Top Ten Books on Teaching

Here's a list of my top ten books on teaching I shared at our annual teaching conference last summer. I'll be adding a list of books on education later. (Click here for information on 2011 Teaching Conference: http://www.veritasschool.net/teaching_conf_intro.html

The Seven Laws of Teaching—John Milton Gregory.  Gregory’s Seven Laws of Teaching is one of the best books I’ve ever read on the practice of teaching.

 The Art of Teaching—Gilbert Highet. In this 1950 classic, Highet explores the methods of teaching as an art, not a science, drawing on his experience as a student and tutor in Oxford and Columbia.

 

The Great Didactic— Johann Amos Comenius.  The 17th-century Protestant leader makes the case for a reform of the schools based on nature and the understanding of the nature of children.

Vittorino da Feltre and Other Humanist Educators—Woodward, trans. Contains essays by four leading Renaissance humanists defending the new learning.

On Christian Doctrine, Book IV— Augustine. Augustine addresses the importance of teachers being able to ‘teach, delight, and persuade.’

  

Norms and Nobility—David Hicks. Extraordinarily thought-provoking.  Hicks defends the classical view of the school as a ‘normative, not a utilitarian’ institution’.

Checking for Understanding—Fisher, Frey. The  authors give very practical suggestions for implementing formative assessment in the classroom.

The Art and Science of Teaching—Robert J. Marzano.  Subtitled ‘A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction’, this book addresses such questions as ‘What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge?’

Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design—Tomlinson and McTighe.
“Backward planning” for units and differentiating classroom instruction are addressed.

Teaching with the Brain in Mind—Eric Jensen. Jensen explains the workings of the brain and how teachers can use this knowledge to help students learn.