Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Essential Books for Educators
15
items This series of lists is designed to provide educators with a curated professional development toolkit, moving beyond individual lessons to foster a holistic approach to teaching and leadership. The books recommended are not simply for one-off profess...
Sections
3
For Pedagogy and Classroom Practice
For Educational Leadership and School Culture
For Understanding Students and Well-being
For Pedagogy and Classroom Practice
No matter a teacher's experience level, a focus on pedagogy and classroom practice is essential for growth. For new teachers, it provides a foundational toolkit of proven techniques to build an effective and orderly learning environment. For veterans...
In a world where AI can spit out facts instantly, the most valuable skill is not knowing things, but knowing how to think. This book hands us the playbook for building those skills. The key to innovation isn't relentless focus, but knowing when to st...
Uncommon Sense Teaching: Brain Science Insights
As August rolls around, I always find myself going back to one of my foundational books: The First Six Weeks of School by the Center for Responsive Schools. It's a reminder that we aren't just here to teach content; we're here to build a community wh...
The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd Edition
As an educator, it's the kind of book you revisit every year, especially as a new school year approaches. It's a pragmatic guide that distills the research on effective teaching into actionable steps. The Wongs argue that the foundation of a successf...
The First Days of School: Effective Teacher
The book's central message is that effective learning isn't about passive absorption—it's about effortful, active engagement. The authors make a compelling case that many of the things we do to make learning easier in the moment (like re-reading a te...
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
A guide to creating a high-achieving classroom culture. Lemov’s techniques address everything from establishing clear behavioral expectations to structuring a lesson for maximum impact.
Teach Like a Champion 3.0: 63 Techniques
For Educational Leadership and School Culture
These books help every teacher, regardless of their background. While pedagogy shapes individual classrooms, school culture provides the shared context and collective norms that either support or hinder a teacher's efforts. By understanding and contr...
This challenges the traditional "carrot-and-stick" approach to motivation, arguing that for creative and cognitive tasks, this old model is outdated. Instead, he proposes a new framework built on the power of intrinsic motivation. This new model is e...
Drive: The Surprising Truth About Motivation
This book is more timely than ever with the rise of AI, the traditional model of schooling focused on content delivery, a modern approach must be built on the latest insights from neuroscience and psychology to foster meaningful and enduring student ...
Schools Reimagined: Science of Learning & Art
1
An essential book for educational leaders, by focusing on facts, sharing your perspective as a story rather than an absolute truth, and genuinely inviting others to share their views, you can keep the conversation productive and avoid the pitfalls of...
Crucial Conversations Tools, 2nd Edition
Sustained excellence is an intentional journey, not a lucky break. That is the essential argument of this book, and it resonated deeply with the challenges of school improvement.
Why Some Companies Make the Leap (Good to Great)
In the dynamic and often demanding world of education, it's easy to get caught up being reactive and not proactive. Take ownership of your responses, begin with the end in mind. Prioritise the long-term, important work of teaching and learning over t...
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
For Understanding Students and Well-being
Understanding students and their well-being is fundamental to effective educational leadership. Students face challenges inside and outside the classroom, which can profoundly impact their learning and personal growth. Ultimately, a deep understandin...
The central idea is that a student’s belief about their own ability profoundly shapes their educational journey. A fixed mindset leads students to believe their intelligence is an unchangeable trait. They may avoid challenges, fearing that failure wi...
Mindset by Carol S. Dweck
This book provides a transformative shift in perspective, moving from the traditional view that students "won't behave" to the understanding that they "can't behave" due to lagging skills. This book challenges the punitive, consequence-based discipli...
Lost at School: Why Kids with Behavioral Challenges Fail
In education, we often focus on academic subjects while overlooking the crucial neurodevelopmental processes that underpin all learning. The book’s core message is that an integrated brain is a healthy and resilient one. This means that instead of ju...
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Strategies
The book’s focus on validating feelings provides a powerful tool for educational leaders. By creating a school culture where students and staff feel that their emotions are acknowledged and respected, we can teach emotional regulation and resilience.
Philippa Perry's Books
The book provides a compelling case for a shift in leadership from control to support. Instead of over-directing students or relying on punitive measures, leaders can create an environment that respects student autonomy and fosters emotional regulati...
Hunt, Gather, Parent: Lessons from Ancient Cultures