Summer Professional Reading Recommendations for UE Faculty

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Dear Upper Elementary Colleagues:

Over the summer, as usual, many of us plan to read widely and deeply both to prepare for next year as a faculty, and pursue our individual professional goals. Many homeroom teachers plan to (re-)read key portions of Teaching for Comprehending & Fluency to inform classroom practice of guided reading in particular, and to (re-)view F&P materials from The Benchmark Assessment System in anticipation of preliminary reading assessments in the early weeks of the year. All teachers will be asked intentionally to consider movies they see, and/or books they read, with the framework of cross-cultural competencies we have explored with Dr. Steven Jones.

In addition to these important acts, I have encouraged each Upper Elementary homeroom teacher to consider the review of at least three children’s texts to inform language arts collaboration and planning in the fall. All of you — homeroom and specialist teachers alike — are welcome and encouraged to consider responding to the 4th-6th grade students‘ summer reading guidelines by contributing to their data set with your recommendations. We’ll be using their recommendations to create a database of recommendations for their peers — tagged by form, genre, theme, and reading level — over the course of the year; I think they would also get a kick out of seeing your responses to the questions they’re asking about their independent reading this summer. If you wish to do so, those guidelines are available here: Summer Reading Guidelines.

Summer Professional Reading Recommendations

Many of us plan, like last year, to get to that stack of professional texts we’ve been ogling for some months — and are excited to have the chance to reflect on our own classroom practice. Last year, I asked you to recommend texts to colleagues on the basis of your reactions to them. We came up with a great list of compelling works, which is available here for your review: UE Faculty Summer Reading Recommendations, 2011.

Surely there’s a wide range of professional texts you’ve enjoyed over the course of this year, or those you’ve looked forward to reading in the next couple of months. I’d like to invite all of you to submit any such recommendations to colleagues, below. Please just provide the text’s author, title, and a link to the text on Amazon for further details — along with a brief explanation of your interest and your recommendation. (Also provide your name, in case you have a username that doesn’t make it obvious.) I have seeded the list with several titles from my stack of recent reads and/or soon-to-be-reads. Please add your recommendations to the list for the Good of the Order!

PLEASE POST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2012 FACULTY SUMMER READING BELOW:

(And feel free to add to the recommendations over the summer!)

Twitt
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  • CurtisCFEE

    Yong Zhao
    World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students
    (Forthcoming 6/26/12: http://ow.ly/bxt9n)

    As a huge fan of Zhao’s seminal Catching Up or Leading the Way, I look forward to his latest work “about preparing global, creative, and entrepreneurial talents.” In a post introducing the book at http://ow.ly/bxt1c, Professor Zhao continues artfully to reframe the discourse on the so-called “Global Achievement Gap,” asking such critical questions as:

    At a time when college degrees do not guarantee gainful employment or a meaningful life, what is the point of preparing someone to be ready for college? At a time when most of the careers for our children are yet to be invented, how could we prepare them? At a time when seven billion human beings living in vastly different societies that are intricately connected, how could “all children be above average” or winners of the global competition in a narrowly defined game?

    Reviewing this book, Diane Ravitch says that “Yong Zhao demonstrates persuasively that the race for higher test scores is harmful to our society.” Ken Kay says that Yong Zhao “is truly an ed transformer, trying to articulate the outcomes that will matter most to our 21st century students. Yong Zhao continues to ‘lead the way’.”

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • CurtisCFEE

    Ken Kay & Valerie Greenhill
    The Leader’s Guide to 21st Century Education: 7 Steps for Schools and Districts
    (Forthcoming 6/15/12: http://ow.ly/bxtuV)

    Frankly, the amazon.com blurb sums up the appeal of the book quite well: “In this all-new resource, educational leaders get a 7-Steps guide to moving their schools and districts forward in the quest to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. The Leader’s Guide for 21st Century Education inspires the leading teaching and learning of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity and focuses on presenting an implementation-oriented resource for education leaders at all stages of implementation, from early through advanced.”

