best books on online education

15 Best Distance Learning Books For Teachers

by AuthorAmy

This year more than ever, online education has grown both in popularity and necessity. Whether you are a seasoned online instructor or one of the many teachers thrown into the remote learning sector by force, you will love these awesome distance learning books to enhance your professional development.

Just so you know, we may get a small share of the sales made through the Amazon affiliate links on this page.

1 . The Online Teaching Survival Guide

By Judith V. Boettcher and Rita-Marie Conrad

The second edition of The Online Teaching Survival Guide was updated in 2016, well before the pandemic. Though not originally written with the pandemic in mind, the text offers theory-based techniques for the online classroom that help teachers new to the world of online instruction understand and implement best practices. The book covers everything from community building to assessment and is a great starting place for teachers in need of some fast PD.

2 . Teaching in the Online Classroom

By Doug Lemov

Author Doug Lemov wrote Teaching in the Online Classroom in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging that teachers across the country made an immediate shift online into unknown instructional waters. Lemov studied videos of this new world of online teaching to provide teachers with a transition guide perfect for the short-term distance learning many educators currently find themselves in .

3. Teaching and Learning at a Distance

By Michael Simonson, Susan, Zvacek, and Sharon Smaldino

Updated in 2019 and now in its seventh edition, Teaching and Learning at a Distance promises research-based best practices validated by scientific evidence. Educators will appreciate the thorough overview of the teaching online process. Additionally, the section on equivalency theory is particularly helpful, discussing how distance learning should strive to provide students with learning opportunities that are equivalent to – not identical to – a face-to-face classroom environment.

4. Excellent Online Teaching

By Aaron Johnson

Excellent Online Teaching is short and practical, organized according to the author’s 16 characteristics of effective online teaching. The book promises a focus on “enduring” teaching practices while also acknowledging that the world of online teaching is ever-evolving.

5 . Balance With Blended Learning

By Catlin R. Tucker

Balance With Blended Learning is not written strictly for teachers in an online setting, but the content is highly applicable for teachers seeking work-life balance amidst pandemic workloads . The goal of this book is to help teachers empower students to take ownership of their own education, which is more important than ever while students are online.

6 . The Golden Climate in Distance Learning

By Dr. Marina Kostina and Dr. William LaGanza

The Golden Climate in Distance Learning focuses not on instruction but on relationship building within the online setting. Although distance learning isn’t the same as face-to-face instruction, the authors of this book posit that online we can still build the same vibrant relationships we are used to in our in-person classrooms. Teachers just have to embrace new techniques.

7. Small Teaching Online

By Flower Darby and James M. Lang

“Small teaching” is the idea that small shifts in how we teach can lead to big payoffs. The authors of Small Teaching Online show readers how to make these small but strategic changes to see increases in student learning. This approach is refreshing because overwhelmed teachers won’t feel like they need to do a complete overhaul after reading this book. The changes recommended are manageable and make a big difference.

8. Humanizing Distance Learning

By Paul Emerich France

Author Paul Emerich France asserts a powerful truth that is at the heart of this book – distance learning is helping teachers return to the heart of education, which we have previously strayed from. He argues that educators have lovingly created a generation of students who are dependent upon us as teachers when we should be helping students become independent learners and free thinkers . Emerich helps teachers recenter equity in this distance learning book that is released on Dec. 15, 2020.

9 . Creating Engaging Discussions

By Jennifer H. Herman and Linda B. Nilson

As an online teacher, do you ever feel like tapping your mic and asking, “Is this thing on?” The sea of avatars and muted microphones can be daunting. Creating Engaging Discussions gives teachers a toolkit of strategies they can use to get students talking – even online.

10 . The Distance Learning Playbook – Grades K-12

By Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie

Teachers seeking evidence-based strategies for distance learning should look no further than The Distance Learning Playbook . This book was released in Summer 2020, after what the authors identify as the “crisis teaching” implemented when the pandemic hit. Now, they say, teachers have a chance to deliberately apply research-based techniques to fine-tune their craft in an online setting.

11 . Connecting With Students Online

By Jennifer Serravallo

If you have felt like teaching online is a completely different job than teaching in person, you’re not alone. In her book, Connecting with Students Online , Jennifer Serravallo practically reflects on her own experiences distance teaching. Offering step-by-step instructions for each aspect of a teacher’s online day, Serravallo’s book will help you feel comfortable and connected in this new teaching space.

12. Distance Learning Workbook

By Kharen Minasian and Debra Kidder

Just released in October, the Distance Learning Workbook promises to help teachers master the art of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ready-to-go materials educators can use right now, like distance learning class openers and community building activities to increase engagement , are especially helpful.

13. 50 Strategies for Your Virtual Classroom

By Jennifer Jump

This is another distance learning primer that has been released in response to the pandemic. This book contains tips for all the different types of schools we are seeing right now, from fully online to hybrid. It also contains a helpful list of online materials teachers can reference for even more ideas.

14 . Engaging Learners Through Zoom

By Jonathan Brennan

This book promises “the antidote to Zoom fatigue,” which is quite the promise! It’s filled with science-backed information and strategies that can be used to make Zoom work for you, whether you teach Kindergarten or college.

15 . SEL From a Distance

By Jessica Hannigan and John E. Hannigan

Educators everywhere are talking about Maslow over Bloom, a philosophy that prioritizes mental well-being over content delivery. The pandemic made it crystal clear how much schools provide beyond education – food, shelter, security. Now that students are learning at home, it is more important than ever to see to their social and emotional needs. But how? This book provides some answers.

Other Book Lists From Amy’s Bookshelf You’ll Love:

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• 29 Must-Have Professional Development Books for Teachers
• 50 Books About Black History For Children and Young Adults
• 46 Inspiring LGBTQIA+ Books For All Different Age Levels
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The notion of summer as a three-month break for the higher education world may be outdated. But summer remains a time to take stock while at least some students are away. Here's what you should be reading if you seek the pleasure of professional development.

Please comment below with additional suggestions.

Author: Larry Cooperman, adjunct faculty librarian at the University of Central Florida

Publisher: Chandos Publishing

Summary: The first chapter title sums it up: “So You Want to Teach Online.” What follows is a conversational, illustrated guide to becoming an online instructor, with a particular focus on maintaining an engaging experience in a virtual environment.

Author: Peter Smith

Publisher: Select Books

Summary: Inside Higher Ed last week interviewed the author , who believes the current degree landscape represents "knowledge discrimination."

Our society “has an enormous amount of capacity that is being ignored,” he said.

Authors: Andrew Krumm, director of learning analytics research at Digital Promise; Barbara Means, executive director for learning sciences research at Digital Promise; and Marie Bienkowski, director of the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International.

Publisher: Routledge

Summary: The era of learning data is coming; in many cases it’s already here. How can you use student learning data? How should you use the information? Three experts offer tools and processes for tapping into a collaborative environment around data sharing.

Authors: John Ebersole, former president (2006 to 2016) of Excelsior College , and William Patrick, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, writing professor at numerous institutions.

Publisher: Hudson Whitman/ Excelsior College Press

Summary: This collection of stories and essays traces the evolution of online education and the burgeoning ethos that spurred experimentation. It will be particularly useful for those new to the field and wondering how it came to be.

Author: Linda Nilson, director emerita of the Office of Teaching Effectiveness Innovation (OTEI) at Clemson University , and Ludwika Goodson, associate director of the Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at Purdue University Fort Wayne

Publisher: Wiley

Summary: This book aims to combine instructional design philosophies and teaching and learning research to arrive at best practices online instructors can follow no matter the audience or subject specialty.

Author: Farhad Saba, professor emeritus of educational technology at San Diego State University , and Rick L. Shearer, director of research at Penn State World Campus

Summary: As modes of delivery differ, so might learning styles. This book examines one theory for how instructors might adapt their teaching approach to “dynamic and transformational futures that focus on each individual learner.”

E-Textbooks Are More Popular Than Ever. But Professors Still Don’t Trust Them.

Nearly half of professors think students learn better with print materials, according to a new report—but demand from

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68 Books That All Online Course Creators Should Read

As online course creators, it is just as essential for us to stay on top of our game with continuous professional development, as it is for our learners to stay on top of theirs by learning from us.

My team have come up with a list of  68 Must Read Books For Online Course Creators  to help keep your expertise polished and your online education business thriving:

And finally, I wouldn’t be able to say much about my own marketing if I didn’t include my own books here! You can check out my Amazon Author page here .

This post was made to share! DON’T FORGET TO SHARE THE LOVE!

If you’d like to learn how to create your own profitable online courses, you might like to check out my online courses HERE.

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School's out

A critical take on education and schooling

The 50 great books on education

Professor of Education, University of Derby

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I have often argued that I would not let any teacher into a school unless – as a minimum – they had read, carefully and well, the three great books on education: Plato’s Republic, Rousseau’s Émile and Dewey’s Democracy and Education. There would be no instrumental purpose in this, but the struggle to understand these books and the thinking involved in understanding them would change teachers and ultimately teaching.

These are the three great books because each is sociologically whole. They each present a description and arguments for an education for a particular and better society. You do not have to agree with these authors. Plato’s tripartite education for a just society ruled over by philosopher kings; Rousseau’s education through nature to establish the social contract and Dewey’s relevant, problem-solving democratic education for a democratic society can all be criticised. That is not the point. The point is to understand these great works. They constitute the intellectual background to any informed discussion of education.

