One of my most importantresponsibilities as an English teacher is to create conditions for books to be
read in community. Whether it’s whole class books, online book clubs, or just
the constant conversations about what my students are reading, my hope is that
these regular discussions will lead to a deeper understanding and a more
fulfilling experience. My students often report that they enjoy listening to
what their classmates have to say about books, that hearing others’ viewpoints
allows them to see things they do not notice when they read by themselves.
Sometimes I find myself wishing I had
more opportunities to read books in community like my students do. As an adult
with limited book club experience and very minimal social media presence (does Strava
count?), most of the interactions I have with others to discuss my own reading
seem brief and superficial. I sometimes worry that my own lack of reading
community might limit the potential impact of the books that I read. With
nobody to challenge my thinking or reinforce ideas, it’s hard to tell how much
of what I read just washes over me before slinking away.
more opportunities to read books in community like my students do. As an adult
with limited book club experience and very minimal social media presence (does Strava
count?), most of the interactions I have with others to discuss my own reading
seem brief and superficial. I sometimes worry that my own lack of reading
community might limit the potential impact of the books that I read. With
nobody to challenge my thinking or reinforce ideas, it’s hard to tell how much
of what I read just washes over me before slinking away.
I currently have 14 books sitting on
the desk in my home office. They sit in three different stacks and are loosely
organized in a sort of hierarchy, the top ones placed there to get my attention
first. About half of these are books that I have already finished, but I just
don’t feel ready to place on a bookshelf yet. I keep hoping some opportunity
comes up to share the experience with others before I get sick of the clutter
and find them a new home, somewhere out of my way.
the desk in my home office. They sit in three different stacks and are loosely
organized in a sort of hierarchy, the top ones placed there to get my attention
first. About half of these are books that I have already finished, but I just
don’t feel ready to place on a bookshelf yet. I keep hoping some opportunity
comes up to share the experience with others before I get sick of the clutter
and find them a new home, somewhere out of my way.
Two of those books, Drive and Mindset, are books that I read earlier this school year, and can’tquite let go. While reading each of these books, I found myself peppering some
of the ideas into my conversations with colleagues, but it’s hard to have a
substantive conversation about a book with someone who has either not read it,
or read it years ago. So before I cram them onto a bookshelf, I’m going to use
this blog to share a few of my key takeaways from these books, and invite
anyone who has read, or wants to read either of these books, to continue the
conversation.
When school started this past August,
I was talking to Tiz about intrinsic motivation, and she loaned me Daniel
Pink’s Drive. I found this book
fascinating and relevant, especially the overwhelming evidence that humans are
intrinsically motivated by nature, and that many of our most deeply embedded
societal institutions (work, education) have been largely designed under the
assumption that humans are motivated by extrinsic forces (money, grades). One
of the core principles that has stuck with me is the idea that all workers (and
students), desire autonomy, mastery and purpose in their work above everything
else, including money. Of course, it is necessary to make enough money to
satisfy basic needs, but research shows that the desire for more is not a
strong motivating factor, and does not produce better workers (or students).
I was talking to Tiz about intrinsic motivation, and she loaned me Daniel
Pink’s Drive. I found this book
fascinating and relevant, especially the overwhelming evidence that humans are
intrinsically motivated by nature, and that many of our most deeply embedded
societal institutions (work, education) have been largely designed under the
assumption that humans are motivated by extrinsic forces (money, grades). One
of the core principles that has stuck with me is the idea that all workers (and
students), desire autonomy, mastery and purpose in their work above everything
else, including money. Of course, it is necessary to make enough money to
satisfy basic needs, but research shows that the desire for more is not a
strong motivating factor, and does not produce better workers (or students).
When I finished Drive, I decided it was finally time to read Mindset by Carol Dweck. I devoured this book, half of it on a
flight back from London at the end of Thanksgiving break. Of course, all of us
are familiar with the term “growth mindset”, but I believe that this term has
been transformed and reinterpreted (sometimes falsely) over the years. My
greatest takeaway from this book was as a parent and little league coach to my
two sons. Lesley and I have recently begun talking about having my older son
Lucas try out for travel ball teams, and I have been making more time to
practice with both of my boys during the offseason. On every car ride to the
batting cages or to the field, I have been working the idea into our
conversations that we practice to get better, and that the very best baseball
players are not the most naturally talented ones, but the ones that work the
hardest. I also enjoyed the section of the book on relationships, as it
reminded me that growth is possible in so many dimensions of life. I know that
some of our students are sick of hearing the term “growth mindset”, and
interestingly see it as some sort of fixed mindset that they do not possess. So
while I show restraint in using that term, I do emphasize that you only get
better at writing by practicing writing, because it takes resilience and hard
work to get better at anything.
flight back from London at the end of Thanksgiving break. Of course, all of us
are familiar with the term “growth mindset”, but I believe that this term has
been transformed and reinterpreted (sometimes falsely) over the years. My
greatest takeaway from this book was as a parent and little league coach to my
two sons. Lesley and I have recently begun talking about having my older son
Lucas try out for travel ball teams, and I have been making more time to
practice with both of my boys during the offseason. On every car ride to the
batting cages or to the field, I have been working the idea into our
conversations that we practice to get better, and that the very best baseball
players are not the most naturally talented ones, but the ones that work the
hardest. I also enjoyed the section of the book on relationships, as it
reminded me that growth is possible in so many dimensions of life. I know that
some of our students are sick of hearing the term “growth mindset”, and
interestingly see it as some sort of fixed mindset that they do not possess. So
while I show restraint in using that term, I do emphasize that you only get
better at writing by practicing writing, because it takes resilience and hard
work to get better at anything.
I am currently reading Make it Stick by Brown, Roediger andMcDaniel. The authors are cognitive psychiatrists who have done extensive
research on what methods of learning are actually most effective. Not surprisingly,
they identify that students and teachers often place too much emphasis on
memorization, which has limited benefits to deep, long-term learning. They also
make a case for frequent testing, and their research shows that being tested
after reading something is much more effective than rereading or reviewing
notes.
I would love for our faculty to figure
out ways to better coordinate our reading and build more reading communities. I’ve
heard great things about the Dare to Lead
book club, and maybe we can start other books club opportunities. I also think
it would be valuable if we had some repository (like a Goodreads-type platform)
where we could archive our individual responses to books and make
recommendations. We could also use Schoology discussion groups to hold online
book clubs, which is one of my favorite classroom tools.
out ways to better coordinate our reading and build more reading communities. I’ve
heard great things about the Dare to Lead
book club, and maybe we can start other books club opportunities. I also think
it would be valuable if we had some repository (like a Goodreads-type platform)
where we could archive our individual responses to books and make
recommendations. We could also use Schoology discussion groups to hold online
book clubs, which is one of my favorite classroom tools.
I have always believed that reading
impacts us as human beings deeply, and that what we read shapes our lives in
ways that are not easily identified. While I still believe this to be true, the
reading that we do to improve our teaching practices should be shared, and it
is important that our own learning is happening in community. If anyone has any
interest or ideas about how we can continue sharing our reading experiences,
feel free to reach out to me – this is something I’d love to work on.
impacts us as human beings deeply, and that what we read shapes our lives in
ways that are not easily identified. While I still believe this to be true, the
reading that we do to improve our teaching practices should be shared, and it
is important that our own learning is happening in community. If anyone has any
interest or ideas about how we can continue sharing our reading experiences,
feel free to reach out to me – this is something I’d love to work on.