    Most of you are familiar with the school’s association with, and my involvement in, EdLeader21 — the national PLC for public and private education leaders committed to 21st century learning — over the course of the last year. You also know that Ken Kay, CEO of EdLeader21, recently joined 50 independent school leaders here at Curtis to invite them to join this public-private partnership, and to explore our efforts to integrate the 4Cs throughout our schools’ programs and practices. What you may not fully appreciate is the nature and the value of the “7 Steps Framework” — a truly inspired adaptation, in my opinion, of the principles of “backward planning” to the work of school-wide leadership. You may also not yet fully appreciate the remarkable insight and inspiration Ken Kay and Valerie Greenhill have brought to EdLeader21 members, following their years of leadership and service in the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

    Reviewing this book, Dan Pink says “the biggest challenge isn’t changing the students — they’re already in the 21st century — but updating the attitudes of the adults who are in charge. Take a page — take whole chapters! — from this book and get started today.” Yong Zhao calls this “a must-read for all education leaders aspiring to help their students succeed in the 21st Century.” Tony Wagner says, quite simply, that “Kay and Greenhill have written the most important education book I have read in a long time.”

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • CurtisCFEE

    Peg Dawson & Richard Guare
    Executive Skills in Children & Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment & Intervention (2nd Ed.)
    (2010: http://ow.ly/bxCZ1)

    Just got a hold of this one, on Dr. Fraser’s recommendation, in conjunction with a grant proposal we’re drafting on executive function and social/emotional development. E. Mark Mahone, Director of Neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine) explains:

    This is a rich and practical resource for all those working with children, including educators, therapists, and psychologists. Dawson and Guare demystify the complex and often confusing construct of executive function, citing its neurological basis, but also providing practical insights about how executive dysfunction affects the lives of students of all ages and ability levels. Notably, Dawson and Guare address executive functions from a developmental perspective, acknowledging the dynamic interaction between brain development and the ever-changing societal demands placed on children. The second edition also addresses the issue of primary prevention of executive function problems. Readers will especially appreciate the case examples and recommendations for intervention in the classroom, home, and in therapeutic and coaching settings, as well as the many intervention guides provided in the appendices.

    Bam!

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • CurtisCFEE

    John Dewey
    Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education
    (1916; Free Kindle edition [2006] at http://ow.ly/bxDfl; online html [1994] at http://ow.ly/bxDkE)

    Essential reading for every educator — deserving of a reread every few years — from whence we get such pearls as:

    Meaning depends upon connection with a shared experience.

    Example is notoriously more potent than precept.

    The intermingling in the school of youth of different races, differing religions, and unlike customs creates for all a new and broader environment.

    Every adult resents the imputation of having no further possibilities of growth.

    Growth is not something done to them; it is something they do.

    The educative process is a continuous process of growth, having as its aim at every stage an added capacity of growth.

    And my personal favorite:

    When we abandon the attempt to define immaturity by means of fixed comparison with adult accomplishments, we are compelled to give up thinking of it as denoting lack of desired traits. Abandoning this notion, we are also forced to surrender our habit of thinking of instruction as a method of supplying this lack by pouring knowledge into a mental and moral hole which awaits filling.

    And all this in the first 40 pages or so. Take advantage of the free Kindle edition that won’t wear out as quickly as a well-thumbed hard copy!

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • CurtisCFEE

    Tony Wagner
    Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World
    (2012: Enhanced eBook at http://ow.ly/bxDWJ)

    When I read Jonathan Martin’s post at http://ow.ly/bxDZH (“Play, Passion, Purpose, & Project Based Learning: Thoughts on Tony Wagner’s new book, Creating Innovators”) this one had me at ‘Hello.’

    For example:

    Increasingly in the 21st century, what you know is far less important than what you can do with what you know.

    Academic content is not very useful in and of itself. It is knowing how to apply it in new situations or to new problems that matters most in the world of innovation.

    Transforming classroom experience at every level essential to develop capacities to become innovators.

    Collaborative, project-based, interdisciplinary approaches to learning have a profound effect on the development of young persons [to become innovators].

    Enough said?

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • CurtisCFEE

    Grant Lichtman
    The Falconer: What We Wish We Had Learned in School
    (2008; this Kindle ed. (2010) at http://ow.ly/bxEbu)

    I have been a big fan of Grant Lichtman’s blog on innovation and leadership (http://learningpond.wordpress.com) since I came upon it earlier this year. His inspiring posts about a 21st century learning environment — Grant would call it an “Nth century” learning environment, contending importantly that essential ‘new’ learning outcomes are rooted in a timeless tradition — have had me looking forward to reading his book.

