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There are a LOT of great books for teachers out there. Picking just fifty is no easy feat but we've done our best to cover the best books for teachers from five different angles.

Related articles:

Now all of these are exceptional reads. They are in no particular order. Number one is just as great a resource as number fifty. So take a browse through the list or jump direct to your area of interest.

Inspiration

Best Books for Teachers 1-10

Leadership

Best Books for Teachers 11-20

Based on Dave Burgess's popular "Outrageous Teaching" and "Teach Like a PIRATE" seminars, this book offers inspiration, practical techniques, and innovative ideas that will help you to increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator.

Also see Fractus reviews of: Play Like a Pirate and Explore Like a Pirate.

Educational Psychology

Best Books for Teachers 21-30

Learning Culture

Best Books for Teachers 31-40

Best Books for Teachers 41-50

What are your best books for teachers? Leave your favourites in the comments below.

Keep Reading and Learning

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There are a LOT of great books for teachers out there. Picking just fifty is no easy feat but we've done our best to cover the best books for teachers from five different angles. Related articles: Now all of these are exceptional reads. They are in no particular order.

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Tips For Your Professional Development Book Talk

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Tips For Your Professional Development Book Talk

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Tips for Your Professional Development Book Club

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Whether you're starting a book club from scratch or just looking for some ways to spice up your existing book club, these professional development book club tips are sure to make for a more engaging experience. Happy reading!

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Principal Uses "Book Talk" To Engage Teachers As Learners

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Principal Uses "Book Talk" To Engage Teachers As Learners

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Leading the professional development of teachers is one of the greatest challenges school administrators face. Because teachers put so much energy into teaching every day, they often don't find time to imagine their work in a larger context. That's why Principal Jim Thompson launched a Book Talk program in his school. Thompson shares how he uses Book Talks to inspire teachers and to integrate continuous learning into his teachers' school day. Included: Tips for a successful Book Talk!
In the book Who Moved My Cheese?, the mice Hem and Haw are in denial about change. They believe that "this too shall pass." The mice Sniff and Scurry, on the other hand, anticipate change and quickly adapt to it, all the while preparing themselves to change again soon.

The mice in Who Moved My Cheese? represent people, of course, and the responses of the mice mirror the different ways people react to change. That's why Jim Thompson, principal (retired) at Wolcott Street School in LeRoy, New York, chose Who Moved My Cheese? for the 2000-2001 Book Talk program at the school. He and the faculty engaged in Book Talks at the elementary school for a handful of years.

A section of Who Moved My Cheese? called "The Handwriting on the Wall" distills the book's message:

Change happens.

Anticipate change.

Monitor change.

Adapt to change quickly.

Change.

Enjoy change!

Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again.

Following is a sample of Book Talk books that the teachers at Wolcott Street School have read:
* The Passionate Teacher and The Passionate Learner, by Robert Fried
* Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
* How Reading Changed My Life, by Anna Quindlen
* How to Catch a Shark and Other Stories About Teaching and Learning, by Don Graves
* Ordinary Resurrections, by Jonathan Kozol
* Bringing Out the Genius in the Classroom, by Tom Armstrong
* Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
* Fish! by Stephen Lundin
* Craft Lessons, Teaching Writing K-8, by Ralph Fletcher and Joann Portalupi
* Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom
* Educating for Character, by Tom Lickona
* The Teaching Gap, by James W. Stigler and James Hiebert

In talking about the book, Thompson says "We helped everyone come to grips with the reality that the cheese has moved. Then we asked ourselves 'How does this apply to the way we look at teaching?' and, most important, 'How does this apply to learning and learners?'

"Public education in New York state has been a constant sea of change with the addition of high-stakes assessments and new learning standards for every curriculum," continues Thompson. His description of education in New York no doubt is applicable to other states as well.

FACULTY RESPONSE

This fall, Kelly Sattora began her 15th year of teaching at Wolcott. She is the reading specialist for grades 3 and 4 and the reading coordinator and curriculum coordinater for the school. Sattora has been at the school for past Book Talks. The book that impressed her most was Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom, a non-fiction work about a sportswriter who each Tuesday visits a former teacher and mentor who is slowly wasting away and near death but dying with dignity. As he moves closer and closer to death, Morrie again teaches his former student, but this time the lesson is about appreciating every day of life to its fullest. Tuesdays with Morrie was especially appropriate for the staff at Wolcott because a much-loved teacher there had died after a long bout with cancer.

"I liked what Jim (Thompson) had us do at the end of the Book Talk," Sattora tells Education World. "He handed each one of us a blank thank-you card with an envelope. He suggested we take the time to thank a teacher who was instrumental in making a difference in our lives. My thoughts immediately jumped back to my high school biology teacher, who had more faith in me than any other teacher I ever had. The book made the teachers think about what a huge impact we can have on a child's life."