What of more modern works? I used to recommend the “blistering indictment” of the flight from traditional liberal education that is Melanie Phillips’s All Must Have Prizes, to be read alongside Tom Bentley’s Learning Beyond the Classroom: Education for a Changing World, which is a defence of a wider view of learning for the “learning age”. These two books defined the debate in the 1990s between traditional education by authoritative teachers and its rejection in favour of a new learning in partnership with students.

Much time and money is spent on teacher training and continuing professional development and much of it is wasted. A cheaper and better way of giving student teachers and in-service teachers an understanding of education would be to get them to read the 50 great works on education.

The books I have identified, with the help of members of the Institute of Ideas’ Education Forum, teachers and colleagues at several universities, constitute an attempt at an education “canon”.

What are “out” of my list are textbooks and guides to classroom practice. What are also “out” are novels and plays. But there are some great literary works that should be read by every teacher: Charles Dicken’s Hard Times – for Gradgrind’s now much-needed celebration of facts; D. H. Lawrence’s The Rainbow – for Ursula Brangwen’s struggle against her early child-centred idealism in the reality of St Philips School; and Alan Bennett’s The History Boys – for Hector’s role as the subversive teacher committed to knowledge.

I hope I have produced a list of books, displayed here in alphabetical order, that are held to be important by today’s teachers. I make no apology for including the book I wrote with Kathryn Ecclestone, The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education because it is an influential critical work that has produced considerable controversy. If you disagree with this, or any other of my choices, please add your alternative “canonical” books on education.

Michael W. Apple – Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age (1993)

Hannah Arendt – Between Past and Future (1961), for the essay “The Crisis in Education” (1958)

Matthew Arnold – Culture and Anarchy (1867-9)

Robin Barrow – Giving Teaching Back to the Teachers (1984)

Tom Bentley – Learning Beyond The Classroom: Education for a Changing World (1998)

Allan Bloom – The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students (1987)

Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron – Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture (1977)

Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis – Schooling in Capitalist America: Educational Reform and the Contradictions of Economic Life (1976)

Jerome Bruner – The Process of Education (1960)

John Dewey – Democracy and Education (1916)

Margaret Donaldson – Children’s Minds (1978)

JWB Douglas – The Home and the School (1964)

Kathryn Ecclestone and Dennis Hayes – The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education (2008)

Harold Entwistle – Antonio Gramsci: Conservative Schooling for Radical Politics (1979).

Paulo Freire – Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968/1970)

Frank Furedi – Wasted: Why Education Isn’t Educating (2009)

Helene Guldberg – Reclaiming Childhood (2009)

ED Hirsch Jnr. – The Schools We Need And Why We Don’t Have Them (1999)

Paul H Hirst – Knowledge and the Curriculum (1974) For the essay which appears as Chapter 3 ‘Liberal Education and the Nature of Knowledge’ (1965)

John Holt – How Children Fail (1964)

Eric Hoyle – The Role of the Teacher (1969)

James Davison Hunter – The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age without Good or Evil (2000)

Ivan Illich – Deschooling Society (1971)

Nell Keddie (Ed.) – Tinker, Taylor: The Myth of Cultural Deprivation (1973)

John Locke – Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1692)

John Stuart Mill – Autobiography (1873)

Sybil Marshall – An Experiment in Education (1963)

Alexander Sutherland Neil – Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing (1960)

John Henry Newman – The Idea of a University (1873)

Michael Oakeshott – The Voice of Liberal Learning (1989) In particular for the essay “Education: The Engagement and Its Frustration” (1972)

Anthony O’ Hear – Education, Society and Human Nature: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education (1981)

Richard Stanley Peters – Ethics and Education (1966)

Melanie Phillips – All Must Have Prizes (1996)

Plato – The Republic (366BC?)

Plato – Protagoras (390BC?) and Meno (387BC?)

Neil Postman – The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School (1995)

Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner – Teaching as a Subversive Activity (1969)

Herbert Read – Education Through Art (1943)

Carl Rogers – Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become (1969)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Émile or “on education” (1762)

Bertrand Russell – On Education (1926)

Israel Scheffler – The Language of Education (1960)

Brian Simon – Does Education Matter? (1985) Particularly for the paper “Why No Pedagogy in England?” (1981)

JW Tibble (Ed.) – The Study of Education (1966)

Lev Vygotsky – Thought and Language (1934/1962)

Alfred North Whitehead – The Aims of Education and other essays (1929)

Paul E. Willis – Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs (1977)

Alison Wolf – Does Education Matter? Myths about Education and Economic Growth (2002)

Michael FD Young (Ed) – Knowledge and Control: New Directions for the Sociology of Education (1971)

Michael FD Young – Bringing Knowledge Back In: From Social Constructivism to Social Realism in the Sociology of Education (2007)

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Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive Paperback – October 14, 2020

• Print length 120 pages
• Language English
• Publication date October 14, 2020
• Dimensions 6 x 0.28 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 1735810703
• ISBN-13 978-1735810706
• See all details

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About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Alinea Learning (October 14, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 120 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1735810703
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1735810706
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.1 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.28 x 9 inches
• #310 in Distance & Online Learning
• #1,538 in Medical Cognitive Psychology
• #3,809 in Educational Certification & Development

About the author

Stephen m. kosslyn.

Stephen M. Kosslyn is the Founder and President of Active Learning Sciences, Inc. Prior to that,

he was Founder, President and Chief Academic Officer of Foundry Collge, after having been

Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Minerva University. He previously served

as Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University

after having been chair of the Department of Psychology, Dean of Social Science, and the

John Lindsley Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. While at Harvard, he was also

co-director of the Mind of the Market Lab at Harvard Business School and a member of the

Department of Neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He received a B.A. from

UCLA and a Ph.D. from Stanford University, both in psychology. Kosslyn’s research has focused

on the science of learning, the nature of visual cognition, and visual communication. He has

authored or coauthored 15 books and over 350 papers on these topics. Kosslyn has received

numerous honors, including the National Academy of Sciences Initiatives in Research Award,

a Guggenheim Fellowship, three honorary Doctorates (University of Caen, University of Paris

Descartes, Bern University), and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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2017 Top Ten Books on Online Learning

2017 was a strong year for books and publications with respect to teaching and learning in the digital age, blended learning, open education and technology enabled learning. There are gaps – little on digital assessment technologies, not much on artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality that is practical and helpful – but the 2018 and 2019 commissions already indicate these will be strong components of the lists to come.

We selected thirteen books which help capture the ideas and resources made available in 2017. We make no pretense to be representative of all books published in all languages – our focus is on books easily accessible to our partner institutions in Ontario and of general relevance.

Rather than use the traditional format, in this year-end review we look at why, how and “so what?”. The focus, as always, is on online and technology-enabled learning. We also suggest some older books – books not published in 2017 – which are worth reading if you haven’t already done so.

In June 2015, Contact North | Contact Nord established Worth Reading, a feature available on the teachonline.ca portal, now known as Must-Read Books on Online Learning . Since then, some sixty books were reviewed and presented in eighteen expositions of this feature. They are generally presented under three headings – books of interest to faculty members and instructors; books relevant to the work of instructional designers and those of primary interest to policy makers and administrators. It is a popular feature on teachonline.ca , with one prominent reader suggesting she “looks forward to this list each time it appears and pursues the suggested readings diligently”. Another said “I get our library to order the books so that we can use them in our professional development work”.

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Best Books on Education

Expand your understanding of learning with these key books on education, compiled from notable educational articles and rankings, and sequenced by how often they were spotlighted..

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The Top 50 Best Books for Teachers – Professional Development Education Books You’ll Love

Table of Contents

1. the innovator’s mindset: empower learning, unleash talent, and learn a culture of creativity – george couros.

• 2. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits And Break Bad Ones – James Clear

3. So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence Of Failure In Urban Schools – Charles M Payne 

4. vintage innovation: leveraging retro tools and classic ideas to design deeper learning experiences – john spencer.

• 5. An Educator’s Guide To STEAM: Engaging Students Using Real-World Problems – Cassie F Quigley, Danielle Herro, Deborah Hanuscin
• 6. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead – Brene Brown
• 7. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything – Ken Robinson, Lou Aronica
• 8. The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change – Adam Braun
• 9. Epiphany: True Stories of Sudden Insight to Inspire, Encourage and Transform, – Elise Ballard

Related articles:

10. the coddling of the amerian mind: how good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure – greg lukianoff, jonathan haidt, 11. the whole-brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind – daniel j. siegel, tina payne bryson, 12. the power of place: authentic learning through place-based education – tom vander ark, emily leibtag, nate mcclennen.