    According to the amazon writeup: “We want our young people to develop the traits of our heroes: courage, compassion, creativity, leadership, invention, vision. We need our students and employees to learn the skills that will give them a competitive advantage in an interdependent world. Yet our schools and training centers are stuck in a 19th century model that ignores this fundamental goal. Geared toward the teacher and student in all of us, The Falconer provides a simple model for making the leap from passive learner of previous knowledge to an active creator of new ideas.”

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • CurtisCFEE

    Diane Ravitch
    The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education
    (2011: http://ow.ly/bxEqs)

    This is, perhaps, the greatest history of American education by, on most accounts, the greatest historian of American education. As a reviewer notes, “The Death and Life of the Great American School System is a passionate defense of our nation’s public schools, a national treasure that Dr. Ravitch believes is ‘intimately connected to our concepts of citizenship and democracy and to the promise of American life.’”

    Dazzled by the hoo-hah in the current public discourse on public education and ed reform? Read this, follow “Bridging Differences” at Edweek (http://ow.ly/bxEF2), and follow Ravitch’s blog (http://ow.ly/bxEFU) to have an expert and an advocate help you to understand more fully, and to see more clearly.

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • CurtisCFEE

    Baratunde Thurston
    How to Be Black
    (2012: Enhanced Kindle Edition at http://ow.ly/bxF4Q)

    I came late — just this past December — to the @Baratunde game, unaware of Thurston’s prior work at The Onion and Jack & Jill Politics until I read his scathingly hilarious “Letter from a Poor Black Kid” at http://ow.ly/bxFgf, which he wrote in response to a spectacularly racist and, well, stupid op-ed in Forbes. Then came the debut of How to Be Black, which would have made a terrific kick-off title for a faculty or parent book club on inclusion. As a graduate of Sidwell Friends School and Harvard University, Thurston has some particularly acute and poignant insights on the experience of people of color in independent and elite school communities.

    Fast Company calls How to Be Black “terrific” and describes it as “an assault on nostalgia–a satirical, biographic attack on the idea that ‘blackness’ or any label should be derived from historical description.” Booklist considers it “a hilarious look at the complexities of contemporary racial politics and personal identity.” The Root suggests that if you are “struggling to figure out how to be black in the 21st century…Baratunde Thurston has the perfect guide for you…”

    - Chris Thinnes | @CurtisCFEE

  • Linda Schaffer

    Lisa Delpit’s Other Peoples’ Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom was one of my favorite books. I read it a while ago, but it is still relevant. Apparently, there is a newer edition.
    The Amazon link is: http://www.amazon.com/Other-Peoples-Children-Cultural-Classroom/dp/1595580743

    Sonia Nieto’s Affirming Diversity is another interesting read. However, like most college texts, it is pricey (because they can!).

    Nieto also wrote The Light in Their Eyes (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999). 207 pp. $22.95. This one is really useful for practicing teachers.

    You may want to read these review before deciding whether to buy Nieto’s books. The following link will take you to the Harvard Educational Review.

    http://www.hepg.org/her/booknote/46 (Affirming Diversity)

    http://www.hepg.org/her/booknote/159 (The Light in Their Eyes)

  • http://www.amazon.com/SWAGGER-Raising-Failing-Joblessness-ebook/dp/B007W1AIJ8/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1339601301&sr=8-1-fkmr0 J Mao

    More info about boys…
    Swagger: 10 Urgent Rules for Raising Boys in an Era of Failing Schools, Mass Joblessness, and Thug Culture by Lisa Bloom
    http://ow.ly/bAydu

    As written in Amazon, “SWAGGER is a wakeup call for parents about the real world our boys inhabit right now, but it offers solutions as well. From how to teach your boy humility (the swagger anti-venom), to “making your home a reading mecca,” creating an expectation of college graduation, and how to teach your boy to be critical of the media onslaught in his life, this book is also packed with research-proven, parent-tested, teacher-approved practical solutions, delivered in the author’s trademark no-nonsense, often humorous, take-charge voice.”

  • http://www.amazon.com/Academic-Conversations-Classroom-Critical-Understandings/dp/157110884X/ref=pd_sim_b_2 J Mao

    Something a little more serious…
    Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk that Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings
    Jeff Zwiers & Marie Crawford
    http://ow.ly/bAynv

    As written on Amazon:

    “Where would we be without conversation? Throughout history, conversations have allowed us to see different perspectives, build ideas, and solve problems. Conversations, particularly those referred to in this book as academic conversations, push students to think and learn in lasting ways. Academic conversations are back-and-forth dialogues in which students focus on a topic and explore it by building, challenging, and negotiating relevant ideas.

