Welcome to my education reading blog
Bringing The English Curriculum to Life by David Didau
I never miss a book by David Didau. He has a clarity of expression that enlightens every every concept discussed- even if I feel I know it well already. I have read his works, heard him speak and engaged in professional discussion with him and have always learnt something. This new book is a field…
Responsive Coaching by Josh Goodrich
This book focuses on successful coaching of teachers. It largely outlines a systematic approach for one-to-one coaching but also describes key ways in which to embed this into a school’s culture. It reminded me of Unleashing Great Teaching in its systematic approach. It was one of those books that is a genuine step by step…
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
I enjoyed Jonathan Haidt’s earlier books which tend to address a key issue currently facing society. His last book- The Coddling of the American Mind focused on the cancel culture and the removal of debate from American universities. The book before that, The Righteous Mind, was a fascinating look at the polarisation of politics. His new…
Desirable Difficulties in Action by Jade Pearce and Isaac Moore
I have always found the most compelling ideas in research led education those that feel intuitively right. That doesn’t necessarily mean they stand up to rigorous review (growth mindset). Further evidence is needed. But, much of AiFL and the Bjorks’ desirable difficulties research meets the test of feeling right and having sound research backing (I…
Boys Do Cry by Matt Pinkett
I read and enjoyed Boy’s Don’t Try when it was published. I have always been frustrated by the lack of pastorally focused books for teachers at a time when excellent academic texts were common. Therefore, I was excited to spot this book which I missed last year. And I was not disappointed. I started the…
When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope
I was passed this book by a colleague with whom I have worked on Critical Incident Planning. I was aware of it having heard Lucy Easthope interviewed in the James O’Brien podcast and had been intrigued by her expertise and passion for the subject. The book is a page turner. The range of the authors…
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendal
I read this shortly after I read The Identity Trap. It was another book that helped me reflect on matters of inclusion. The book looks at intersectionality and argues that identifying as women is not unifying (and mutually supporting) across race because the impacts of institutional and systemic racism, misogyny and class trump feminism as a…
The Identity Trap by Yascha Mounk
Having worked in schools for the last few years, largely at senior management level, I have had to think hard about some big societal issues. Not just about my own positions and feelings, but about school’s wider responsibilities and how best to manage and communicate these. Once such area was the responses to Black Lives…
Working with Boys by Andrew Hampton
Andrew Hampton is an experienced Head Teacher who has taught PSHE for many years. He produced an approach to supporting girls’ friendships called ‘Girls on Board’ (I wasn’t aware of it so pass no judgement on its success). In this book he turns his attention to boys. He explores a range of issues relating to…
Power Up Your Pedagogy by Bruce Robertson
It dawned on me that I hadn’t read a John Catt publication in a while. Many of the clearest books I have read have come through John Catt and they tend to be well presented and interesting. Having had a quick look at recent publications this book jumped out. It turned out to be an…
Making Room for Impact by Arran Hamilton, John Hattie and Dylan Wiliam
I am always alert to anything new by Dylan Wiliam. He has a clarity of thought and expression that I love. In my opinion, he sits alongside David Didau in having a wonderful talent when explaining challenging educational ideas clearly and cutting to the point. This book is a collaboration with two other educationalists (one…
The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock Eide and Fernette Eide
I am not sure why it too so long for this book to gain my attention. This was a second edition building on a much read and appreciated first. It challenges the negative perception of dyslexia as something that you suffer. It outlines a number of areas in which people with dyslexia tend to thrive.…
When Parents Change Everything Changes by Paul Dix
All teachers have significant pastoral responsibility and I have thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of my work. Indeed, I was promoted to a pastoral leadership position within a couple of years of starting my career so have always had increased responsibility for behaviour management. The ideas of Paul Dix have been the best at capturing my…
After the Adults Change – Achieving Behaviour Nirvana by Paul Dix
I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Dix’s first book, When Adults Change Everything Changes. It chimed with my own experience as a pastoral leader and as a classroom teacher. I have always been a big advocate of a positive relationship approach to behaviour management. Recent developments, including a growing insight into Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma informed…
