The Associate Educational Fellowship Programme‘Improving professional practice through collaborative enquiry and dialogue’

Fellowship meeting Tuesday 24th November 2015

Book recommendations

Teaching: notes from the front line by Dr Debra Kidd. To quote the back cover ‘It is time to take our vocation back, to learn to trust ourselves and each other and, crucially, to take control of the direction of education and policy’.

Doing Your Research Project by Judith Bell. The must have book that is easy to comprehend and with practical ideas of how to manage a project and put into practice!

Humble Enquiry by Edgar H Schein. This relates to communication and specifically the art of asking instead of telling : ‘the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person’.

Leading the use of Research and Evidence in Schools edited by Chris Brown. How to manage research and enquiry for those already with a full work-load offering advice and challenge.

Also, if you haven’t already seen these:

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. This Nobel Prize winner will change the way you think.

Creative Schools by Ken Robinson. The wonderful Ken Robinson sets out his practical vision on not reforming education but transforming it.

As recommended by Fellow, Ged Green – his top five teaching books:

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink. This book will help you understand what inspires learning, which is critical to the success of any teacher.

The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, by Alfie Kohn. Far too many teachers rely on homework, because it's always been part of education. Kohn, the consummate researcher, exposes the myth that homework helps students achieve.

The Associate Educational Fellowship Programme‘Improving professional practice through collaborative enquiry and dialogue’

The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child, by Donalyn Miller. All we hear about is how we are a nation of non-readers. Miller demonstrates that every child will grow to love books and become an avid reader, if reading is approached the right way in schools.

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, by Sir Ken Robinson. Sadly, education leaders are so enamoured with testing, data and global competition that creativity is often left out of the classroom. A brilliant storyteller, Robinson provides a host of examples of how creativity and passion made many great people what they are today.

Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56, by Rafe Esquith. While some may find it difficult to work as hard as Esquith does (I know I couldn't), his strategies for engaging reluctant learners are revolutionary and truly inspiring.

and finally, a really interesting TEDX talk about leadership:

Psychopaths in the C-suite: Fred Kiel at TEDxBGIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBPZR63vfA