by I once heard former President Clinton say, “every problem in education has been solved somewhere.” Educators stand on the shoulders of giants and should be fluent in the literature of their chosen field. We should be reading all of the time, but summer is definitely an opportunity to “catch-up.”
Regrettably too many “summer reading lists for educators” are better suited for those concerned with get-rich quick schemes than enriching the lives of children. Case-in-point, the President of the National Association of Independent Schools published “What to Read this Summer,” a list containing not a single book about teaching, learning, or even educational leadership. Over the past few years, I offered a canon for those interested in educational leadership.
When I suggested that everyone employed at my most recent school read at least one book over the summer, the principal suggested I provide options. Therefore, I chose a selection of books that would appeal to teachers of different grade levels and interests, but support and inspire the school’s desire to be more progressive, creative, child-centered, authentic, and project-based.
 
In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of Reggio Emilia, Second Edition. |
  Loving Learning: How Progressive Education Can Save America’s SchoolsA spectacular case made for progressive education in the face of the nonsense masquerading as school “reform” these days. |
  The Big Picture: Education is Everyone’s Business.Aimed at secondary education, but with powerful ideas applicable at any level. Students spend 40% each week in authentic internship settings and the remaining school time is focused on developing skills for the internship. This may be the best book written about high school reform in decades. |
  The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer.A seminal book that situates the maker movement and coding in a long progressive tradition. This is arguably the most important education book of the past quarter century. Papert worked with Piaget, co-invented Logo, and is the major force behind educational computing, robotics, and the Maker Movement. |
  Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching Can Transform Education.A clear and concise book on how to teach in a learner-centered fashion by a leader at Harvard’s Project Zero. Should be essential reading for all educators! |
  Changing Lives: Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and the Transformative Power of Music.“One of the finest books about teaching and learning I’ve read in the past decade.” (Gary Stager) Tells the story of how hundreds of thousands of students in Venezuela are taught to play classical music at a high level. LA Philharmonic Conductor Gustavo Dudamel is a graduate of “El Sistema.” The lessons in this book are applicable across all subject areas. |
One additional recommendation…
In his groundbreaking books, When Things Start to Think and Fab, MIT Professor Neil Gershenfeld predicted the past quarter century of technological innovation and defined the basis for the modern maker movement. In this new volume, Gershenfeld collaborated with his social scientist and game designer brothers to help us all imagine the next fifty years of technological innovation and how it will change our world.
Learn by making this summer; alone, with colleagues, or with your own children!
Veteran educator Gary Stager, Ph.D. is the author of Twenty Things to Do with a Computer – Forward 50, co-author of Invent To Learn — Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, publisher at Constructing Modern Knowledge Press, and the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute. He led professional development in the world’s first 1:1 laptop schools thirty years ago and designed one of the oldest online graduate school programs. Gary is also the curator of The Seymour Papert archives at DailyPapert.com. Learn more about Gary here.