It's no secret that I love reading, but what I've discovered over the past few semesters is how much I love reading about teaching. Articles, info-graphics, anything about teaching, I'm all over it. I'm the new teacher on the block, so every little bit helps, right? Here are my current favorite teaching-related books:
1. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough
Did you know that the way we're raised and the traumatic experiences we have as children (divorce, abuse, the aunt that always makes us uncomfortable at family gatherings) actually affect our bodies on a biological level? Studies have shown that children who experience psychological (as well as physical, of course) trauma are more likely to develop health problems later in life such as diabetes, heart conditions, and more. I learned that from reading this book, amongst other things, and the idea absolutely fascinated and terrified me. Honestly, this is one of my favorite books of all-time, not just within the genre of "teacher books." Go out and get yourself a copy RIGHT. NOW.
2. Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences By Leonard Sax
If you read my last article then you know I consider myself a feminist, which means I believe in equality for both genders. This book really opened my eyes to the inequalities occurring in our school systems right now when we try to educate both genders in the same classroom for every subject. Did you know that boys/men process certain types of information in a different part of their brains than girls/women? And did you know that boys (not being sexist here, there is biological proof behind this) cannot hear as well as girls? These issues and many more are contributing to the difficulties students have in school, because they are being taught in a way that is supposed to be "gender neutral" but really ends up hindering either boys or girls in the learning process. This is another book that you NEED to get your hands on, whether you're a teacher or a parent, or even if you're just a human being who wants to better understand people and how to communicate effectively with either gender. DO IT!
3.Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement, Volume 2 by Stephanie Harvey
Teaching comprehension is NOT just for English/Language Arts teachers, people! Every single subject needs to teach comprehension, or you might as well assign students to read a textbook from China if you want them to actually do the assigned reading for your class. Whether it's math, science, history, or any other subject, you need to teach students how to understand the content they are expected to know. It's that simple.
