Primary school teacher and MTPT blogger, @Lucy_Braidley sums up her recommended summer reads for your CPD shelf, proving that even with two small children and a baby, reading can be one of the best forms of CPD whilst on parental leave.
I love a good book and I really love a good teaching book – I currently have an Amazon wishlist dedicated to teaching books with about 60 different titles on and it’s growing all the time. I’m probably never going to get through them all but parental leave is a great time to make a dent in the list!
Currently on my shelf (I read a lot of books at the same time so I’ve started but not finished all of them!)…
Mathematical Mindsets
by @joboaler
Packed full of research, this book is so interesting. During my last maternity leave I did Jo Boaler’s MOOC (massive open online class) ‘How to Learn Math’. I found it profoundly changed my approach to teaching maths; it’s free and I and would recommend the course to anyone and everyone.This book is really a consolidation of the concepts she went over in the MOOC – I’m about three quarters of the way through and finding it a fascinating read.
A Beginner’s Guide to Mantle of the Expert
by @imagineinquiry (Tim Taylor)
My Dad got me this for my birthday and it wasn’t until I started maternity leave that I actually had the chance to read it. It’s an interesting approach to immersive drama based learning and something I feel I’ve dipped my toe into in class, but not fully committed to in the past. I can’t wait to get back and give it a try!
Everyday Sexism
by @everydaysexism (Laura Bates)
Okay, it’s not a teaching book as such, but there is a lot of relevant, thought provoking content in this book around the experience of being female, which could influence how we approach gender in schools. A worthwhile read, whatever your gender.
Also on the shelf…
We Should All be Feminists
by @chimamandabook (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
I read this little book in one sitting and found myself nodding a long in agreement with all of the points. I really enjoyed the scale and tight focus of it – thought provoking without being daunting.
The Learning Powered School
by @Guyclaxton @lucaslearn (also Maryl Chambers and Graham Powell)
This is not a new addition to my bookshelf, I’m taking the time to revisit an old favourite. This book has been really influential in developing my classroom practice and I’m finding it really useful to reignite that passion to keep me focussed on what I think is important when I return to school.
One on the Kindle too…#MyKindleRuinedMyShelfie
This Much I Know about Love over Fear
by John Tomsett @johntomsett
I love this book for its title alone – a good read for aspiring or current school leaders with some sage advice from an experienced school leader. Some of it is more secondary orientated but I’m still finding lots of interesting take aways as a primary teacher. It’s well written and an easy read – my current bedtime reading!
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