A Practical Guide to Pupil Wellbeing by Kirsten Colquhoun
I learnt a lesson from this book and that is to read the title and reflect on what is says. Too often I look at the covers of books and make a quick assumption as to what they are about. In this case I assumed it was a text about supporting well-being through pastoral care…
Talking to Teenagers by Jamie Thom
I enjoyed Jamie Thom’s books on slow and quiet teaching and was interested by this new one. It focuses on communicating with teenagers and I went in with expectations that it would have a pastoral focus. Given his previous books I am not sure quite why I thought that – they touched on pastoral (indeed,…
Why does no one talk about knowledge in this school? by Henry Welwyn
This was a short book- easily digestible in a morning with a pot of tea. It was a dialogue between three experienced teachers of different disciplines about what knowledge is- or more accurately- what education should achieve and how best to do this. I am not sure if it was a real conversation- I suspect…
Developing Expert Teaching by Peps Mccrea
Peps Mccrea books are short and sharp. They tend to be around 100-150 pages, large font with not a word wasted. They contrast nicely with the Craig Barton epics. Completely different in size but both authors produce books that are intensely satisfying. Developing Expert Teaching focuses on how best to lead professional development in teachers…
Tips for Teachers by Craig Barton
I have always enjoyed the challenge of a Craig Barton book. They are always epics in size but packed full of wisdom. They are also invariably charming. Craig Barton is honest about his own journey exploring how best to teach. He talks with insight and wit about how he has tried to implement the new…
Reduce Change to Increase Improvement by Viviane Robinson
In all the school I have worked there has always been a focus on an annual improvement plan cycle and the approaches have largely been top-down – albeit informed from feedback from across the school. I have seen some excellent initiatives lead to real, sustainable change but have always found the overall process seemed flawed-…
Outsmart your Brain by Daniel Willingham
I was excited to read this book. Daniel Willingham’s Why Don’t Students Like School was at the vanguard of the current focus on understanding learning. He made me understand that learning wasn’t natural but was tough and we should focus on anything we can do to make it easier. This book focuses his expertise on…
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
I loved Fern Brady on Taskmaster last season and she now tops my list of favourite ever contestants. As a result I was very excited to read this book. Listening to her on a variety of podcasts recently I was aware of the extent to which she challenges many of the potential stereotypes- not least…
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
Not quite sure how I ended up reading this book thinking it was a new release. It was actually released in 2014 as a follow up to Start with Why and I can’t be 100% sure I didn’t read it at the time. If I did, I have little memory. The book itself promoted the…
The Social Distance Between Us by Darren McGarvey
Having lived in London for the last three years I feel I have lost touch a little with Scottish political thinking. However, my curiosity was peaked by a couple of people saying how much they had enjoyed Darren McGarvey’s new book (Andy Burnham and Fern Brady I think). His last book, Poverty Safari, was thought-provoking…
Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
I read this towards the end of my summer of relaxation when I was beginning to regain some intellectual curiosity in my life. Watching the UK political pantomime was fascinating, but I felt the need to read some challenging perspectives on the current economic system. This book, and Darren McGarvey’s The Social Distance Between Us,…
The Psychology of Great Teaching by Pedro de Bruyckere, Casper Hulshof and Liese Missinne
This was the third book I chose to read as I prepared to start a new job in education, albeit out of school and focusing on assessment. I re-read Daisy Christodoulou’s excellent Making Good Progress and the new book from Hendrick, Kirschner and Heal. Having thoroughly enjoyed the clarity and rigour of both I was…
How Teaching Happens by Paul Kirschner, Carl Hendrick and Jim Heal
This blog has lay (lain/layed???) fallow for nearly two years. Partly due to a relentless year in my last Deputy Head (Pastoral and Safeguarding) role and then a long summer of travelling, cycling and sleep. But as I began to look around for a new challenge it became clear that I would probably need some…
Making Meaning in English by David Didau
I have enjoyed every book by David Didau- he has a clarity of thought and expression that is rare. This book had the feel of a labour of love- in it he pulled together his thoughts on how best to teach his own subject. I cannot imagine anything more exciting and challenging to do. What…
Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
I think appraisal and performance management systems are challenging to get right in schools for a number of reasons. It is very hard to measure the success of teaching – observations are notoriously unreliable and a good set of pupil results may tell you as much about teaching from previous years as it does about…