• 13. The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life – Chris Guillebeau
• 14. Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative – Ken Robinson
• 15. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – Brene Brown
• 16. Walking on Water: Reading, Writing and Revolution – Derrick Jensen
• 17. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel H. Pink
• 18. The Principal: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact – Michael Fullan

19. Flipping Leadership Doesn’t Mean Reinventing the Wheel – Peter M DeWitt

• 20. Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator – Dave Burgess
• 21. Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools – Paul Bambrick-Santoyo
• 22. Shifting the Monkey: The Art of Protecting Good People From Liars, Criers, and Other Slackers – Todd Whitaker
• 23. The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools – Multiple Authors
• 24. What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most – Todd Whitaker
• 25. The Tech-Savvy Administrator: How do I use technology to be a better school leader? – Steven W. Anderson
• 26. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character – Paul Tough
• 27. Mindsets in the Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and Student Achievement in Schools – Mary Cay Ricci
• 28. The Way of Mindful Education: Cultivating Well-Being in Teachers and Students – Daniel Rechtschaffen
• 29. The Way They Learn – Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
• 30. Why Don’t Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom – Daniel T Willingham
• 31. The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child – Richard Lavoie
• 32. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning – Peter C Brown
• 33. How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching – Multiple Authors
• 34. Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning – John Hattie
• 35. Design For How People Learn (Voices That Matter) – Julie Dirksen
• 36. Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools – Michael B Horn, Heather Staker
• 37. The Relevant Educator: How Connectedness Empowers Learning – Tom D Whitby, Steven W. Anderson
• 38. Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success – Carol Dweck
• 39. School Culture Rewired: How to Define, Assess, and Transform It – Steve Gruenert, Todd Whitaker
• 40. Shaping School Culture: Pitfalls, Paradoxes, and Promises – Terrence E Deal, Kent D Peterson
• 41. Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School – Andy Hargreaves, Michael Fullan
• 42. Cultures Built to Last – DuFour Richard, Fullan Michael
• 43. The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive And Thrive – Michael Fullan
• 44. Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World – Tony Wagner
• 45. Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day – Jonathan Bergmann, Aaron Sams
• 46. Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School – Laura Fleming
• 47. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners – Multiple Authors
• 48. Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner – Persida & William Himmele
• 49. Disrupting Class, Expanded Edition: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns – Multiple Authors
• 50. Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding – Jay McTighe, Grant Wiggins
• 51. The Understanding by Design Guide Set (2 Books)– Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe
• 52. Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty – Elizabeth F Barkley
• 53. Reinventing Writing: The 9 Tools That Are Changing Writing, Teaching, and Learning Forever – Vicki Davis
• 54. Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom – Sylvia Libow Martinez, Gary S Stager

More Professional Development Books and Educator Books For Teachers Reading List

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 .

All of these are exceptional reads for teachers. They are in no particular order ; number one’s content is just as significant a teacher resource as number fifty. So, take a browse through the list or jump directly to your area of interest as a teacher, whether it’s inspiration, mindfulness, leadership ways, classroom management, improved student outcomes, teaching, learning culture, or educational psychology.

Top Professional Development Books For Teachers Compared

One of our favorite professional development books for teachers, The Innovator’s Mindset, contains numerous practical examples of innovative leadership. George Couros encourages any school teacher and administrator to shape students’ natural curiosity by empowering them to question and explore. Innovation starts at the top; this book shows educators how to become innovative thinkers. 

2. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits And Break Bad Ones –  James Clear

While not strictly a professional development book, it is one of my favorite books for teachers. In Atomic Habits, world-renowned habits expert James Clear explains how small changes can transform a teacher’s life and impact student learning and student behavior. This practical book reveals simple life hacks and explains why they form good habits and break bad ones.  

In this book, Charles M Payne vividly portrays the weakness of the social infrastructure and daily realities in today’s urban schools. However, the last decade has brought hope with insights into the causes of school failure and how some schools succeeded in improving.

John Spencer’s professional development books answer questions real teachers have about being innovative in the classroom without the best technology, spark creativity within constraints, and how to use vintage tools and approaches in new ways. Vintage Innovation shows the relevance for teachers to look back and forward, using timeless skills and strategies in new ways. 

5. An Educator’s Guide To STEAM: Engaging Students Using Real-World Problems –  Cassie F Quigley, Danielle Herro, Deborah Hanuscin

An Educator’s Guide to STEAM is a practical book to help K-8 grade teachers understand STEAM. The conceptual model illustrates key STEAM teaching aspects like integrating STEAM content and the correct teaching environment. One of the best STEAM-related professional development books for teachers, this book also offers strategies and elements of connected learning to help learners connect STEAM to real-world issues. 

6. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead – Brene Brown

In Daring Greatly, Dr. Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Based on twelve years of research, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness but rather our clearest path to courage, engagement, and meaningful connection. Understanding these concepts can help a teacher in teaching learners and classroom management.

7. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything – Ken Robinson, Lou Aronica

The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the Element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve their highest levels. With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the Element and those that stifle that possibility.

8. The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change – Adam Braun

The riveting New York Times bestseller is about a young man who built more than 250 schools worldwide—and the steps anyone can take to lead a successful and significant life. The Promise of a Pencil chronicles Braun’s journey to find his calling, as each chapter explains one clear step that every person can take to turn their most significant ambitions into reality. An inspiring book to add to the reading list of professional development books for teachers.

9. Epiphany: True Stories of Sudden Insight to Inspire, Encourage and Transform, – Elise Ballard

Have you ever experienced an epiphany, a life-changing moment, or a realization? Elise Ballard has, and she was so stunned by its effect on her life that she started asking others if they had ever experienced these kinds of breakthroughs.

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First Amendment expert Greg Lukianhoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt make a case for how three terrible ideas in childhood education are the origins of new problem trends on college campuses. The three untruths are: What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker, Always trust your feelings, and Life is a battle between good people and evil people. Embracing these untruths has a negative influence on the social, emotional, and intellectual development of children, hence poor school discipline and relationships. According to them, cognitive behavioral psychology (CBT) has tools to evaluate and rectify these situations. Excellent reading material for teachers, parents, and mainstream society concerned about a generation setup for trauma and failure. 

Teachers are lifelong learners, and this book is a great practical book on how to develop healthy brain development in children. New York Times bestsellers, the authors, offer a revolutionary approach to rearing children. Based on the latest neuroscience research on how young children’s right brain emotions rule over their logical left brain, they offer 12 key age-appropriate strategies to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development. According to the authors, the brain is “under construction” until a child is in their mid-twenties. This is a recommended reading not just for parents and new teachers in elementary education but for all teachers with a passion for teaching; an excellent.

Placed-based education (PBE) is adaptable learning anytime and anywhere where learning leverages the power of place for personalized learning. Since birth, children learn from their surroundings, and history shows that before industrialized education, the community was the classroom. Instead of the American classroom becoming an aspect of learning, it became the place where parents send their children to learn. This book provides teacher educators with ideas on how to enhance the benefits of place-based learning in the teaching profession. Another good read to add to parents’ and teachers’ bookshelves.

13. The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life – Chris Guillebeau

A remarkable book, the content, like his other books, will guide and inspire the teacher and students in the classroom. The Happiness of Pursuit reveals how anyone can bring meaning into their life by undertaking a quest. When he set out to visit all of the planet’s countries by age thirty-five, compulsive goal seeker, Chris Guillebeau never imagined that his journey’s biggest revelation would be how many people like himself exist – each pursuing a challenging quest.

14. Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative – Ken Robinson

“It is often said that education and training are the keys to the future. They are, but a key can turn in two directions. Turn it one way, and you lock resources away, even from those they belong to. Turn it the other way, and you release resources and give people back to themselves.” Learning to be Creative is one of the best books for teachers to inspire learners and educators to think and act differently toward each other.

15. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – Brene Brown

In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, a leading expert on shame, authenticity, and belonging, shares ten guideposts on the power of Wholehearted living—a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.

16. Walking on Water: Reading, Writing and Revolution – Derrick Jensen

Remember the days of longing for the hands-on classroom clock to move faster? Most of us would say we love to learn, but we hate school. Why is that? This book addresses what happens to creativity and individuality as we pass through the educational system. How can we change our lesson planning to help students retain their love for learning?

17. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel H. Pink

Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That’s a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink. In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction at work, at school, and home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

18. The Principal: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact  –  Michael Fullan

One of the best-known leadership authors in education, Fullan, explains why the answer isn’t in micro-managing instruction nor autonomous entrepreneurialism. He systematically shows how the principal’s role should change, demonstrating how it can be done in short order, at scale.

Part of The Corwin Connected Educator series, in this volume, you’ll use the principles of connectedness and flipped learning to engage stakeholders—teachers, administrators, and parents—digitally, so they’re ready for productive discussion when you meet in person.

20. Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator  –  Dave Burgess

Based on Dave Burgess’s popular “Outrageous Teaching” and “Teach Like a PIRATE” seminars, this development book offers inspiration, practical techniques, and innovative ideas that will help the teacher 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 .

21. Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools  –  Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

One of the best professional development books for teachers on leadership, Paul Bambrick-Santoyo (Managing Director of Uncommon Schools), shows leaders how to raise their schools to greatness by following a core set of principles. These seven principles, or “levers,” allow for consistent, transformational, and replicable growth. With an intentional focus on these areas, leaders will leverage much more learning from the same amount of time investment.

22. Shifting the Monkey: The Art of Protecting Good People From Liars, Criers, and Other Slackers  –  Todd Whitaker

Poor employees get a disproportionate amount of attention. Why? Because they complain the loudest, create the greatest disruptions, and rely on others to assume the responsibilities they shirk. Learn how to focus on your good employees first and help them shift these monkeys back to the under-performers.

23. The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools  –  Multiple Authors

Why do some leaders double their team’s effectiveness while others seem to drain the energy right out of the room? Using insights from more than 100 interviews with school leaders, this development book pinpoints the five disciplines that define how Multipliers bring out the best across their schools and classroom.

24. What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most  –  Todd Whitaker

In the third edition of this renowned book, you will find pearls of wisdom, heartfelt advice, and inspiration from one of the nation’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness. With wit and understanding, Todd Whitaker describes the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and interactions of great teachers and explains what they do differently.

25. The Tech-Savvy Administrator: How do I use technology to be a better school leader?  –  Steven W. Anderson

How can school leaders use technology to be more effective? In this professional development book, award-winning blogger and educational technology expert Steven W. Anderson explain how and why leaders should use technology and outlines what should be in every leader’s digital toolkit.

26. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character  –  Paul Tough

How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through their stories—and the stories of the children they are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives inside and outside the classroom.

27. Mindsets in the Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and Student Achievement in Schools  –  Mary Cay Ricci

When students believe that dedication and hard work can change their performance in school, they grow to become resilient, successful students. Inspired by the popular mindset idea that hard work and effort can lead to student success, Mindsets in the Classroom provides educators with ideas for building a growth mindset school culture. Learners are challenged to change their thinking about their abilities and potential.

28. The Way of Mindful Education: Cultivating Well-Being in Teachers and Students  –  Daniel Rechtschaffen

With attention spans waning and stress on the rise, many teachers are looking for new ways to help students concentrate, learn, and thrive. The Way of Mindful Education is a practical guide for cultivating attention, compassion, and well-being in these students and mindfulness in teachers themselves.

29. The Way They Learn  –  Cynthia Ulrich Tobias

Draw out the best in your children—by understanding the way they learn. If you’re frustrated that your child isn’t learning the way you did, chances are they are too! In this practical resource, Cynthia Ulrich Tobias explains that understanding how you learn can make all the difference.

30. Why Don’t Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom  –  Daniel T Willingham

Easy-to-apply, scientifically-based approaches for engaging students in the classroom. Cognitive scientist Dan Willingham focuses his acclaimed research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning. His professional development books will help teachers improve their practice by explaining how they and their students think and learn.

31. The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child  –  Richard Lavoie

The Motivation Breakthrough explores proven techniques and strategies—based on six possible motivational styles—that will revolutionize the way teachers and parents inspire kids with learning disabilities to succeed and achieve. Backed by decades of experience in the classroom, educator and acclaimed author Rick Lavoie explodes common myths and gives specific advice for motivating children with learning disabilities.

32. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning  –  Peter C Brown

Drawing on cognitive psychology and other fields, Make It Stick offers techniques for becoming more productive learners and cautions against study habits and practice routines that turn out to be counterproductive. It’s one of those professional development books that speak to students, teachers, trainers, athletes, and all those interested in lifelong learning and self-improvement.

33. How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching  –  Multiple Authors

Distilling the research literature and translating the scientific approach into language relevant to college or university, this book for teachers introduces seven general principles of how students learn. The authors have drawn on research from a breadth of perspectives to identify a set of fundamental principles underlying learning, from how effective organization enhances retrieval and use of information to what impacts motivation.

34. Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning  –  John Hattie

Visible Learning for Teachers brings the results of more than fifteen years of research to an entirely new audience. Written for students, pre-service, and in-service teachers, it explains how to apply the principles of Visible Learning to any classroom anywhere in the world.

35. Design For How People Learn (Voices That Matter)  –  Julie Dirksen

Products, technologies, and workplaces change so quickly today that everyone is continually learning. Many of us are also teaching, even when it’s not in our job descriptions. Whether it’s giving a presentation, writing documentation, or creating a website or blog, we need and want to share our knowledge with other people.

36. Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools  –  Michael B Horn, Heather Staker

Blended is the practical field guide for implementing blended learning techniques in K-12 classrooms. Readers will find a step-by-step framework to build a more student-centered system, along with essential advice that provides the expertise necessary to make the next generation of K-12 learning environments.

37. The Relevant Educator: How Connectedness Empowers Learning  –  Tom D Whitby, Steven W. Anderson

This information-packed resource from digital experts Anderson and Whitby makes it easy to build a thriving professional network using social media. Easy-to-implement ideas, essential tools, and real-life vignettes help a teacher learn to: Find and choose the best social media tools, products, and communities. Start and grow a collaborative, high-quality PLN using Twitter, blogging, LinkedIn, and more.

38. Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success  –  Carol Dweck

In decades of research on achievement and success, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck has discovered a truly groundbreaking idea of the power of our mindset. Dweck explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success – but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset.

39. School Culture Rewired: How to Define, Assess, and Transform It  –  Steve Gruenert, Todd Whitaker

Your school is a lot more than a center of student learning–it also represents a self-contained culture with traditions and expectations that reflect its unique mission and demographics. In this groundbreaking book for teachers, education experts Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker offer tools, strategies, and advice for defining, assessing, and ultimately transforming your school’s culture into one that is positive, forward-looking, and actively working to enrich students’ lives.

40. Shaping School Culture: Pitfalls, Paradoxes, and Promises  –  Terrence E Deal, Kent D Peterson

In this thoroughly revised and updated edition of their classic book, Shaping School Culture, Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson address the latest thinking on organizational culture and change. They offer new ideas and strategies on how stories, rituals, traditions, and cultural practices create positive, caring, and purposeful schools.

41. Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School  –  Andy Hargreaves, Michael Fullan

Winner of the 2015 Grawemeyer Award in Education! In this latest and most important collaboration, renowned educators Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan set out a groundbreaking new agenda to transform the future of teaching and public education.

42. Cultures Built to Last  –  DuFour Richard, Fullan Michael

Take your professional learning community to the next level! Discover a systemwide approach for re-envisioning your PLC while sustaining growth and continuing momentum on your journey. You’ll move beyond isolated pockets of excellence while allowing every person in your school system—from teachers and administrators to students—the opportunity to be an instrument of lasting cultural change.

43. The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive And Thrive  –  Michael Fullan

Successful organizations adjust quickly and intelligently to shifts in consumer tastes, political climate, and economic opportunity. How do they do it? The Six Secrets of Change explores essential lessons for business and public sector leaders to thrive in today’s complex environment.

44. Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World  –  Tony Wagner

In this groundbreaking book, education expert Tony Wagner provides a powerful rationale for developing an innovation-driven economy. He explores what parents, teachers, and employers must do to develop the capacities of young people to become innovators.

45. Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day  –  Jonathan Bergmann, Aaron Sams

It started with a simple observation: students need their teachers present to answer questions or provide help if they get stuck on an assignment; they don’t need their teachers to listen to a lecture or review content. From there, authors Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams began the flipped classroom – one of the best professional development books for a modern classroom.

46. Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School  –  Laura Fleming

Get the nuts and bolts on imagining, planning, creating, and managing a cutting-edge Makerspace for your school community. Nationally recognized expert Laura Fleming provides all the answers. From inception through implementation, you’ll find invaluable guidance for creating a vibrant Makerspace on any budget.

47. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners  –  Multiple Authors

Visible Thinking is a research-based approach to teaching thinking, a proven program for enhancing students’ thinking and comprehension abilities. Begun at Harvard’s Project Zero, the teaching way develops students’ thinking dispositions while at the same time deepening their understanding of the topics they study.

48. Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner  –  Persida & William Himmele

Total Participation Techniques presents dozens of ways to engage K 12 students in active learning and allow them to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and understanding. The book provides easy-to-use alternatives to the stand-and-deliver approach to teaching that causes many students to tune out–or even drop out.

49. Disrupting Class, Expanded Edition: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns  –  Multiple Authors

Filled with fascinating case studies, scientific findings, and unprecedented insights on how innovation must be managed, Disrupting Class will open your eyes to new possibilities, unlock hidden potential, and get you to think differently. Professor Christensen and his coauthors provide a bold new lesson in innovation that will help you make the grade for years to come.

50. Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding  –  Jay McTighe, Grant Wiggins

What are essential questions, and how do they differ from other kinds of questions? What’s so great about them? Why should a teacher design and use essential questions in your classroom? Essential questions help target standards as you organize curriculum content into coherent units that yield focused and thoughtful learning.

51. The Understanding by Design Guide Set (2 Books) –  Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe

Unit creation and planning made easy for Understanding by Design novices and veterans alike! Introduction to version 2.0 of the UbD Template is one of the most practical professional development books for teachers. It allows you to download fillable electronic forms to help you more easily incorporate standards, advance your understanding of backward design, and improve student learning.

52. Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty  –  Elizabeth F Barkley

Student Engagement Techniques is a comprehensive resource that offers college teachers a dynamic model for engaging students. It includes over one hundred tips, strategies, and techniques proven to help teachers from various disciplines and institutions motivate and connects with their students.

53. Reinventing Writing: The 9 Tools That Are Changing Writing, Teaching, and Learning Forever  –  Vicki Davis

In this much-anticipated book from acclaimed blogger Vicki Davis (Cool Cat Teacher), you’ll learn the key shifts in writing instruction necessary to move students forward in today’s world. Vicki’s book describes how the elements of traditional writing are being reinvented with cloud-based tools.

54. Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom  –  Sylvia Libow Martinez, Gary S Stager

There’s a technological and creative revolution underway. Excellent new tools, materials, and skills turn us all into makers. Using technology to make, repair or customize the things we need brings engineering, design, and computer science to the masses. Fortunately for educators, this maker movement overlaps with the natural inclinations of children and the power of learning by doing.

• The Teacher’s Guide To Self-Care: Build Resilience, Avoid Burnout, And Being A Happier And Healthier You To The Classroom – Sarah Frost
• I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything For Our Kids –  Kyle Schwartz
• Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Succes – John C Maxwell and other Professional Development and Leadership Books by John C Maxwell
• Teach Like A Champion 3.0: Techniques That Put Students On The Path To College – Doug Lemov
• Educated: A Memoir –  Tara Westover
• Whole Brain Teaching: 122 Amazing Games!: Challenging Kids, Classroom Management, Writing, Reading, Math, Common Core/State Test s – Chris Biffle
• What School Could Be: Insights And Inspiration From Teachers Across America – Ted Dintersmith
• The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher – Harry Wong
• Disruptive Thinking: Why How We Read Matters – Kylene Beers, Robert E. Probst

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

The founder of Fractus Learning, Nick is a pizza-loving Aussie living and working in Dublin, Ireland. With a background in education, engineering and digital product development, Nick launched Fractus to connect people with a shared passion for technology and how it can bring education to life.