FISH! is the book that most influenced Allison Whiteside, who teaches 5th and 6th grade language arts and mathematics and has taught at the school 11 years. FISH! tells about Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, Washington, but actually presents a philosophy for work and life and a method for creating a world-class organization. Thompson chose the book to get the faculty talking about how to make Wolcott Street a world-class school.

The four elements of working with people to create a stellar organization, as detailed in FISH!, are:

"FISH! is a motivating book that leaves you with a few catch phrases that can become a focus for your daily interactions with children," Whiteside says. "'Make Their Day' is one catch phrase that comes to mind, and you get immediate feedback from students when you've succeeded in doing that -- smiles, looks of pride and satisfaction, and thank yous."

VIEW OF BOOK TALK

Among Jim Thompson's tips for using Book Talks: "In every discussion focus on how to infuse actual classroom teaching with the book's message." Be sure each book enriches the teachers' teaching and supports their primary mission, which is, as Thompson says, "making a difference with each and every kid, each and every day."

Jim Maginn works at the Genesee Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), a support organization for 22 districts, including Wolcott Street School's school district. He has worked with Jim Thompson in various areas of educational support for a number of years.

"One of our most successful initiatives is the use of Book Talk as a method of professional development," Maginn told Education World. "This is a very inexpensive, enjoyable, and effective form of professional development used to introduce the staff to a particular topic or issue.

"The formats involve and stimulate the participants, and use very little lecturing," Maginn continues. "The participants get the book ahead of time, and keep the book after the session to be used for follow-up activities and reference."

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Principal Uses 'Book Talk' to Engage Teachers as Learners | Education World

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Leading the professional development of teachers is one of the greatest challenges school administrators face. Because teachers put so much energy into teaching every day, they often don't find time to imagine their work in a larger context. That's why Principal Jim Thompson launched a Book Talk program in his school.

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Each week, Instant Meeting presents an idea or activity that you might use to make staff meetings more interesting, teacher-centered, educational, or fun.

Brief Description/Purpose

Teachers in many schools are gathering in groups large and small to read, discuss, reflect on, and learn from books that open their eyes to inspiration and new teaching strategies.

Materials Needed

individual copies of books to be discussed

Time Required

Be sure to see our Instant Meetings Archive for additional ideas.

And don't miss our Great Meeting series. Dee Kelsey and Pam Plumb offer a short course on creating meetings that work, based on their popular guide, Great Meetings. They present ideas to help you learn how to lead meetings that generate ideas; analyze problems; define a vision; evaluate ideas and make decisions; plan for long-range needs; encourage group participation and keep groups on track; and much more.

Have you an "Instant Meeting" idea that you would like to share. Send your idea to
[email protected] .
Type Instant Meeting Idea in the Subject line of your email.

Book Talks can be done as whole-staff activities. More often, however, small groups of teachers set aside time to read, discuss, and learn from books that challenge them to develop new strategies and ideas for improving student learning.

"Instant Meeting" Idea

Leading the professional development of teachers is one of the greatest challenges school administrators face. Because teachers put so much energy into teaching every day, they often don't find time to imagine their work in a larger context. That's why principal Jim Thompson launched a Book Talk program at Wolcott Street School in LeRoy, New York.

One of the first books Thompson used was

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. "Public education in New York State has been a constant sea of change with the addition of high-stakes assessments and new learning standards for every curriculum," explained Thompson. In talking about that book, "we helped everyone come to grips with the reality [of change] that the cheese had moved. Then we asked ourselves 'How does this apply to the way we look at teaching?' and, most important, 'How does this apply to learning and learners?'

Among Jim Thompson's tips for using Book Talks: In every discussion, focus on how to infuse actual classroom teaching with the book's message. Be sure each book enriches the teachers' teaching and supports their primary mission of making a difference with each and every kid, each and every day.

Jim Maginn works at the Genesee Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), a support organization for 22 districts, including Wolcott Street School's school district. He has worked with Jim Thompson in various areas of educational support for a number of years. "One of our most successful initiatives is the use of Book Talk as a method of professional development," Maginn told Education World. "This is a very inexpensive, enjoyable, and effective form of professional development used to introduce the staff to a particular topic or issue.

"The formats involve and stimulate the participants, and use very little lecturing. The participants get the book ahead of time, and keep the book after the session to be used for follow-up activities and reference."

