Book Clubs for Professional Development

Many of you undoubtedly already belong to a book club with friends or neighbors. Why not consider one with your colleagues? Using book clubs as part of professional development allows teachers to interact with one another, to hear different perspectives, and to become a community of learners. Those who have started professional, teacher-oriented book clubs have reported that the book club: brought about personal, curricular, and even organizational change established better working relationships among colleagues, including mentorship relationships between experienced and novice teachers created a forum for exploring new teaching ideas or addressing perceived (or unperceived) problems and concerns helped teachers make a connection between theory and practice through the sharing of real world classroom experiences inspired by the reading gave a voice to people in the department who otherwise felt they didn't have a voice

Helpful Tips for Your Book Club

How many members? 8 to 16 members are best: enough for a discussion if several are absent, but not too many to make discussions unwieldy. Larger groups (such as an entire schools faculty) can work if divided into smaller groups. How often should we meet? Many teacher book clubs read one book per term/semester, either meeting once to discuss the whole book or meeting several times throughout the semester to discuss the book section-by-section. Others are able to read several books a year and meet more frequently for discussions. Pick a schedule thats right for your members and try to stick with it. When should we meet? Lunchtime during school hours works well, as does setting aside time during scheduled professional development days. Its usually difficult to get teachers to commit to meetings outside of normal work hours. Where should we meet? Faculty lounge or empty classrooms work well. Establish a format. Find what works for everyone and stick with it. Some ideas: Some clubs have one member who enjoys leading all discussions, while others prefer to rotate so everyone gets an opportunity to lead. Take turns going around the room, allowing each member to talk about his or her experience reading the book. Ask everyone to come to the meeting with a discussion question or observation. Assign different sections or chapters of book to small groups to read and present to the larger group.

How to select books: If your group has a single designated leader, he or she may choose the books. All members make suggestions, followed by an open discussion and vote. Members take turns choosing. If you're taking part in a book discussion: Avoid "like" or dislike. Those terms aren't very helpful for moving discussions forward, and they can make others feel defensive. Instead, talk about how you felt as you read the book and how it relates to your own experiences in the classroom. Support your views. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. Take notes as you read. Jot down particularly interesting passages: something that strikes you or, maybe, that you don't understand. Take your notes to the meeting.

Discussion Questions to Get You Started

Does the book offer a central idea or premise? What are the problems or issues raised? Do the issues affect your professional life? How so? What evidence does the author give to support the book's ideas? Does he/she use personal observations and assessments? Facts? Statistics? Opinions? Historical documents? Scientific research? Quotations from authorities? Is the evidence convincing? Is it relevant or logical? Does it come from authoritative sources? (Is the author an authority?) Is the evidence speculative...how speculative? Does the authoror can youdraw implications for the future? Are there long- or shortterm consequences to the problems or issues raised in the book? Does the authoror can youoffer solutions to the problems or issues raised in the book? Who would implement those solutions? How probable is success? Does the author make a call to action to readersindividually or collectively? Is that call realistic? Idealistic? Achievable? Would readers be able to affect the desired outcome? Are the book's issues controversial? How so? And who is aligned on which sides of the issues? Where do you fall in that line-up? Can you point to specific passages that struck you pesonallyas interesting, profound, silly or shallow, incomprehensible, illuminating? Did you learn something new reading this book? Did it broaden your perspective about a difficult issue? Have you used any of the techniques outlined in the book in your own work? How successful were they? How can you apply the information offered in this book to your own work?

Resources: American Library Association: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/bookclub/bookclub National Association of Elementary School Principals: http://www.naesp.org/resources/2/Middle_Matters/2008/MM2008v17n2a4.pdf Michigan English Language TeachingMichigan Teachers Book Club: https://www.press.umich.edu/elt/bookclub

Book Club Reading Suggestions Teaching:

Why Dont Students Like School? A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions about How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom (Grades K-12), by Daniel T. Willingham9780470591963 Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College (Grades K-12), by Doug Lemov9780470550472 The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child (Grades 3-12), by Donalyn Miller9780470372272 The Literacy Cookbook: A Practical Guide to Effective Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening Instruction (Grades K-8), by Sarah Tantillo9781118288160 Teaching Generation Text: Using Cell Phones to Enhance Learning (Grades K-12), by Lisa Nielsen & Willyn Webb9781118076873 Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better (Grades K-12), by Doug Lemov, Katie Yezzi, Erica Woolway9781118216583 Reading Without Limits: Teaching Strategies to Build Independent Reading for Life (Grades K-12), by Maddie Witter9781118472156 Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators (Grades K12), by Joyce Cooper-Kahn & Margaret Foster9781118141090 Wiring the Brain for Reading: Brain-Based Strategies for Teaching Literacy (Grades K6), by Marilee B. Sprenger9780470587218 The Transparent Teacher: Taking Charge of Your Instruction with Peer-Collected Classroom Data (Grades K-12), by Trent E. Kaufman & Emily Dolci Grimm 9781118487174 Turnaround Tools for the Teenage Brain: Helping Underperforming Students Become Lifelong Learners (Grades 6-12), by Eric Jensen & Carole Snider9781118343050 Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students By Their Brains, Second Edition (Grades K-12), by LouAnne Johnson9780470903742 The Together Teacher: Plan Ahead, Get Organized, and Save Time! (Grades K-12), by Maia Heyck-Merlin9781118138212

Leadership:

Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools (Grades K-12), by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo9781118138601 Mission Possible: How the Secrets of the Success Academies Can Work in Any School (Grades K-12), by Eva Moskowitz & Arin Lavinia9781118167281 Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence (Grades K-12), by Daniel Goleman, Lisa Bennet, Zenobia Barlow 9781118104576 When Can You Trust the Experts? How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education (Grades K-12), by Daniel T. Willingham9781118130278 Social Media for School Leaders: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Most Out of Facebook, Twitter, and Other Essential Web Tools (Grades K-12), by Brian J. Dixon 9781118342343 Stop the School Bus: Getting Education Reform Back on Track (Grades K-12), by Gerald N. Tirozzi9781118256626 The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation (K-12), by Elena Aguilar9781118206539 Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: How to Work Smart, Build Collaboration, and Close the Achievement Gap, Second Edition (Grades K-12), by Kim Marshall9781118336724 The Ten-Minute Inservice: 40 Quick Training Sessions that Build Teacher Effectiveness (Grades K-12), by Todd Whitaker & Annette Breaux9781118470435 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times (Grades K-12), by Bernie Trilling & Charles Fadel9781118157060 Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools (Grades K-12), by Milton Chen9781118157404

If youd like to talk to someone about making a bulk purchase for your school or district, please contact Chris Hegg, chegg@wiley.com.

Happy Reading!
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