Required Reading ?

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Permalink Reply by Lucy Gray on January 10, 2009 at 7:26pm

I'm glad you selected books about learning.... I think we ed tech people tend to get fixated on business books that have strong implications for education, but don't really address how we should adapt. I think I like Wagner's book because there is a blend of both.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Hudson on January 10, 2009 at 7:31pm

I agree with all the book suggestions that have been mentioned so far, especially those by Wagner, Pink, Tapscott, and Christiansen. I would also offer Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, and Ron McMillan.

My "oldie but goodie" is Rules For Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services by Guy Kawasaki and Michele Moreno. Though now almost a decade old, I am still empowered by those themes.

Sixteen Trends, Their Profound Impact on Our Future: Implications for Students, Education, Communities, Countries, and the Whole of Society by Gary Marx is my latest pursuit. I found the overview very timely.

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Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on January 11, 2009 at 5:45am

I'm wondering about adding in some books that are primarily focused on human relationships and creation of collaborative learning communities: Learning by Heart by Roland S. Barth, for instance.

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Permalink Reply by Alice Barr on January 11, 2009 at 9:22am

Disrupting Class and A Whole New Mind are a must read. I also like the Henry Jenkins white paper Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory Culture

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Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on January 11, 2009 at 9:33am

Yes, Alice, I absolutely support the Jenkins white paper. Named it my personal "most influential paper" this year on Fireside Learning.

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Permalink Reply by Cynthia Wunsch on January 12, 2009 at 9:06am

I write a blog aggregating research studies on classical music and music instruction and their non-musical outcomes with many studies published so far on academics, education, behaviour, etc. I hope some teachers, parents, and school administrators will find it useful. The static home page confuses some people: just click the link on the sidebar that says "Read the Blog!"

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Permalink Reply by Connie Weber on January 12, 2009 at 11:07am

How about adding in Carol Dweck's work, Self Theories, or Mindset? Her work is all research-based, and shows clearly that the learners perception of self makes all the difference in approach to studies.
Students with a "passive mindset" believe you either have it or don't have it (regarding a particular type of intelligence). Students with an "active mindset" believe you put in energy to get yourself to a new level. It's a simple idea with absolutely profound implications for how we teach--even for how we praise our students. Here's a discussion from CR2.0 about the theories.

I would hope Department of Education officials would be very familiar with Dweck's work.

Thanks for this great forum, Lucy!

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Permalink Reply by Dennis Richards on January 13, 2009 at 7:26am

A lot of good books recommended.

I especially like Tony Wagner, Global Achievement Gap.

Here are a few more.

Stephanie Pace Marshall, The Power to Transform
Barbara Kellerman, Bad Leadership
Rick Dufour, et. al., On Common Ground
Richard Elmore, School Reform From The Inside Out: Policy, Practice, And Performance
Richard Curwin, et. al., Discipline with Dignity, 3rd edition
John Saphier, The Skillful Teacher
Monica de la Torre & Michael Wieger, eds. Reversible Moments, Contemporary Mexican Poetry

Dennis

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Permalink Reply by Dennis Richards on January 13, 2009 at 7:48am

The world has changed and classrooms and schools, by and large, have not. Too many kids are confused, unengaged, unchallenged, and uninspired by the schools they attend. We can change. We can do it.

From Discipline with Dignity, 3rd edition, 2008, p. 19

"Some students rebel as a way of voicing their dissatisfaction with their lack of influence. In most schools, students are told for six hours every day where to go, what time to be there, how long to take for basic biological necessities, which learning is relevant, what to learn, and how their learning will be evaluated. They are told the rules, the consequences, how dress, how to walk, and when to talk. When one group (adults) develops rules and procedures that define behavioral standards for another group (students) that has had little or no input, a conflict of control and power can result. When school is unfulfilling, this lack of power can trigger anger and opposition."

We must, for their sake and ours. See wholechildeducation.org

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