The books below offer a sampling of Book Talk books that the teachers at Wolcott Street School have read:

The Passionate Teacher and The Passionate Learner by Robert Fried

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen

How to Catch a Shark and Other Stories About Teaching and Learning by Don Graves

Ordinary Resurrections by Jonathan Kozol

Bringing Out the Genius in the Classroom by Tom Armstrong

Fish! Tales by Stephen Lundin

Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8 by Ralph Fletcher and Joann Portalupi

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Educating for Character by Tom Lickona

The Teaching Gap by James W. Stigler and James Hiebert

Principal Uses "Book Talk" to Engage Teachers as Learners (EducationWorld.com -- June 24, 2002)

Study Groups and Teacher Book Circles (MiddleWeb listserv)

Join the Club! ( Scholastic Instructor)

If small groups of teachers study a variety of books, it might be good idea to give each group 5 minutes at a staff meeting to summarize what they have learned. That summary might challenge other teachers to tackle the book or motivate individual teachers to read the book in their spare time or over summer break.

If staff meeting time is too tight to set aside time for teachers to present their summaries, each Book Talk or book-study group might provide a written summary paragraph. You can include that summary paragraph in your weekly staff memo.

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'Teacher Book Talks' As a Professional Development Tool | Education World

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Each week, Instant Meeting presents an idea or activity that you might use to make staff meetings more interesting, teacher-centered, educational, or fun. Brief Description/Purpose Teachers in many schools are gathering in groups large and small to read, discuss, reflect on, and learn from books that open their eyes to inspiration and new teaching strategies.

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Using Booktalks To Create A Community of Readers

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Using Booktalks To Create A Community of Readers

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Keeping Your Teaching Credentials Fresh and Current

Leaving the Classroom? You Can Still Make a Difference!

Why I Resigned From My Teaching Job: It's Not What You Think

Fluency Fix-Up Strategies Part II

Fluency Fix-Up: Teaching Sight Word Phrases

Working Together to Break the Silence: October is Selective Mutism Awareness Month

Stressed Out! Helping the Child With Selective Mutism Cope With Anxiety

Using Booktalks to Create a Community of Readers

Beyond the Jitters: Selective Mutism and Social Phobia

Say No to Boredom! Dynamic Incorporation of Nonfiction Into the Classroom

Throughout my teaching career, I have used booktalks on a regular basis to motivate, inspire, and share quality literature with students. With middle school students, the booktalk can be an effective tool to hook reluctant readers and is an important component of independent reading time and/or a Reader's Workshop. In short, a booktalk is a brief oral discussion about a book where the purpose is to "sell" the book to other readers. In developing a community of readers, both the teacher and students give booktalks.

It is a short, informal discussion about a book where the presenter highlights interesting parts to "sell" the book to other readers. These talks are casual in nature and act as a "book trailer", much like a movie trailer. The speaker may read a passage or two from the book and shares the best parts in an attempt to grab the audience's attention. The booktalk is not a summary of the book and usually the talk ends with a cliffhanger.

Why Use Booktalks in the Classroom? Booktalks are an interesting, engaging, and student-centered activity that promote independent reading with both the teacher and students sharing books they have enjoyed. Teachers can use the booktalk to feature quality young adult literature, classic literature, or books they know their students will enjoy. Students like hearing and watching their peers give a booktalk and are more willing to read a book that is suggested by a classmate.

How to Use Booktalks in the Classroom For me the beauty of booktalks is that they are flexible and the teacher can add as much structure as he/she wants or needs for his/her classroom. In my classroom, I always start by modeling many booktalks, provide explicit teaching on how to give a booktalk using a mini-lesson format, and then invite students to participate. By the end of the first marking period, many students have volunteered to give booktalks and at the start of the second marking period, I make it a class requirement. By establishing a risk-free atmosphere at the beginning, students are excited to share the books they are reading and this enthusiasm becomes contagious! My primary goal in using booktalks is to instill a love and enjoyment for reading, but it is also an effective informal reading assessment tool.
Tips for Implementing Booktalks in Your Classsroom
· I remember a few years ago when I taught sixth grade English language arts. I was reading Island of the Blue Dolphins during our independent reading time. I absolutely loved, loved the book and gave a booktalk after several students asked me to since they were curious about the book. After the booktalk during a question and answer time, it became evident that many in the class were interested in dolphins. I capitalized on that by selecting a nonfiction book about dolphins for the next booktalk, thereby demonstrating to students that I really was listening to them and was sincerely interested in what they had to say.

By using booktalks, students are applying English language arts curricular standards such as public speaking, listening, synthesizing information, and demonstrating an understanding of a text, as well as habits of mind. Start out slowly, make it simple, and most importantly, have fun!

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Using Booktalks to Create a Community of Readers

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Keeping Your Teaching Credentials Fresh and Current Leaving the Classroom? You Can Still Make a Difference! Why I Resigned From My Teaching Job: It's Not What You Think Fluency Fix-Up Strategies Part II Fluency Fix-Up: Teaching Sight Word Phrases Working Together to Break the Silence: October is Selective Mutism Awareness Month Stressed Out!

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Books for the Teacher! (Professional Development)

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A great teacher is one that understands learning is never over.  Here are some great professional development to recharge and inspire your teaching!