Teacher Reading List Recommendations by Top Teacher Platforms
At the Black Curriculum, we are committed to the enrichment of the educational experience for all. At the core of our mission, we strive to empower all young people in the UK with a sense of belonging and identity. This also starts with the empowerment of teachers, which is why we work to support educators with the tools to teach Black British History, in turn creating racially literate learning environments, fit for the empowerment of their students.
Learn more about our teacher services and youth programmes.
Penny Rabiger, Co-Founder and Trustee of The BAMEed Network
If you could give one piece of advice to educators / NQTs who are just starting their career in education, what would it be?
One piece of advice I would give to educators who are just starting their career in education would be to build in time for thinking, reflecting and lifelong learning as a teacher. Keep a journal, listen to podcasts, read blog posts and articles and write down your thoughts. You will always be busy, so make sure you make time for thinking as well as doing. This will provide the fertiliser for you to blossom as a teacher.
Tell us your top 3 recommended education reads!
The Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Friere - The book is considered one of the foundational texts of critical pedagogy, and proposes a pedagogy with a new relationship between teacher, student, and society. A must read.
Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks* - bell hooks writes about a new kind of education. Teaching students to "transgress" against racial, sexual, and class boundaries in order to achieve the gift of freedom is, for hooks, the teacher's most important goal. Hugely compassionate and uplifting read. *please note that bell hooks deliberately writes her name with lower case letters.
Tell it Like it is: How Our Schools Fail Black Children by Bernard Coard - 34 years ago Grenadian scholar Bernard Coard caused a social and political storm by telling it how it was in his seminal study How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Sub-Normal in the British School System. Not only did he expose the plight of Black children in the education system, he also kick-started the Supplementary Schools system and many of the anti-racist and multi-cultural policies of the 1970s and 80s. Three decades on, our schools are still failing Black children. Tell it Like It Is brings the debate firmly into the 21st century.
Matt Jenner, Director of Learning at FutureLearn
If you could give one piece of advice to educators / NQTs who are just starting their career in education, what would it be?
Technology plays a vital role in teaching, learning and assessment, but it's not in charge. Think of it as you would a whiteboard or a classroom - find its strengths, identify its weaknesses, be playful and always make it about engaging your learners.
Tell us your top 3 recommended education reads!
How Learning Happens - Seminal works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean In Practice, Paul Kirschner & Carl Hendrick (book) is packed full of advice across a range of pedagogies, myths, do's and do-not's with education. Each chapter unpacks a key area of teaching and learning but also contains shortcuts, tips, takeaways and things to try (or avoid). It's a detailed yet skimmable resource for ideas and great approaches.
Experience & Education by John Dewey - sometimes you need a short book that keeps it real. Dewey is a leading voice in education and this pocket-sized book might be a bit dated (Copyright 1938) but in principle it still has valid points about how new movements and trends should be validated to ensure they are offering a truly valuable learning experience.
The 100 Worst Ed-Tech Debacles of the Decade by Audrey Watters - you need someone to wake you up in the morning. Audrey does this with style, her newsletters used to remind me on Saturdays that guns are indeed, edtech. We need realists. This list runs down their top 100 'edtech things' that contribute to the wider ecosystem of what we're all working in/with/against. It's a long list, but it's important, there's stuff in there you might've been told is perfect - and this might help change your mind!
Did you know: we have our very own free teacher training & CPD course on Future Learn. Click here for more.
Folashade Omishola, Head of External Partnerships at Tes
If you could give one piece of advice to educators / NQTs who are just starting their career in education, what would it be?
Always remember why you became a teacher. Keep your passion for your subject and your love of educating in focus.
Tell us your top 3 recommended education reads!
5 ways to ensure you develop unique teacher identity - this is a great article about discovering your unique teaching style. It encourages new teachers to bring their unique selves and personalities into the role, creating more joy for the teacher, building bonds with students and reminding students that teachers have lives outside of the school schedule.
Read and stay updated with these government reports on ethnicity statistics across the education workforce. It’s so important to be aware of the representation of ethnic minority groups and where the greatest gaps occur.
Watch and listen to this Penguin talk between Afua Hirsch and Elif Shafak on how to challenge inequality
Ben Mearhart, Senior Lead for Education Standards at The Black Curriculum
If you could give one piece of advice to new educators / NQTs who are just starting their career in education, what would it be?
There’s still time to change your career.
More seriously…
Technical: Break down the learning expectations for each lesson into clear, specific and measurable steps, communicate these at the beginning of the lesson and feedback on and reinforce these regularly throughout. This should allow you and the children to know where you stand, where you are going and how to get there.
Within and beyond work: Protect your work-life balance wherever you can. I think working with children is a privilege and a joy but that consistently working into your nights and weekends and holidays does not honour that long term and that they, you and your colleagues deserve better.
Tell us your top 3 recommended education reads!
Teaching WalkThrus: Five-step guides to instructional coaching by Tom Sherrington (Author) + Oliver Caviglioli (Author, Illustrator) - The one book I wish I’d had access to when I first started teaching - so sharp, insightful and practical.
Critical Race Theory and Education: Racism and antiracism in educational theory and praxis by David Gillborn (2006) - When engaging with anti-racism/racial literacy/inclusion I think it’s ideal to pursue the most credible sources and the highest and deepest levels of understanding and consideration. This paper is a great start.
When We Ruled: The Ancient and Mediaeval History of Black Civilisations Paperback – by Robin Walker - As a teacher I wanted to know how best to teach (see recommendations 1. and 2. above) and what best to teach - this book is a phenomenal resource for enriching understanding and subject knowledge if you are truly committing to diversifying your curriculum and pedagogy and embedding Black British History all year round.
A huge thank you to all contributors! We hope you make the most of this brilliant list of suggested reading.