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This is a great list, and very current. I would add Debbie Silver’s Fall Down 7 Times, Get up 8: Teaching Kids to Succeed. It’s a wonderful blend of theory, practice and narrative.

Thanks Susie! Appreciate the recommendation and it’s now on the Amazon Wish List ;)

Excellent List! Thanks very much for creating and sharing it!

Another great book that was recently published and is a real self-training manual for language teachers is the book ‘Optimise your Teaching Competences: New Teaching Methodologies and CLIL Applications in Foreign Languages’. It contains innovative teaching methodologies and approaches as well as a wealth of teaching ideas for pair-work and group-work activities.

Thanks Eugenia, sounds great! Who is the author?

Great list, but I would have liked to see some more critical works that can incite discussion about the systems and conditions of learning. For example, Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Pedagogy of Freedom, McLaren’s Life in Schools, hooks Teaching to Transgress, Kumashiro’s Bad Teacher and Against Common Sense. As teachers we need to engage in theory and practice to make our reflections more than just a practitioner’s work.

Thanks for the comment and recommendations Chris!

Now many self help books are in the markets. But I couldnot understand why the readers are decrasing . I can’t say why the majority peoples hate books.

Great list. Some of your books are now on my order list. Thank you.

I suggest to add “Clean Language in the Classroom” by Julie McCracken. It has been published a few days ago. I do like it very much and I think it has the power to change the methods of teaching in grammar schools. It is a book not only for teachers, but also a great source for inspiration to all kind of educators and to parents. I got a lot of ideas from it as a coach and trainer.

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PICTURE PROMPTS

Best Books?

What have you read and loved this year?

By The Learning Network

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

The New York Times just published its list of 100 Notable Books of 2020 as well as the editors’ picks for the ten best of those books.

What would go on your list of the best books you read this year, whether they were published in 2020 or earlier? Why?

Tell us in the comments, then check out the related Times lists , both to see what the editors chose, and to get some ideas of your own for what to curl up with in December.

About Picture Prompts

• Find all our Picture Prompts in this column . • Have an idea for a Picture Prompt? Tell us about it . • Teachers, discover more ways to teach with our Picture Prompts and learn how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning .

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

100 Best Education Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best education books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck | 5.00

Tony Robbins [Tony Robbins recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

Bill Gates One of the reasons I loved Mindset is because it’s solutions-oriented. In the book’s final chapter, Dweck describes the workshop she and her colleagues have developed to shift students from a fixed to a growth mindset. These workshops demonstrate that ‘just learning about the growth mindset can cause a big shift in the way people think about themselves and their lives. (Source)

Dustin Moskovitz [Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book on Twitter.] (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Tara Westover | 4.99

Bill Gates Tara never went to school or visited a doctor until she left home at 17. I never thought I’d relate to a story about growing up in a Mormon survivalist household, but she’s such a good writer that she got me to reflect on my own life while reading about her extreme childhood. Melinda and I loved this memoir of a young woman whose thirst for learning was so strong that she ended up getting a Ph.D.... (Source)

Barack Obama As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Here’s my best of 2018... (Source)

Alexander Stubb If you read or listen to only one book this summer, this is it. Bloody brilliant! Every word, every sentence. Rarely do I go through a book with such a rollecoaster of emotion, from love to hate. Thank you for sharing ⁦@tarawestover⁩ #Educated https://t.co/GqLaqlcWMp (Source)

The Story of Success

Malcolm Gladwell | 4.63

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2011.] (Source)

James Altucher Gladwell is not the first person to come up with the 10,000 hour rule. Nor is he the first person to document what it takes to become the best in the world at something. But his stories are so great as he explains these deep concepts. How did the Beatles become the best? Why are professional hockey players born in January, February and March? And so on. (Source)

Cat Williams-Treloar The books that I've talked the most about with friends and colleagues over the years are the Malcolm Gladwell series of novels. Glorious stories that mix science, behaviours and insight. You can't go wrong with the "The Tipping Point", "Outliers", "Blink" or "David & Goliath". (Source)

How Children Succeed

Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

Paul Tough | 4.60

Chelsea Frank I was reading a book, “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character” by Paul Tough on a recommendation by my sister, a Middle School teacher. At that time I considered myself a great mother with natural intuition and did not go to the book as a means of “self-help” but of leisurely pleasure. However, I was perplexed when I discovered that even the most intelligent,... (Source)

Make It Stick

The Science of Successful Learning

Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel | 4.57

Barbara Oakley If you’re trying to keep up your reading about learning, one of the best books about learning is Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger III, and Mark McDaniel. This insightful book was co-authored by some of the most influential researchers around. The book jacket says it best: “Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be... (Source)

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

erbac | 4.56

Alexis Isabel @dontkauf i’ve read it! great book, def worth a re-read (Source)

How to Read a Book

The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren | 4.55

Sergey Brin had “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer J. Adler as one of his most recommended books. (Source)

Ben Chestnut I also love How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I’m teaching its tips to my children while they’re young, so they can consume books much faster and have more fun reading. (Source)

Kevin Systrom [The author's] thesis is that the most important part of reading a book is to actually read the table of contents and familiarize yourself with the major structure of the book. (Source)

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Kahneman | 4.53

Barack Obama A few months ago, Mr. Obama read “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman, about how people make decisions — quick, instinctive thinking versus slower, contemplative deliberation. For Mr. Obama, a deliberator in an instinctive business, this may be as instructive as any political science text. (Source)

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012.] (Source)

Marc Andreessen Captivating dive into human decision making, marred by inclusion of several/many? psychology studies that fail to replicate. Will stand as a cautionary tale? (Source)

Savage Inequalities

Children in America's Schools

Jonathan Kozol | 4.53

The Book Whisperer

Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child

Donalyn Miller, Jeff Anderson | 4.52

Don't have time to read the top Education books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

• Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
• Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
• Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.

The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Susan Cain | 4.51

Simon Sinek eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'theceolibrary_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',164,'0','1'])); Leaders needn’t be the loudest. Leadership is not about theater. It’s not about dominance. It is about putting the lives of others before any other priority. In Quiet, Cain affirms to a good many of us who are introverts by nature that we needn’t try to be extroverts if we want to lead.... (Source)

Jason Fried A good book I’d recommend is “Quiet” by Susan Cain. (Source)

James Altucher Probably half the world is introverts. Maybe more. It’s not an easy life to live. I sometimes have that feeling in a room full of people, “uh-oh. I just shut down. I can’t talk anymore and there’s a lock on my mouth and this crowd threw away the key.” Do you ever get that feeling? Please? I hope you do. Let’s try to lock eyes at the party. “Quiet” shows the reader how to unlock the secret powers... (Source)

Dumbing Us Down

The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

John Taylor Gatto | 4.51

The Smartest Kids in the World

And How They Got That Way

Amanda Ripley | 4.49

Angela Duckworth | 4.48

Benjamin Spall [Question: What five books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path?] [...] Grit by Angela Duckworth (Source)

Bogdan Lucaciu Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - it was frustrating to read: “Where was this book 20 years ago!?” (Source)

Stephen Lew When asked what books he would recommend to youngsters interested in his professional path, Stephen mentioned Grit. (Source)

Teaching to Transgress

Education as the Practice of Freedom

bell hooks | 4.48

Brene Brown This book sat next to my bed the entire first year I taught at the University of Houston. Hooks' idea of "education as the practice of freedom" shaped who I am today. Whenever difficult conversations about race, class, or gender begin to surface, I remember what she taught me: If your students are comfortable, you're not doing your job. (Source)

Les Back It’s really a wonderful account of the possibility that education has to shape and transform lives. (Source)

The Well-Trained Mind

A Guide to Classical Education at Home

Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise | 4.45

Why Don't Students Like School?

