This book isn’t available until next month, but you can pre-order it now. Suzie Boss writes about project based learning regularly for Edutopia. This book explores how to encourage, motivate and teach students to become more innovative. Definitely a must-read for anyone looking to shift toward 21st Century teaching & learning.

Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds by Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis

You’re right, I already read this. But I found it so useful that I can’t help but recommend it once again to educators around the world. If you’ve ever been interested in joining or starting a global collaborative project, this book provides all that you need.

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Hopefully you’ll find these books helpful, too. Let us know what you’re reading this summer. What titles do you recommend?

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