Summer Reads: Creativity

Whether you're looking for inspiring stories of exceptional educators, or tips and tricks on how to improve your teaching, a summer reading list is the perfect way to take on professional development at your own pace over the break.

Over the past two years, we've compiled lists of some of our favorite books for educators. This year, we'll add a few more to the collection and sort them out by topic -- so stay tuned for our favorite books on: pedagogy, educational leadership, and professional development.

Summer Reads: Creativity

Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education, by Sir Ken Robinson PhD & Lou Aronica
"At a time when standardized testing businesses are raking in huge profits, when many schools are struggling, and students and educators everywhere are suffering under the strain, Robinson points the way forward. He argues for an end to our outmoded industrial educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on today’s unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students, develop their love of learning, and enable them to face the real challenges of the twenty-first century."

Visual Leap: A Step-by-Step Guide to Visual Learning for Teachers and Students, by Jesse Berg
Visual Leap guides you through visual notetaking in a way that can be synthesized for students. Creativity as at the forefront of education research because of it’s potential to expand learning and thought processes, and visual notetaking is one way to flex this “creativity muscle.” Teaching visual notetaking means providing students a process that taps into their strengths, and has the potential to improve their academic performance, problem-solving skills and critical thinking. 

The Growth Mindset Coach, by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley

"Created by teachers for teachers, this is the ultimate guide for unleashing students’ potential through creative lessons, empowering messages and innovative teaching. The Growth Mindset Coach provides all you need to foster a growth mindset classroom, including:

• A Month-by-Month Program
• Research-Based Activities
• Hands-On Lesson Plans"