The Craft of the Classroom by Michael Marland
I can’t remember how this ended up in my shopping basket, but I loved it. My edition was published in 1993 and was brim full of common sense. It is a relatively short but thorough handbook to being a good teacher. It covers a wide variety of aspects of teaching with common sense advice backed…
How to Grow a Grown Up by Dr Dominique Thompson and Fabienne Vailes
This book isn’t aimed at teachers but at parents/carers. It gives a thorough insight into the challenges of being a parent/carer- suggesting strategies and tips for each. It was rigorous and identified large amounts of research to back-up its ideas and claims. At its best it addressed aspects of wellbeing such as sleep and mental…
The Running the Room Companion by Tom Bennett
I thoroughly enjoyed Running the Room. It pulled together Bennett’s excellent work on behaviour in one place. I felt it would become the go to book on behaviour and would sit alongside I, Partridge in the Excellent Footnotes (EF) section of all good book shops. This companion book introduces itself as a collection of the…
Educating for a Characterful Society by James Arthur et al
This was a fascinating book discussing an area about which I have thought a lot and have formed some firm views. Initially I worried it would be a journey through my own prejudices where I would struggle to keep an open mind. My own feeling/opinion (based on quite a lot of reading and working in…
The Power of Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction by Greg Ashman
Greg Ashman often pops up on my Twitter timeline and I enjoyed his last book- The Truth About Teaching. He has an aptitude for pulling together and eloquently outlining the current state of thinking about teaching (or certainly the dominant perspective from what I have read). This book was a pretty convincing argument for explicit…
The Best of the Marshall Memo Book 2 by Kim Marshall and Jenn David-Lang
I really enjoyed the first selection of Marshall Memos so was pleased to spot a second book was out. Each book includes a series of relatively short summaries of educational research articles from the last twenty years. Inevitably, given the breadth covered these can be a bit hit and miss- but more often hit than…
The Power of Neurodiversity by Thomas Armstrong
I have recently been chairing our school’s inclusion working group and a couple of times the importance of recognising neuro-diversity has been raised. I was embarrassed as it wasn’t a term with which I was familiar. As a result, I bought this book. In case you, like me, hadn’t heard the term- it refers to…
The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J. Sandal
This was a book on political and economic theory. It compellingly argued that modern capitalism was no longer fit for purpose (so be careful this is not a book you would currenlt be allowed to teach in British schools!). Its argument was that meritocracy is flawed because of the impact on the dignity and wellbeing…
The Coach’s Guide to Teaching by Doug Lemov
The Coach’s Guide to Teaching by Doug Lemov This is a fascinating read. Not because it related to much of my role- I misunderstood the title. But because it was so well written and touched on something dear to my heart- sport. Firstly, let’s clarify that this isn’t a book about coaching teachers. It is…
Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
This is an extraordinary book. A memoir of an English teacher, writer, nurturer and poetry lover. Kate Clanchy is clearly a very talented writer which means it is enormously readable- page turning, moving and very thought provoking. The first half seemed like a series of interesting and challenging essays on a range of educational issues.…
Beyond Wiping Noses by Stephen Lane
This was a fascinating read. Stephen Lane is a pastoral leader who has been watching the golden age of research-based advances in the quality of information available to guide academic teaching. Rather than simply enjoying this it led to him ask the question- why aren’t the pastoral aspects of teaching so well catered for. Despite…
Understanding Children’s Needs When Parents Separate by Emilia Dowling and Di Elliot
This has been a difficult year and Covid has place enormous pressure on families. Unfortunately, that has led to parental separations, or toxic family situations where separation has not been possible. This book, although published eight years ago, was a very timely read. It is a short and sharp guide to the impact of parental…
A Little Guide for Teachers: Diversity in Schools by Bennie Kara
The death of George Floyd in America and Black Lives Matter movement have led to a great deal of soul searching in schools. Whilst challenging, this has been enormously rewarding. Difficult, eye-opening and inspiring conversations have started to take place. Personally, I have started to chair my school’s inclusion working group. It is in its…
The ResearchEd Guide to Leadership Edited by Stuart Lock
I was excited about this addition to the ResearchEd series. I was intrigued as leadership seems to be a vaguer term/concept than some already covered and the research less convincing. I had expected it to be a series of essays on key leadership theories or traits. Instead, it opened with a couple of chapters that…
