You want to grow in your profession, so why not read the best books on the subject?
Check out this list of the best professional development books for teachers.
Professional Books for Teachers
These books are sure to stretch your mind and equip you with information and tools to be the best in the teaching profession.
Read on for the skinny on these professional development books for teachers.
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TEACH: Creating Independently Responsible Learners by Dennis DiNoia
What if you could get your students to the point where they were independent learners?
What if they took responsibility for not only doing their work but also checking and grading it with integrity?
What if they were excited about learning and independently sought out opportunities to learn more about the things they’re interested in or have questions about?
What would it be like to be the teacher of students like that?
TEACH by Dennis DiNoia asks those questions and gives you strategies to help get your students to those places of self-discovery, independent learning, and integrity.
It’s one of my favorite teaching-related books and should, I believe, be on every teacher’s must-read list!
Teach Like a Pirate by David Burgess
Do you want to be a more passionate and creative teacher?
Burgess developed a system (yep, it’s named PIRATE) to craft engaging lessons that draw your students in and help them remember what you teach.
With over 170 brainstorming questions and 30 hooks to start a class, this motivating read will help you become the dynamic teacher you want to be.
Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson
This book still makes the list of best books for teachers because the teaching profession involves much more than classroom time.
It helps remove your anxiety about the future and matters beyond your control.
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
If you teach reading or English, you know the struggle of engaging kids in reading.
This book gives specifics on how to awaken a love of reading in every child.
A sixth-grade teacher, Miller has a fantastic list of “Kid Lit” to inspire even the most reluctant reader to pick up a book.
Her motto is, “I’ve never met a child I couldn’t turn into a reader.”
6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham
How do you assess something as personal and individual as writing?
Culham shows you that, no matter the genre, writing should have six key traits.
With lesson ideas that focus on teaching these 6 traits of writing, this book will help you transform your classroom from “children who write” to “writers.”
The Mosaic of Thought by Ellin Oliver Keene and Susan Zimmerman
How do you help your students to have long-lasting comprehension of what they read?
Enter this book and its seven core strategies to help readers fully engage with a text.
This book will change the way you do literacy instruction!
Teach Like a Champion 3.0 by Doug Lemov
Now in its third edition (hence the 3.0), this book tells how to have a powerful and productive classroom that will help your students launch into college and beyond.
The techniques taught in this book are research-driven.
It also features companion videos if you want to see the techniques in action.
Fires in the Bathroom by Kathleen Cushman
Ideal for high-school teachers who work in an urban setting, this book addresses how to increase engagement and motivation, deal with the shifting identities of teenagers, reach English language learners, and foster a climate of respect in your classroom.
Fifty Strategies to Boost Cognitive Engagement by Rebecca Stobaugh
We all want active learners, not passive receivers of information.
Find out how to build a culture of thinking and engagement in your classroom.
Focusing on problem-solving and critical thinking, Stobaugh’s methods will boost the attention and participation of your students.
Teach Like Finland by Timothy J. Walker
How does Finland, with its short school days and no homework, score as one of the top school systems in the world?
How can we learn from them?
This book shows you what you can glean from Finland’s joy-filled schools like including brain breaks to the day and bringing peace in the classroom.
A Tribe Apart by Patricia Hersch
For those who work with teens, this book pulls back the curtain on this mysterious age group.
Teenagers have their own rules and codes, but rather than seeing them as a “tribe apart,” we need to know how to engage with this generation.
Best Books for Teachers
You’re a teacher–that means you are already an amazing human.
Now get even better at your job with these professional development books for teachers.