Books Guide

Textual Lineage

Six resources that shaped me as an educator

1. Grading Smarter Not Harder

2. The Power of Believing that You Can Improve

3. The Power of Vulnerability

4. Agency: Learners in Charge

5. Dive into Inquiry: Amplify Learning and Empower Student Voice

6. Sold a Story

1. Grading Smarter Not Harder by Myron Dueck

I read this book around 2016, as part of a professional development book study. At the time, our district was exploring assessment strategies and trying to develop a school-wide grading policy. In reading this text, I appreciated Dueck's discussion of the motivation behind many of the popular "grading fixes" presented in the book. I was also thankful for his practical tips and strategies, which empowered me to make similar changes in my own classroom. Reading this text was a touchstone moment in developing my classroom grading practices.. To this day, I continue to implement many of the practices I learned about in this book. Despite moving districts and facing challenges from new colleagues, I firmly believe that flexible due dates, retakes, and giving students voice and choice in the classroom provides a more equitable education for all students.

+Info

2. The Power of Believing That You Can Improve by Carol Dweck

I was sent this video by the principal of our school. She encouraged teachers to watch it in preparation for our school-wide growth mindset discussions. Watching the video, I was intrigued by the potential power of a growth mindset, although I was a bit skeptical that large gains in student achievement could be made as quickly as Dweck claimed. Over the course of the next several years, I read more articles and books about growth mindset. As I read, I became more and more convinced of the power of growth mindset. I started using growth mindset language with my students and, although they sometimes rolled their eyes and made snarky remarks, they really did start believing in their ability to grow and learn. Perhaps the most important thing I carry with me from this research is the importance of continuous growth for both my students and myself. I frequently remind myself that when we know better, we do better, even if doing better takes time.

+Info

3. The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown

This video was the impetus for a major turning point in the way I interacted with my students. When I was an undergrad taking my teacher pre-service courses, I remember being told that I shouldn't even crack a smile at the students until Thanksgiving break. I was told time and time again that if you showed weakness as a teacher, the students would find a way to use it against you. This idea never really sat well with me. Reflecting on my own teachers, the most influential were the ones who showed us their humanity, who let us have glimpses into their lives. Watching this video, I realized that there is power and courage in sharing your story and being vulnerable. This video gave me the permission I needed to really connect with my students and to show vulnerability in the classroom. This has lead to deeper connections with my students, increased honesty from students, and a willingness from students to seek help in both their academic and personal lives.

+Info

4. Agency: Learners in Charge by Simon Davidson

I obtained this book during a training for my new position as a community service project adviser for our 8th graders. As a requirement of the International Baccalaureate program, 8th graders are required to explore a community, identify a need of that community, and design a service project to address those needs. One of the biggest challenges I face as an adviser is helping students to develop agency. This book offered insight into how students develop agency throughout their school career. focusing on the three parts of agency: voice, choice, and ownership. The book helped me to develop the tools to be an effective "guide on the side," rather than an authoritative "keeper of knowledge." The understandings I gained from this book, caused me to continue my research of agency and inquiry. I have looked for ways to support inquiry and agency not only in Community Project, but also in my math classroom.

+Info

5. Dive into Inquiry: Amplify Learning and Empower Student Voice by Trevor Mackenzie

Post COVID, my colleagues and I noticed a marked decline in student agency and independence. Students who had spent two to three years learning in a digital, hybrid, or socially-distanced setting were struggling to complete student-driven inquiry activities. As a result of this decline, several members of our staff decided to read this book for our professional book club. This book takes a look at inquiry in its many forms. It explains how to wade into the inquiry waters without overwhelming students with too many choices or too much responsibility. Mackenzie discusses how you can use different forms of inquiry to scaffold the development of true free inquiry. After reading this book, I felt more confident in my ability to implement inquiry practices in my classroom. I even dabbled in creating some short inquiry activities in my classes. As we read the book, our group shared our experiences and offered advice and constructive feedback.

+Info

6. Sold a Story Hosted by Emily Hanford

As a secondary science and math teacher, I felt like I was starting from behind in this program. While I had learned a lot about literacy, I was struggling to understand the vocabulary that was being used by my peers. In an effort to better understand current elementary literacy practices, I reached out to our elementary teachers and administrative team. One of whom recommended this podcast. This podcast was truly eye-opening. Not only did it explain historical and modern literacy practices, it dove into scientific research about how students learn to read. The host pointed out major discrepancies between current teaching practices and current brain research. This podcast made me very curious about the ways in which teachers might also be mislead about the effectiveness of other teaching practices. I am interested in learning what brain scientists have discovered about the ways that students learn math, science, or other subjects.

+Info

Mackenzie, T. (2016). Dive into inquiry: Amplify learning and empower student voice. ElevateBooksEdu.

Dueck, M. (2014). Grading smarter not harder: Assessment strategies that motivate kids and help them learn. ASCD.

Hanford, E. (Host). (2022). Sold a story [Audio podcast]. APM Reports. https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/10/20/sold-a-story-e1-the-problem

Davidson, S. (2020). Agency: Learners in charge. Hodder Education.

Dweck, C. (2014, November). The power of believing that you can improve [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve/discussion?subtitle=en

Brown, B. (2010, June). The power ofvulnerability [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?subtitle=en