A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom

Daniel T. Willingham | 4.44

The Death and Life of the Great American School System

How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education

Diane Ravitch | 4.44

Other People's Children

Cultural Conflict in the Classroom

Lisa Delpit | 4.43

Kelly Wickham Hurst @MJAntinarelli @KaitPopielarz It’s amazing. It’s THE book that changed everything for me early on in my career. It was such a swift kick to the head. (Source)

Michelle Rhee Other People’s Children is one of the books that all educators should read because it really gives a different perspective on teaching children who may not be of the same race or socioeconomic background. I think it’s always important for teachers to understand the cultural norms and expectations that prevail in the school environment where they work. Teachers need to be cognisant, not... (Source)

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Daniel H. Pink | 4.42

Tobi Lütke [Tobi Lütke recommended this book in an interview in "The Globe and Mail."] (Source)

David Heinemeier Hansson Takes some of those same ideas about motivations and rewards and extrapolates them in a little bit. (Source)

Mike Benkovich I'd recommend a sprinkling of business books followed by a heap of productivity and behavioural psychology books. The business books will help you with principals and the psychological books help with everything else in your life. Building your own business can really f!@# you up psychologically. (Source)

The First Days of School

How to Be An Effective Teacher [with CD]

Harry K. Wong, Rosemary T. Wong | 4.42

I Am Malala

The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb | 4.41

Adrienne Kisner Malala’s story of triumph is a battle cry for girls (and boys) everywhere. Education can set you free. (Source)

Three Cups of Tea

One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time

Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin | 4.40

Jennifer Steil Greg Mortenson has changed literally thousands and thousands of lives. (Source)

Nicholas Kristof I think Greg does a very good job of providing a more nuanced portrait of the Islamic world and what is possible in it. (Source)

Gretchen Peters I went to a refugee camp after 9/11 where people were living in tents and boiling grass to make tea and at least one family offered to let me sleep in their tent. (Source)

Lies My Teacher Told Me

Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

James W. Loewen | 4.40

Creative Schools

The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education

Sir Ken Robinson PhD and Lou Aronica | 4.37

Ng Rong Xin Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education by Sir Ken Robinson - a book for educator or edu-preneur or anyone who wants to make a change in the education realm. (Source)

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Stephen R. Covey | 4.37

Dustin Moskovitz [I] was surprised at how familiar the topics felt. (Source)

Dave Ramsey [Dave Ramsey recommended this book on his website.] (Source)

Kishore Biyani Immensely helpful and influential during my early years, it explained some of the basic mindsets required to succeed in any profession. (Source)

For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too

Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education

Christopher Emdin | 4.31

Teach Like a Champion

49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College

Doug Lemov | 4.31

Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire

The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56

Rafe Esquith | 4.28

The Shame of the Nation

The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America

Jonathan Kozol | 4.28

The One World Schoolhouse

Education Reimagined

Salman Kha | 4.28

How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It

Mr. Kelly Gallagher | 4.28

How Children Fail

John Holt | 4.27

Carol Dweck This was a revolutionary book. In it John Holt talks about why students turn off their minds, why even students from privileged backgrounds and schools become intellectually numb. Why do they fail? (Source)

Jacqueline Leighton One of the things that John Holt talks about is how children can learn to game the system, because they begin to realise what it will take to do well in school. (Source)

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

And Other Conversations About Race

Beverly Daniel Tatum | 4.26

Denise Morris Kipnis I was serving on the board of a prestigious and exclusive school when I first read this. As part of the school’s commitment to inclusion, every group, including the board, went through diversity training. Our consultant, Glenn Singleton of Pacific Education Group, never let us forget why we were there: that improving outcomes for all our students was a business imperative. As a result of this... (Source)

The Read-Aloud Handbook

Jim Trelease | 4.26

Bethany S. Mandel Also: Read Aloud Revival (all parents should check it out), this is another great book for all parents: https://t.co/632afZ2yFC, and we like Beautiful Feet Books curriculum too (lots of literature based options on world cultures, history, character etc) (Source)

The Four Agreements

A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

Don Miguel Ruiz, Janet Mills | 4.23

Jack Dorsey Question: What are the books that had a major influence on you? Or simply the ones you like the most. : Tao te Ching, score takes care of itself, between the world and me, the four agreements, the old man and the sea...I love reading! (Source)

Charlamagne Tha God These are the books I recommend people to listen to on @applebooks. (Source)

Karlie Kloss I just think it’s got a lot of great principles and ideas. (Source)

Excellent Sheep

The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life

William Deresiewicz | 4.23

Bryan Callen There’s a guy who I just had on my podcast, Mark Deresiewicz, who wrote a book called Excellent Sheep. He was a Yale professor, and took a look at the essentially what was wrong with higher education, at these elite institutions, primarily places like Amherst and Yale and Harvard. And one of the things he said is that we’re breeding excellent sheep. You’ve got 31 flavors of vanilla. These kids... (Source)

The Element

How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

Ken Robinson, Lou Aronica | 4.23

Ng Rong Xin I read this book the year I graduated from college and was in my first job. It was a game-changer because it was after I read the book that I decided to take a plunge to start Explorer Junior, my start-up. (Source)

The Teacher Wars

A History of America's Most Embattled Profession

Dana Goldstein | 4.22

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Neil Postman, Andrew Postman | 4.21

Austin Kleon Earlier this year Postman’s son Andrew wrote an op-ed with the title, “My dad predicted Trump in 1985 — it’s not Orwell, he warned, it’s Brave New World.” Postman wrote: “What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.” (Source)

Steve Lance Neil Postman took the work of Marshall McLuhan – who was putting out early theories on media – and built on them. However, Postman was far more observant and empirical about the trends occurring in the media landscape. The trends which he identifies in Amusing Ourselves to Death, written in the 1980s, have since all come true. For example, he predicted that if you make news entertaining, then... (Source)

Kara Nortman @andrewchen Also a great book on the topic - Amusing Ourselves to Death https://t.co/yWLBxKumLQ (Source)

The Coddling of the American Mind

How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt | 4.21

Mark Manson The kids aren’t alright. No, really—I know every generation says that, but this time it’s true. Kids who grew up with smartphones (and have begun to enter the university system) are emotionally stunted, overly fragile, and exhibiting mental health issues at alarming rates. I expected this book to be another, “Let’s all shit on social media together,” party, but it’s not. Social media, of course,... (Source)

Max Levchin Highlights the need to continue to have such discussions about sensitive topics instead of ignoring them for the sake of comfort. (Source)

Glenn Beck Just finished The Coddling of the American mind by @glukianoff Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. Insightful. Straight forward and very helpful. A book that not only correctly identifies what ails us but also gives practical steps to cure. MUST READ (Source)

How Children Learn

John Holt | 4.21

Experience and Education

John Dewey | 4.20

Lost at School

Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them

Ross W. Greene Ph.D. | 4.20

Weapons of Mass Instruction

A Schoolteacher's Journey Through The Dark World of Compulsory Schooling

John Taylor Gatto | 4.20

Seth Godin I end up recommending this book to parents again and again. It will transform the way you think of schooling. (Source)

Reign of Error

The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools

Diane Ravitch | 4.20

The Well-Educated Mind

A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had

Susan Wise Bauer | 4.19

The Power of Habit

Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Charles Duhigg | 4.19

Naval Ravikant I also recently finished The Power of Habit, or close to finish as I get. That one was interesting, not because of its content necessarily, but because it’s good for me to always keep on top of mind how powerful my habits are. [...] I think learning how to break habits is a very important meta-skill that can serve you better in life than almost anything else. Although you can read tons of books... (Source)

Blake Irving You know, there's a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Simple read book about just how to build positive habits that can be I think I what I'd call you know whether in your personal life or whether in your business life to help you build you know, have a loop that can build your success and that's one I mean there are so many great books out there. (Source)

Santiago Basulto Another book with great impact was “The power of habit”. But to be honest, I read only a couple of pages. It’s a good book, with many interesting stories. But to be honest, the idea it tries to communicate is simple and after a couple of pages you’ve pretty much understood all of it. Happens the same thing with those types of books (Getting things done, crossing the chasm, etc.) (Source)

Educating Esmé

Diary of a Teacher's First Year

Esme Raji Codell, Jim Trelease | 4.19

The Daily Five

Gail Boushey, Joan Moser | 4.19

The Courage to Teach

Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

Parker J. Palmer | 4.18

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish | 4.18

Jeff Atwood "The best marriage advice book I’ve read is a paperback called How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. As you might deduce from the title, it wasn’t meant as a marriage advice book." https://t.co/cy7JeKVsjV (Source)

Miguel De Icaza @codinghorror Yes - that is an awesome book too (Source)

How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Thomas C. Foster | 4.17

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may...

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

The Whole-Brain Child

12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson | 4.16

Genevieve Von Lob Siegel uses what neuroscience tells us about how a child’s brain develops to provide practical tips for parents. (Source)

Graham Duncan [Graham Duncan recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

Freakonomics

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Stephen J. Levitt, Steven D.; Dubner | 4.16

Malcolm Gladwell I don’t need to say much here. This book invented an entire genre. Economics was never supposed to be this entertaining. (Source)

Daymond John I love newer books like [this book]. (Source)

James Altucher [James Altucher recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

Brain Rules

12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

John Medina | 4.16

James Altucher Discusses how to keep your brain healthy. (Source)

Dmitry Dragilev There’s a book called Brain Rules, also a great book, by John Medina, sort of like how your brain works. (Source)

Democracy and Education

John Dewey | 4.16

Last Child in the Woods

Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Richard Louv | 4.16

Genevieve Von Lob Louv coined the term ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ because he was so concerned about the alienation of young people from nature. (Source)

Free to Learn

Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life

Peter Gray | 4.16

Punished by Rewards

The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise and Other Bribes

Alfie Kohn | 4.16

David Heinemeier Hansson Outlines all the scientific research on why incentive systems don't work. (Source)

The Essential 55

An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child

Ron Clark | 4.15

For the Children's Sake

Foundations of Education for Home and School

Susan Schaeffer Macaulay | 4.15

Bethany S. Mandel More: AmblesideOnline has lots of info and an amazing curriculum, Exploring Nature with Children is a great preschool curriculum and this book is a great place to start too: https://t.co/jETfCMdEnS (Source)

Teaching with Poverty in Mind

What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do about It

Eric Jensen | 4.15

Understanding by Design

Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe | 4.15

Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around...

Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum.

Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, Understanding by Design , Expanded 2nd Edition, offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

Michelle Rhee Understanding by Design is an incredibly influential book. Its premise is that you have to start curriculum design with an end in mind. You figure out what your goal is first and plan backwards from there, building your curriculum around what you want to achieve. It sounds very simple but for a long time people weren’t doing that. They were covering units or textbooks without clear priorities or... (Source)

How We Learn

The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens

Benedict Carey | 4.15

Vladimir Oane He does a brilliant job proving that our thinking about learning is rooted more in superstition than in science. And boy this book is filled with science. It is extremely evident that the author is a science nerd because this book is 95% filled with studies and experiments on lots and lots of topics related to the learning: memorization, forgetting, associations, perceptions etc. This could make... (Source)

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Zaretta L. (Lynn) Hammond | 4.14

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Malcolm Gladwell | 4.13

Mike Shinoda I know most of the guys in the band read [this book]. (Source)

Marillyn Hewson CEO Marilyn Hewson recommends this book because it helped her to trust her instincts in business. (Source)

A Mind for Numbers

How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)

Barbara Oakley PhD | 4.13

Mike Rowe A good teacher will leave you educated. But a great teacher will leave you curious. Well, Barbara Oakley is a great teacher. Not only does she have a mind for numbers, she has a way with words, and she makes every one of them count (Source)

Teach Like a Pirate

Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator

Dave Burgess | 4.13

Reading in the Wild

Donalyn Miller | 4.13

The Elements of Style

William Jr. Strunk | 4.13

Tobi Lütke [My] most frequently gifted book is [this book] because I like good writing. (Source)

Bill Nye This is my guide. I accept that I’ll never write anything as good as the introductory essay by [the author]. It’s brilliant. (Source)

Jennifer Rock If you are interested in writing and communication, start with reading and understanding the technical aspects of the craft: The Elements of Style. On Writing Well. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. (Source)

The Underground History of American Education

An Intimate Investigation Into the Prison of Modern Schooling

John Taylor Gatto, Richard Grove, et al. | 4.12

NurtureShock

New Thinking About Children

Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman | 4.12

A Thomas Jefferson Education

Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century

Oliver Van DeMille | 4.11

Teaching with Love and Logic

Taking Control of the Classroom

Jim Fay, David Funk | 4.11

Teaching from Rest

A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace

Sarah Mackenzie and Dr. Christopher Perrin | 4.10

Whatever It Takes

Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America

Paul Tough | 4.10

Julia Enthoven As for non-fiction, Half the Sky (about crimes against women, especially in the developing world) and Whatever it Takes (about the Harlem Children’s Zone and the work of Geoffrey Canada) both changed my world-view enormously, and I thought they were both super compelling. (Source)

What Great Teachers Do Differently

17 Things That Matter Most

Todd Whitaker | 4.10

Out of Our Minds

Learning to Be Creative

Ken Robinson | 4.09

Deschooling Society

Ivan Illich | 4.09

Teacher Man (Frank McCourt, #3)

Frank McCourt | 4.09

A Whole New Mind

Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age

Daniel H. Pink | 4.09

Park Howell This is one of the books I recommend to people looking for a career in advertising. (Source)

Teaching as a Subversive Activity

Neil Postman, Charles Weingartner | 4.06

Moonwalking with Einstein

The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Joshua Foer | 4.06

Bill Gates Of the five books I finished over vacation, the one that impressed me the most – and that is probably of broadest interest – is Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by science writer Joshua Foer. This is an absolutely phenomenal book that looks at memory and techniques for dramatically improving memory. Foer actually mastered these techniques, which led him to... (Source)

Chelsea Handler It has changed my life and made me embarrass myself much less when meeting someone twice. (Source)

Deborah Blum This book focuses not so much on the scientists but more on the consequence and meaning of memory for the rest of us. Within the framework of a memory championship, Foer looks at this almost obsessive interest in learning, how to remember everything. He asks the really interesting philosophical question, which is, are we defined by what we remember? (Source)

The Abolition of Man

C. S. Lewi | 4.05

Letters to a Young Teacher

Jonathan Kozol | 4.05

A Framework for Understanding Poverty

Ruby K. Payne | 4.05

The Global Achievement Gap

Why Our Kids Don't Have the Skills They Need for College, Careers, and Citizenship—and What We Can Do About It

Tony Wagner | 4.05

Creating Innovators

The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World

Tony Wagner | 4.04

David and Goliath

Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Malcolm Gladwell | 4.04

Catalina Penciu Business-wise, my goal for this year is to improve my collection and my mindset, but my favorite so far has been David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. (Source)

Robert Katai Buy Malcolm Gladwell’s book “David and Goliath” and read the interesting stories about how the Davids of that moments have defeated the Goliaths. (Source)

The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools

Monique W. Morris | 4.04

I Read It, but I Don't Get It

Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers

Cris Tovani | 4.04

The End of Education

Redefining the Value of School

Neil Postman | 4.04

Making Thinking Visible

How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners

Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, Karin Morrison | 4.03

Choice Words

How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Peter H. Johnston | 4.03

The Reading Strategies Book

Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers

Jennifer Serravallo | 4.03

"Multiplication Is for White People"

Raising Expectations for Other People's Children

Lisa Delpit | 4.02

Work Hard. Be Nice.

How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America

Jay Mathews | 4.01

Bill Gates Gives a great sense of how hard it was to get KIPP going and how intense the focus on good teaching is. (Source)

The CAFE Book

Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction

Gail Boushey, Joan Moser | 4.00

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40+ Best Reading Websites for Home and Classroom Learning

Games, e-books, videos, and so much more!

Fluent reading may be the most important skill anyone can master. Just a few minutes a day helps build the reading fluency that provides lifelong benefits. Reading websites for kids are one way to support their reading journey.

How can reading websites help kids, parents, and teachers?

While reading books together is always an important activity, emergent readers also need other types of practice. They benefit from activities that focus more specifically on phonics, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and other key parts of reading fluency. To learn more about these elements, explore the science of reading here.

Many reading websites offer games, exercises, and other activities that give kids a chance to develop these important reading skills. Studies show it only takes 15 minutes of practice each day to build reading fluency. When kids play interactive reading games online, or complete short lessons with follow-up activities, they get those 15 important minutes in an easy, effective way.

How To Use Reading Websites

Teachers can use reading websites as part of their lesson plans or as individual classroom activities. They can be a fun option for fast finishers or a good way to provide extra support for kids who need more practice on a certain skill. Many of the reading websites on our list provide free access for teachers who use the site in their classroom, making them a valuable resource for your toolkit.

At home, parents and families will also find a lot of value in reading websites. To make the most of them, it can be helpful to understand your child’s current reading level first. Ask your child’s teacher to share this information, and then learn more about how reading levels work here . It’s also a good idea to ask your child’s teacher if there are any areas they could use extra help with, and then look for games or activities to support those skills.

The goal of most reading websites is to make reading fun and exciting for students. Take advantage of that to make screen time more meaningful. Look for sites that your student actively enjoys using, and you’ll find those 15 minutes of daily reading practice just fly by!

There are options for all ages, helping students learn to read, discover new books, track and share progress, and more. There’s a big selection of free options, but there are some excellent paid sites that schools and parents may want to check out too.

• Best Free Reading Websites for Kids
• Best Paid Reading Websites for Kids  

These free reading websites give kids practice that won’t break the bank. Get free e-books, games, activities, and more!

This site hooks kids through fun games that meet learning standards. In addition to reading, students can brush up on math, science, social studies, arts, and music. A free account gives you basic access with ads. Paid Premium Family and Classroom plans are also available. (Grades Pre-K–6)

Between the Lions

Watch videos from the popular PBS series, including read-along folktales and fables, clever song videos of letter sounds, and more. (Grades Pre-K–1) ADVERTISEMENT

Biblionasium

Think of this like Goodreads for kids. It’s a safe place for reviewing and sharing books, making reading a social adventure. (Grades K–8)

This is another site that bills itself as “Goodreads for kids,” and it offers similar features. Read kid-friendly reviews, post your own, find recommendations, track reading goals, and more. (Grades K–8)

This fantastic digital library service helps people with print-related disabilities read independently. (Grades Pre-K–12)

This library includes thousands of high-interest, standards-aligned reading passages and lessons. You can search for texts by book, genre, grade level, literary device, and theme. (Grades 3–12)

The kid-friendly news articles on DOGONews make it easy to assign reading. Each article has reading/interest-level guidelines, and you can access the site in English or Spanish. It’s free to assign articles for reading. Paid plans provide discussion questions and quizzes too. (Grades 1–12)

If you’re looking for reading websites with digital books, this site has thousands of them, along with audiobooks and videos. You’ll find endless popular titles from your favorite publishers. Teachers can track student progress as they read too. Epic is free for teachers and classrooms, with paid plans available for parents. (Grades Pre-K–8)

Fact Monster: All About Books

Kids who love books will want to check out this site. They’ll find fascinating facts about many of their favorite reads. (Grades 1–8)

Test your vocabulary while earning rice for those in need! Each time you play, you’re helping the United Nations World Food Programme provide food to those around the world who need it. (Grades 2–12)

In addition to learning games and videos, Funbrain has a selection of free books to read online. You’ll find favorites like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Judy Moody. (Grades Pre-K–8)

International Children’s Digital Library

A no-frills site from the University of Maryland, ICDL has more than 4,000 free e-books kids can read online. There are a variety of books in languages other than English too. (Grades K–8)

Into the Book

Into the Book is a reading comprehension site that focuses on reading strategies teachers work on every day. Kids get practice using prior knowledge, making connections, questioning, visualizing, inferring, summarizing, evaluating, and synthesizing. (Grades K–6)

Khan Academy

This is one of the most well-known free learning sites around, and their reading and language arts courses are top-notch. There’s nothing flashy, but kids will get good practice with accompanying lessons and quizzes. (Grades 2–9)