Teacher Resistance by Jamie Thom
I have enjoyed Jamie Thom’s previous books particularly his last one which looked at teaching from an introverted perspective (for both pupils and teachers). This book was one of many this year about teacher wellbeing. It was filled with lots of short sharp chapters on how to promote resilience/wellbeing. I felt it was largely aimed…
Intelligent Accountability by David Didau
As with any book by David Didau I was tremendously excited about reading this. He writes with an insight, rigour and clarity that only a select few (think Daisy Christodoulou and Dylan Wiliam) match. As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. That said, it was the Didau book that most challenged my own thoughts and…
Cognitive Load Theory in Action by Oliver Lovell
This is an excellent introduction to Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) for those that are new to it or summary for those that all well versed in it. Indeed- this book may become the ‘go-to’ text for CLT thanks to the quality of the explanation and clarity of the suggested applications. All done with a welcome…
Teaching in the Online Classroom by Doug Lemov
This was an outstanding book. Timely, clear and thorough. Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion is a bible of sound teaching techniques. This translates that to the ‘new normal’- the world of remote/blended learning. Unlike the initial book – which is somewhat overwhelming in scale- this was a very accessible 180 pages of short, sharp…
Symbiosis by Kat Howard and Claire Hill
This book was built around the idea that curriculum development is probably the most important aspect to get right in a school. It proposes that classroom teachers need to be at the heart of this. “We cannot extricate the curriculum from those who nurture, shape and deliver it in the classroom: their relationship is symbiotic”.…
Back on Track by Mary Myatt
This book has the feel of Myatt’s excellent High Challenge, Low Threat. It had lots of short, sharp, thought provoking chapters. These tended to be only a few pages long, packed with quotes and little bits of wisdom. The overall theme of the book was around staff workload, the curriculum and essentialism. Essentialism (as described…
Generative Learning in Action by Zoe and Mark Enser
Having enjoyed Rosenshine’s Principles in Action I was intrigued to see the series widen to tackle other seminal works. This is a short sharp exploration of the eight learning strategies promoted by Fiorella and Mayer. I liked the idea that where Rosenshine focuses on strategies for the teacher this focuses on strategies for the learner.…
Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates
This was a fascinating read. As a pastoral leader I have thought hard and read much on the idea of toxic masculinity. I have also thought long and hard about co-educational experiences. This book gave me further insight into the importance of supporting boys and girls to tackle the issues in this area. If nothing…
Motivated Teaching by Peps Mccrea
In a sea of interesting and insightful educational voices in what is clearly a golden age of educational books it is hard to find a USP. However, Peps Mccrea has done just that- he makes every word count and writes precise, short and beautifully insightful books. This one is on a topic that has always…
How to Educate a Citizen by E. D. Hirsch Jr.
I have read Hirsch’s last few books as he is a leading light in the arguments for knowledge rich teaching. This was a slightly different book and had the feeling of a swansong. It was based on the premise that knowledge rich education is crucial to reversing the damage done by progressivism. It provided some…
Running the Room by Tom Bennett
I will start with the easy stuff. This is an outstanding book. It included the greatest use of footnotes since I, Partridge. Perhaps more importantly it was clear, thorough, humorous and empathetic. I fully expect it to become the ‘go-to’ book for behaviour. During the summer I was looking for a summary of Bennett’s behaviour…
Educating with Purpose by Stephen Tierney
I read and thoroughly enjoyed Stephen Tierney’s Liminal Leadership. This newest book received lots of mentions and enthusiasm on Twitter so I was delighted when it arrived. The book lacks the humour that came with his earlier book- it was a delightful look back on a career. This is a far more academic and rigorous…
Powerful Pedagogy by Ruth Powley
I didn’t spot this when it first came out but it was recently recommended on Twitter by David Didau, who enjoyed its clarity. As a man who writes with extraordinary clarity himself I couldn’t help but buy it. It reviews a variety of aspects of effective teaching with key ideas, reflective questions and time saving…
Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal
I have been part of many discussions recently as my school tries to reflect and improve as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement. We have launched a review in a way that seems to me to be impressively open and involves soul-searching and a commitment to seek and hear the hard truths. One…
The ResearchEd Guide to Assessment Edited by Sarah Donarski
