Summer is flying away, but there’s still time to do some “summer reading” in preparation for the upcoming academic year. Here are some of the newest research-based books on teaching that we’d recommend reading.
First, in this book written by and for college educators, our very own Viji Sathy and Kelly Hogan give helpful tips on how to make ALL students feel included and welcome in the classroom by providing more structure in both course design and student interactions. Inclusive Teaching, goes beyond theory, offering pragmatic approaches to amplify diverse voices across various scenarios: from conducting impactful office hours that students actually attend to effectively providing instructions for group discussions and projects and fostering effective communication with students in general. If you're an educator seeking to create a more welcoming and supportive space for ALL your students, this engaging book will be an indispensable resource in your path towards inclusive excellence in teaching.
Similarly, Reconnect: Building School Culture for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging helps educators cultivate a sense of belonging and connection at school despite the sharp decline in students’ engagement and mental health since the pandemic. (If you’d like to familiarize yourself with trauma-informed teaching in light of the collective trauma of the pandemic, check out Trauma-Responsive Pedagogy: Teaching for Healing and Transformation.) In Reconnect, Doug Lemov (of Teach Like a Champion fame) and his coauthors, Hilary Lewis, Darryl Williams, and Denarius Frazier, focus on what belonging can look like and sound like—while students are learning.
Moreover, in the well-written book Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge, insightful Sara Rose Cavanagh also equips educators with the research-based tools needed to create a nurturing and inclusive learning environment where compassion and challenge intersect harmoniously to positively impact students even if they are struggling with their mental health.
In a similar vein, Cultivating Kindness: An Educator’s Guide by John-Tyler Binfet is a highly recommended read. This book offers practical strategies and evidence-based insights for creating a nurturing and compassionate classroom environment in which all students can succeed and thrive. By incorporating kindness practices, educators can foster positive relationships with their students and also promote their social-emotional development and overall well-being. With real-world examples and research, Binfet empowers teachers to inspire a culture of kindness to positively impact their students' academic and emotional growth.
Finally, if you’re feeling too burnt out to even think about reading any of these books, please know that you are NOT alone, as burnout is only becoming more rampant among teachers. If you can’t take a sabbatical for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, at least skimming this guide could offer a helpful start in tackling teacher burnout: Surviving Teacher Burnout: A Weekly Guide to Build Relationships, Deal with Emotional Exhaustion, and Stay Inspired in the Classroom by Amy L. Eva.
If you prefer electronic resources, STP has a variety of e-books on scholarship of teaching and learning, various teaching techniques, and theories of teaching. Some e-books were even written specifically for early career instructors. The E-xcellence in Teaching Blog also offers quick reads on many teaching topics.