Khan Academy Kids

This reading app and site is designed especially for kids just learning to read. There are supplemental materials for parents and teachers too. (Grades Pre-K–2)

Nat Geo Education

This amazing compilation of nonfiction has all the quality of National Geographic magazine, leveled and accessible for young readers. (Grades K–5)

Created by Oxford University Press, this U.K. site has plenty to offer for any kid learning to read. There are free e-books and games, plus tips for parents and teachers. (Grades Pre-K–2)

Reading Bear

Reading Bear teaches beginning readers vocabulary and concepts while systematically introducing all the main phonetic patterns of written English. (Grades Pre-K–1)

Gain access to several thousand leveled books, including favorites like Curious George and the nonfiction National Geographic Kids titles. Teacher and classroom access is free. (Grades Pre-K–7)

Read Theory

Read Theory offers online reading activities for all ages and ability levels. The program adapts to students’ individual ability levels and presents them with thousands of skill-building exercises that suit their needs. (Grades K–12)

ReadWorks.org

Get literacy lessons that include comprehension and short passages to analyze. Use them online, via your classroom projector, or print to send work home. (Grades K–12)

Roy: Tale of a Singing Zebra

Kids will enjoy the punctuation, reading, and spelling games on this cute, simple site. You’ll also find online guided reading stories and lesson plans for teachers. (Grades Pre-K–2)

Scholastic Kids Press

Students will love reading news articles written by other kids just like them! This regularly updated site includes articles on current events, with kid reporters from around the globe. (Grades 4–8)

Storyline Online

Storyline Online features videos of read-alouds by celebrities with creative illustrations. Each book also has a supplemental curriculum for teachers and parents to use. (Grades Pre-K–4)

Get the experience of going to the library without leaving the house at StoryPlace. Find animated videos of stories, with activities, sing-along songs, and more. (Grades Pre-K–1)

Story Time From Space

What’s better than a read-aloud? A read-aloud done by someone in space! This reading website features real astronauts reading books they love, often with a STEM theme. (Grades Pre-K–5)

Teaching Kids News

TKN provides readable, teachable news articles for kids. You’ll also find media literacy activities and tips on how to discuss challenging news topics with kids. (Grades 3–8)

Vooks bills itself as the first streaming service dedicated to animated storybooks. There’s a small free collection of books, plus teachers get classroom access for one device at no cost. Parents can pay a monthly fee for access. (Grades Pre-K–2)   

Sometimes it’s worth it to invest in a learning program. These are some of the best ones around, according to teachers and parents.

ABC Mouse offers learning that spans the curriculum. Their reading program starts at the very beginning with the alphabet and takes kids through to fluent reading and writing. (Monthly or annual subscription after 30-day free trial; Grades Pre-K–2)

Adventure Academy

Brought to you by the same folks who created ABC Mouse, Adventure Academy offers reading practice for older kids. They can also work on math, science, and more. (Monthly or annual subscription after 30-day free trial; Grades 3–8)

Boost Reading

Students take on a series of personalized quests as they learn and practice reading. The characters and story lines keep them coming back for more. (Contact them for pricing; Grades K–5)

HOMER promises to create a personalized reading program for every child, based on their interests and current skill levels. Membership also includes access to 200+ interactive animated stories, with a whole section dedicated to favorite Sesame Street characters. (Monthly and annual subscriptions after 30-day trial; Grades Pre-K–2)

IXL’s personalized learning experiences cover a variety of subjects. Their language arts curriculum includes spelling, vocabulary, phonics, and more advanced topics. (Family, Classroom, and School/District pricing available; Grades K–12)

Kids learning to read can benefit from Lalilo’s phonics and reading comprehension activities. The adaptive exercises provide an individualized experience for each student. (Free 60-day trial, contact for pricing; Grades Pre-K–2)

This collection of e-books includes titles from around the world in a variety of languages. It’s always growing as publishers and authors upload their new books. (Individual and school subscriptions available; Grades K–8)

Teach younger students the right way to research with PebbleGo. You can be sure they’re using safe, reliable resources as they learn about subjects like animals, biographies, and more. (Annual subscriptions by school; Grades K–3)

This site provides leveled books with interactive quizzes and other activities to reinforce reading comprehension. It includes books in English, French, and Spanish. (Annual subscription; Grades K–5)

Reading Eggs

Play games, sing songs, and practice reading, vocabulary, phonics, and more. Looking for help for older kids who need additional practice? Check out Reading Eggspress. (Monthly or yearly subscription after 30-day free trial; Grades Pre-K–6)

This site teaches children to read with the help of phonetics. Kids sing songs to help them learn and get lots of practice putting it all together. (Yearly membership fee; Grades Pre-K–3)

TeachingBooks

Help students make deeper connections to books with author interviews, read-aloud videos, activities, and more. (Yearly license fees; Grades K–12)

This is a cool reading website for schools, offering talking animated picture books that kids will truly love. School accounts provide access to every computer in every classroom. You can also offer home access through your school website. (Annual subscription; Grades K–8)

Vocabulary A-Z

Give kids vocab practice with customizable word lists. Students can play games online, while teachers can get lessons and printables to support the learning. (One-time purchase; Grades K–5)

Whooo’s Reading

Get your students thinking with open-ended quiz questions that provide a strong alternative to multiple-choice questions. Students get feedback as they write, including reminders to cite evidence and answer all parts of the question. (Free basic trial membership, with premium annual subscriptions for teachers and classrooms; Grades Pre-K–12)

What’s on your list of the best reading websites for kids? Share your ideas in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out the best reading apps for kids ..

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The 6 best places to find free books online:

Project gutenberg, open library, digital public library, the 6 best places to find free books online in 2021.

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• It's great to support authors by directly buying books, but cost shouldn't be a barrier to reading.
• You can read thousands of free books online using everything from Libby to Project Gutenberg .
• You can read more about Insider's Education and Personal Development section here .

It's great to support authors by directly buying their books. But if buying every exciting bestseller isn't realistic for you, many authors are the first to say that cost should never be the reason you miss out on great books.

—Ashley C. Ford (@iSmashFizzle) June 15, 2021

Public libraries have existed to increase accessibility to knowledge and benefit the public since the 18th century (though this last year forced closures across the nation ). Luckily, you can find the same books for free online (and even browse your local library's shelves via apps) if you know where to look.  

Below, you'll find six places where you can read free books online, from Project Gutenberg and thousands of books in the public domain (which tend to be classics) to digitized open libraries where you can borrow and download books for free. 

And if a book sparks a new interest, you can also find free online courses from some of the best universities in the world, too. 

Read for free on Libby

Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and more from your local public library for free. You can download them for offline reading via the app . 

All you need is a library card, which you can potentially sign up for in the app itself , depending on the library. 

What to read:

Note: select your local library to see custom search results

• " Where the Crawdads Sing " by Delia Owens
• " Becoming " by Michelle Obama
• " Educated " by Tara Westover
• " Little Fires Everywhere " by Celeste Ng

Read for free on Project Gutenberg

Choose from reportedly more than 60,000 free ebooks , especially older classics for which US copyright has expired. 

There's no fee or registration required, so you don't need an ID or library card to access these.

• " Pride and Prejudice " by Jane Austen
• " Frankenstein " by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
• " Alice's Adventures in Wonderland " by Lewis Carroll
• " Moby Dick " by Herman Melville

Read for free on Overdrive

Overdrive hosts millions of books and audiobooks online for free (and owns apps Libby and Sora ). You can find everything from "The New York Times" bestsellers to children's books . 

As with Libby and other library apps, you'll need a library card to access the books.

• " The Four Winds " by Kristin Hannah
• " The Rose Code " by Kate Quinn
• " The Sanatorium " by Sarah Pearse
• " Klara and the Sun " by Kazuo Ishiguro
• " A Court of Silver Flames " by Sarah J. Maas

Read for free on Open Library

Open Library's eBook lending library gives you access to millions of books through the Internet Archive , an American digital library and preservation project that has been the subject of some controversy . 

Unlike other sites, you'll be flipping through images of a book that's been digitized rather than downloading a PDF. 

You can register with an email address, and you won't need an ID or library card to use it. 

• " The Four Agreements " by Don Miguel Ruiz
• " Snow Falling on Cedars " by David Guterson
• " The Lord of the Rings " by J.R.R. Tolkien
• " Pale Blue Dot " by Carl Sagan

Listen for free on LibriVox

Listen to free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers from around the world. Audiobooks range from historical fiction to children's action and adventure .

LibriVox's collection is also included in the Internet Archive . 

What to listen to:

• " Anna Karenina " by Leo Tolstoy 
• " Wuthering Heights " by Emily Brontë 
• " Adventures of Huckleberry Finn " by Mark Twain
• ​​" The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes " by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Read for free through the Digital Public Library

Download free ebooks within the public domain without creating an account.

You can search the Digital Public Library site by title, or scroll through collections that range from textbooks , children's books , young adult titles, language-specific books , works most recently added to the public domain, and editor picks .

• " Monah Loves the Market " by Nathalie Aigil
• " Japanese Fairy Tales " by Yei Theodora Ozaki
• " Romeo and Juliet " by William Shakespeare
• " Meditations " by Marcus Aurelius
• " Introductory Statistics " by Senior Contributing Authors

While you'll find the best combination of title choices and helpful or unique features above, you can also find free books through Wikisource (a now inactive catalog of texts ranging from " The Art of War " to " Sherlock Holmes "), and some on Amazon through Kindle's free popular classics.

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