I think I have read all the ResearchEd guides so far and felt that this was the most enjoyable yet. The opening chapters written by Wiliam and Hill were outstanding in terms of the clarity of the ideas outlined. Dylan Wiliam started by describing the key qualities of assessment as clearly as I have read…
Science Fictions by Stuart Ritchie
This book kept popping up on my timeline and appealed to me immediately. It was a thorough review of the problems undermining scientific progress in the world (and the proliferation of bad science). It contained a detailed criticism of the aspects of the scientific system that lead to poor science- things like the financial motivations…
10 Mindframes for Leaders Edited by John Hattie and Raymond Smith
This joins a few books written as part of a Visible Learning series. These build on the phenomenal success of Hattie’s original meta-analysis and try to focus on specific areas and things to be learnt in them. Many schools are using the Visible Learning framework as a system for self-evaluation and improvement. This book focused…
Michaela: The Power of Culture Edited by Katharine Birbalsingh
I enjoyed the Battle Hymn of Tiger Teachers and have been fascinated by the story of Michaela and the educational debates it fuels. As a pastoral leader, and one who follows debates over discipline on Twitter eagerly, I have found that Michaela is often used by those arguing for zero-tolerance discipline and I have often…
Great Teaching Toolkit Evidence Review
This is an excellent report (rather than a book). It tries to pull together the best in the educational research out there. It pulls its suggestions for effective teaching together in four dimensions including about seventeen elements. It had clear overlaps with the Sherrington Rosenshine’s summary. In that it identifies some ‘best suggestions’. What excited…
The ResearchEd Guide to the Curriculum. Edited by Clare Sealy
The ResearchEd series continues with a focus on the curriculum. I have some mixed feelings about the guides. What I had half expected was a tightly edited collection of the best guesses that are out there. But what they tend to be are a series of essays – the written equivalent of ResearchEd talks- which…
Improving Schools from Within by Roland Barth
This book was recommended in glowing terms in one of my recent reads- either by John Tomsett or Roy Blatchford. It is thirty years old but the vision it outlined was extremely wise. It contained an overview of an experienced American principal’s vision for a great school. It emphasised the point that the vision may…
The Three Minute Leader by Roy Blatchford
This was a quick and satisfying read. It contained 101 one-page insights into leadership. Each was wise and thoughtful. After every ten tips it paused for a brief reflection and invariably added a wise tale or thoughtful story on which to reflect. I read it on a sunny day at the start of half-term and…
The Restless School by Roy Blatchford
I read this book before I started writing my book reviews. However, I was reminded of it by my previous boss when I referred to Roy Blatchford’s new book when I reflected on the political leadership of our country. It is a great book and was part of the reason I always look out for…
Putting Staff First by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
I purchased this book looking forward to some traditional staff-wellbeing fayre. I have enjoyed John Tomsett’s previous books as he writes in a style that is very readable and seems deeply rooted in common sense. When the book arrived, it had a glowing recommendation from Dylan Wiliam on the front- which whetted my appetite even…
The Craft of Assessment by Michael Chiles
This is a short sharp book. Focused on assessment it is based around a model of: Condensing knowledge Reflective learners Assessment being responsive Feedforward Targets drive improvement Not sure it quite works but it is a pretty effective structure. I liked the opening chapter and it made me reflect on my current teaching of Year…
Closing the Reading Gap by Alex Quigley
I read and thoroughly enjoyed Closing the Vocabulary Gap and The Confident Teacher. Alex Quigley writes with clarity and concision covering a great deal thoughtfully. As a teacher of politics and geography- both subjects rich in vocabulary and reading, I have always felt that I fumble my way through those aspects of my teaching. I…
How We Learn by Stanislas Dehaene
This popped up on my Twitter feed recommended by Dylan Wiliam with comments of agreement by David Didau and Carl Hendrick – easy purchase made. It was written by one of Europe’s leading neuroscientists who has spent thirty years looking at brain development. It was a fascinating read – it started with the neuroscience and…
Reflect, Expect, Check, Explain by Craig Barton
I loved Craig Barton’s initial teaching War and Peace- How I Wish I’d Taught Maths. That was a personal account of his excitement about what cognitive science had taught him and how he was applying it to his teaching. It was massive, passionate and, if I am honest a little overwhelming. Some argue that we…
Teaching Walkthrus by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli
This is a beautiful looking book. Not as physically big as Caviglioli’s Dual Coding but landscaped and beautifully produced. At its heart it are 50 five-step walkthroughs that enable effective teaching. They are concise, clear, evidence-based and simple. They are really outstanding teaching supports and I took the opportunity to read each reflecting on how…
