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If you’ve been following Miss Behavior for any length of time, you know that I love a good set of professional development books! I am a hard sell with a PD book, for a few reasons. Really tangible strategies are a must have for me. I really only recommend PD books that are immediately actionable in a realistic way. Can I implement strategies tomorrow? Perfect! I also am less about theory and about research based action. Here are three professional development books I have gotten my hands on recently that I can’t recommend more!
The Power of Our Words by Paula Denton
This book is from Responsive Classroom, which I am a huge fan of. This book is everything I want in a professional development book. I love the tangible ideas and ways I can implement this language into my classroom immediately. The biggest piece I took away was the concept of how to deliver open ended questions in a realistic and helpful way, and “The 3 Rs”. These strategies are going to stick with me forever (seriously).
Start Here Start Now by Liz Kleinrock
Liz is the expert at making big conversations manageable for young children. She makes anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) concepts super clear with frameworks and examples for teaching. If your district, school, or team is working towards a more inclusive and holistic way of teaching with embedded ABAR themes, this is the book you need. I love the anchor chart examples and that each chapter answers a big FAQ that we probably all have.
The Emotionally Connected Classroom by Bill Adair
This book connects neuroscience with wellness, curriculum, and attachment in a really hands on manner. I like how this book frames neuroscience with wellness, as I do see that this is often a missed bridge in many texts and articles. There are case study examples that include real ideas for building connections and attachment with hard to reach students. He frames his book through using “The 6 P’s” which really are foundations for any classroom that you would consider to be “emotionally connected”.
Looking for more professional development books? Here is a list, and another! I’m always wanting to learn about PD books that are changing your teaching practice and broadening your view. Let me know your recommendations for me in the comments!
