Summer Reads for Teacher Professional Development

What’s on your summer reading list? If you are like me, you are probably looking for books that will help replenish you professionally as well as personally. With just a few weeks left in school, I am just about ready to finalize my summer reading list, and I’d like to share my list (so far) with you. Many of these titles are from some of my favorite writers like Dan Pink, Carol Dweck, Daniel Goleman, Tony Wagner, and Malcolm Gladwell. Not only have I included some of my favorite writers, but I’ve also included books from a range of themes dealing with leadership, technology, gender, and literacy. I’ve also decided to revisit several books that I loved reading the first time around — books like Alone Together, Boys Adrift, and Raising Cain. I am hopeful that my eclectic list of books will continue to help me grow as a professional educator, administrator, mentor, and teacher. Furthermore, I hope you will also find these books useful. Please feel free to share your summer reading recommendations as well. Happy Reading! tlb

• Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence – Daniel Goleman
• Change Leadership: A Practical Guide to Transforming Our Schools – Tony Wagner, Robert Kegan, Lisa Laskow, and Richard W. Lemons
• Mindset – Carol Dweck
• To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others – Daniel H. Pink
• Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other – Sherry Turkle
• Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World – Tony Wagner
• Reading Without Nonsense – Frank Smith
• The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy – Jon Gordon
• David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants – Malcolm Gladwell
• Boys Adrift: 5 Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men – Leonard Sax
• Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys – Michael Thompson
• Reciprocal Teaching at work: Powerful Strategies and Lessons from Improving Reading Comprehension, 2nd edition – Lori D. Oczkus
• The Literacy Teacher’s Playbook, Grades K-6: Four Steps for Turning Assessment Data into Goal-Directed Instruction – Jennifer Serravallo
• Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4-12 – Teri Lesesne
• Falling in Love with Close Reading: Lessons for Analyzing Texts and Life – Christopher Lehman and Kate Roberts
• Thrive: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching – Meenoo Rami