A Whole-Learning Approach for Students and Teachers by Arthur Shimamura
This is free online book that captures some of the key instructional ideas highlighted in the work of Daniel Willingham or in Rosenshine’s Principles. It received rave reviews by some big hitters as it captured some of the basics nicely and pulled them together with clarity. I still think you are better starting with the…
The Explosive Child by Ross Greene
I think this book was referenced in Jarlath O’Brien’s recent book. It is a book aimed at parents of children with extremely challenging and inflexible behaviour. It outlines an approach around problem solving with the children (it was written in-depth including scripts to exemplify the ideas). Although it was quite intensive it seemed sensible. It…
The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris
I read this a few years ago when I was teaching theories of crime to my Advanced Higher pupils and wanted to learn more about the influence of peer groups. Harris wrote an article that challenged the ‘nurture assumption’ – that our behaviour is predominantly determined by our parents. She argues that our peers have…
Stop Talking About Wellbeing by Kat Howard
Having been involved in many discussions about staff wellbeing over the last few years I am always intrigued to see if there is something I have missed. All schools I have worked in discussed it and were enthusiastic about improving the situation. This book didn’t come with any silver bullets but did touch on some…
How to Solve It by George Polya
I was recommended this book by a Maths teacher who had seen me perusing the new Craig Barton book. I was immediately interested in the premise. The idea that you can develop generic problem-solving skills goes against my own understanding of the transferability of knowledge. I think this was the book Dylan Wiliam talked to…
Leading Better Behaviour by Jarlath O’Brien
I am a big fan of Jarlath O’Brien’s writing on behaviour. He is a leader of a special school and consults and writes on behaviour. I first encountered him in a book called Don’t Send him in Tomoorrow which were his reflections on all aspects of life in special schools but I loved the chapter…
Teachers vs Tech by Daisy Christodoulou
I have always enjoyed books by Daisy Christodoulou, she writes with an exceptional clarity that she shares with Dylan Wiliam and David Didau. Her first book on myths is one of the best in that area and her analysis of assessment in her last book is compelling. This book works through the key aspects of teaching…
How Learning Happens by Paul Kirschner and Carl Hendrick
This was a book I was very excited about. The back page has glowing commendations from Willingham, Wiliam and Sherrington. Hard to argue with that. It is beautiful looking with a clear structure and some lovely illustrations by Caviglioli. It contains 28 reviews of key research papers. For each it gives background, an abstract, a…
Education Exposed by Samuel Strickland
This is a 90page book, less than an hour’s reading, short and sharp. It basically summarises one leader’s thoughts on successful schools. It is the kind of summary I can imagine writing when leaving teaching- my best ideas on behaviour, leadership, curriculum and staff-wellbeing summarised. As I read it, I didn’t find much to disagree…
A Quiet Education by Jamie Thom
I enjoyed Susan Cain’s book Quiet and have often wondered about where I lie on the introvert/extrovert spectrum. I have some introvert traits so a book like this fascinates me. The book itself had three sections. Firstly, it looked at how whether schools could do better for introverted students- and it made me feel guilty…
A Curriculum of Hope by Debra Kidd
It is quite rare to read a book that is totally counter to your own beliefs on what works in teaching. It is rare because my recommendations tend to come from the Twitter echo chamber. Undoubtedly, it is a healthy thing to do. This book is an exploration of what a hopeful curriculum should include…
Leaders with Substance by Matthew Evans
This book tries to apply some of the insights about education from cognitive science onto leadership. It presents itself as a challenge to genericism and the use of leadership and management theory in schools. It suggests that teaching (and particularly leading schools) is a particularly complex task that is beyond universally applicable ideas. I agree…
Connect the Dots by Tricia Taylor
This is an elegant looking and very thorough book. It focuses on three key aspects of the learning process – positive relationships, memory and learning mindsets. For each area there is a very detailed, readable and informative research section which signposts further reading very well. These sections were the highlight of the book for me.…
Bringing Words to Life by Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown and Linda Kucan
As a teacher of social subjects, I am always keen to read books that support literacy. I stumbled across this recommendation on Twitter as a key read about vocabulary. It was listed alongside some recent books I have thoroughly enjoyed but was published back in 2002. It focused on widening the vocabulary of students. Much…