    “Unfortunately, academic conversations are rare in many classrooms. Talk is often dominated by the teacher and a few students, or it does not advance beyond short responses to the teacher’s questions. Even certain teaching approaches and curriculum programs neglect to train students how to maintain a focused, respectful, and thoughtful conversation.

    “To address these challenges, authors Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford have identified five core communication skills to help students hold productive academic conversations across content areas. These skills include: elaborating and clarifying, supporting ideas with evidence, building on and/or challenging ideas, paraphrasing, and synthesizing. This book shows teachers how to weave the cultivation of academic conversation skills and conversations into current teaching approaches.”

  • http://www.amazon.com/The-Perfect-Test-Ron-Dietel/dp/9460914764/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339687292&sr=1-1 J Mao

    The Perfect Test by Ron Dietel

    Okay…I know this is fiction (mystery/science fiction) but I couldn’t resist because this book is supposed to be so close to what education is facing now…

    As written on Amazon, “Some ten years from today, American schools have tried every possible education fad. Common national standards, year-round schools, takeover of school boards, and even the super-qualified teacher program have failed to improve low U.S. achievement on international assessments. That all changes when Grant and Jennifer Wilson, both Stanford Ph.D. graduates, create what they believe are the perfect tests. The Venus Assessment System, the first national tests in U.S. history, flip American education on its ear, making U.S. students number one in the world in math and science. But then Jennifer Wilson discovers a secret list of names, students who are exceptions to the high-stakes consequences of the test. So secret that some people are willing to kill for it.”

  • http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Rules-Principles-Surviving-Thriving/dp/0979777747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339771878&sr=8-1&keywords=John+medina+brain+rules J Mao

    Brain Rules 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home , and School
    by John Medina
    http://ow.ly/bI2Vn

    FYI – for all those who have young children he also a brain book about babies ages 0-5

    I saw molecular biologist, John Medina, speak this year and he was FANTASTIC! In the book, he breaks down scientific research, how the brain works and how to get the most of it. so that it is easily understood. He’s funny and engaging. You can see him online in some videos at http://www.brainrules.net.

    As written in Amazon,
    “See how the brain works while using it in the process of reading this book! Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know – like that physical activity boosts your brain power.

    “How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget – and so important to repeat new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains?

    “In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule – what scientists know for sure about how our brains work – and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.

    “Medina’s fascinating stories and sense of humour breathe life into brain science. You’ll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You’ll peer over a surgeon’s shoulder as he proves that we have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You’ll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can’t tie his own shoes.”

  • vickipqlockhart

    Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives
    By Peter H. Johnston

    “Grounded in research, Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives shows how words can shape students’ learning, their sense of self, and their social, emotional and moral development. Make no mistake: words have the power to open minds – or close them.”

    http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Minds-Using-Language-Change/dp/1571108165/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

  • CurtisCFEE

    For more reading recommendations — both for professional exploration and personal enjoyment, fiction and non-fiction — be sure to see “Summer Reading 2012: Recommended Reading for Educators and Others, Fiction and Non-Fiction” from @JonathanEMartin at http://cfee.me/N9gCMv.

    Jonathan includes reviews and recommendations of a novel by Amy Waldman I am downloading as I type this to read next week on the beach, writeups of great recent work on creativity and innovation, and a shout-out to the stunning recent work one of my intellectual heroes, New Historicist Stephen Greenblatt.

    Don’t miss this list!

  • d taus-kahn

    Getting It Right: Fresh Approaches to Teaching Grammar, Usage, and Correctness by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm

    I’ve been looking for a teaching model that addresses the problem of teaching grammar in isolation, and I’m hoping this book might do the trick.

    Amazon blurb:
    The authors consider what grammatical concepts and correctness issues are most worth teaching and how to teach those concepts and issues deeply. They explain how to understand the causes of students’ errors, how to address those causes through authentic and engaging activities, and how teachers can work together to increase their effectiveness. They provide both guiding principles and plenty of examples that readers will be able to employ immediately For use with Grades 4 & Up.

    http://www.amazon.com/Getting-It-Right-Approaches-Correctness/dp/0439669332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340207991&sr=8-1&keywords=getting+it+right+fresh+approaches+to+teaching+grammar

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