This weekend, the TES published my article on the 5 books I think no teacher should be without. It wasn’t easy picking just 5!

‘Five books I think no teacher should be without’

Asking an English teacher which books no teacher should be without is akin to asking a mother which of her children she shouldn’t be without. I’ve perhaps found it easier to compile this list than I would choosing which of my children I like best, but it’s certainly not been easy to reduce the wealth of great education literature out there down to just five picks. I have, therefore, compiled a list that I think provides not only an essential five, but also a balance of knowledge, practical ideas, challenge, hope and perspective.

1. Don’t Call it Literacy! by Geoff Barton

This is a book that redefines the idea of literacy as what great teachers do in their classrooms. If I could, I’d put this on the required reading list of every initial teacher training course in the country. Barton argues convincingly about the need for all teachers – whatever their subject – to be confident communicators, readers and writers; he sets out, in his typically no-nonsense style, what every teacher needs to know about literacy. Written with time-poor “real teachers” in mind, it’s the kind of book every teacher wants – one filled with practical ideas that work in the classroom.

You can read the rest of the article here.