How the Other Half Learn by Robert Pondiscio
This was a great read. It reminded me of a book like Cleverlands where an educationalist who is clearly an outstanding writer takes an in-depth look at a school. The book benefited from the objective and curious stance he could take. He immersed himself in a Success Academy school in New York for a year…
Retrieval Practice – Research and Resources for Every Classroom by Kate Jones
This is a short sharp summary of what retrieval practice means and what you can do to employ it in the classroom. It isn’t written in a sophisticated, challenging manner aimed at exciting or convincing an argumentative educational reader – it simply puts down clearly what the author has learnt and how she applies it.…
The ResearchEd Guide to Literacy by James Murphy
The new ResearchEd series is producing enjoyable short books on key topics. Each is edited by an expert in the field and collates essays from a range of educationalists, often including some ResearchEd favourites. This book was focused on literacy and aimed to summarise the best evidence around about promoting literacy, it did so in…
The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook by Tom Sherrington
I thoroughly enjoyed the original book and was excited to read this follow up. It felt very comforting to start the book with Sherrington’s reflections on what must have been a very busy couple of years. It quickly dawned on me that I didn’t remember the original metaphor very accurately- this is the danger of…
More Urban Myths About Learning and Education by Pedro de Bruyckere, Paul Kirschner and Casper Hulshof
There are now a lot of educational myths books available and therefore much of what you read has been read before. In some ways it makes one an unfair judge as nothing in this book was new or came as a surprise and therefore it lacked a little impact. I therefore started to try and…
The Best of the Marshall Memo by Kim Marshall and Jen David-Lang
The outward appearance of this book is not encouraging. It has a textbook feel, a bit like Teach Like a Champion. But, similarly to that book, it is far more rewarding once you get stuck in. The similarities don’t end there- it has a clear structure and within the three sections (leadership, improving teacher quality…
Curriculum – Athena versus the Machine by Martin Robinson
I have always found Robinson’s work challenging and therefore quite rewarding. But- I often found it somewhat impenetrable and leave wondering whether it is a lack of clarity from him or intellect from me. I enjoyed Trivium, for example, but didn’t manage to access all of it even if the overarching theme was clear. I…
The ResearchEd Guide to Explicit and Direct Instruction edited by Adam Boxer
This was another short book in the exciting new ResearchEd series. It wasn’t a quick, easy to access page-turner like the recent myth busting edition. Instead it was a slow review of DI and some of it was somewhat impenetrable to me. There were a couple of chapters that seemed to be about logic and…
The ResearchEd Guide to Education Myths edited by Craig Barton
I always enjoy a book on educational myths, and this is a bite size belter. 99 pages- so about two hours of myth busting fun. Barton asks some of educations biggest hitters to review some of the most obvious areas of misconception. These analyses were generally pretty balanced and nicely researched informed. They were all…
Teach Like Nobody’s Watching by Mark Enser
I wish I could think of a generic name for educational books that find a very satisfying concept to effectively hang a sound and insightful analysis of pretty much all aspects of teaching. This is one such book. The overarching concept is that teachers are most effective when teaching naturally and not when jumping through…
What the Academy Taught Us by Eric Kalenze
This was a book that popped up on Twitter and was clearly enjoyed by some prominent educationalists who tend to judge books well. I bought it without really pondering the title, indeed, I had assumed it was about academies in the English sense. It wasn’t and in retrospect, I realised I had read Kalenze before…
Teaching for Mastery by Mark McCourt
I had no idea what to expect when I purchased this book. I had heard about the work of Mark McCourt from a mathematical colleague and I was intrigued by the idea of mastery. The only issue was that I had no idea what mastery meant. I assumed a vague concept that linked to the…
Boys Don’t Try? Rethinking Masculinity in Schools by Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts
This was another book that popped up a lot on my Twitter timeline. It covers an area of great interest to me pastorally- how can we get the best out of boys. It focused on a question that regularly pops up- is masculinity toxic? The book itself was nicely written. Each chapter generally started with…
Collaborative Professionalism by Hargreaves and O’Connor
Books on teacher collaboration, agency and the mechanics of educational change can be dry affairs, so I started this book with a certain trepidation. However, it was a pretty well written and relatively quick review of what makes collaboration work. The key thing that maintained its flow was its review of five case studies from…
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What I Talk About When I Talk About Education 