What does the run-up to the festive season look like at your school? Several teachers will integrate the 12 Days of Christmas into their lesson plans as a way to keep children engaged, as attention spans are usually at their shortest point of the year.
But why should teachers miss out on all the fun? Here’s an education-inspired 12 Days of Christmas, with a reading recommendation for each.
On the First day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Toxic Schools: How to Avoid Them & How to Leave Them
Helen Woodley’s critically-important action research is an investigation into the effect of working in toxic schools on teacher mental health and wellbeing.
On the Second day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Making Every Lesson Count: Six principles to support great teaching and learning
Packed with practical teaching strategies, Making Every Lesson Count bridges the gap between research findings and classroom practice.
On the Third day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Hairdresser or Footballer: Bridging the gender gap in schools
Hollie Anderton and Ross McGill brilliantly dissect how and why gender is still a huge hurdle in terms of expectations for pupils in our schools – and what educators can do to help break down these harmful barriers.
On the Fourth day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Grit: Power of Passion & Perseverance
Psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”
On the Fifth day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Closing the Vocabulary Gap
Alex Quigley explores the increased demands of an academic curriculum and how closing the vocabulary gap between our ‘word poor’ and ‘word rich’ students could prove the vital difference between school failure and success.
On the Sixth day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Live Well, Teach Well: A practical approach to wellbeing that works
In order to secure the best possible outcomes for your pupils, you must look after your own wellbeing. Live Well, Teach Well is jam-packed with 90 practical ideas and strategies to help you do just that.
On the Seventh day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- A Manifesto for Excellence in Schools
A book to help teachers and leaders transform their learning journeys, both individual and whole-school, so that your school is inclusive and supportive, creating the best education for all.
On the Eighth day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Visible Learning: Feedback
Feedback is arguably the most critical and powerful aspect of teaching and learning. Yet, there remains a paradox: why is feedback so powerful and why is it so variable? It is this paradox which Visible Learning: Feedback aims to unravel and resolve.
On the Ninth day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
Ever heard that good teaching should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students? Or that you should use strategies that make learning easier? Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head.
On the Tenth day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- Teach Like a PIRATE
Based on Dave Burgess’s popular “Teach Like a PIRATE” seminars, this book offers inspiration, practical techniques, and innovative ideas that will help you to increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator.
On the Eleventh day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- The Hidden Lives of Learners
This book explores the three worlds which together shape a student’s learning – the public world of the teacher, the highly influential world of peers, and the student’s own private world and experiences.
On the Twelfth day of Christmas, my headteacher gave to me…
- The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers
Jennifer Serravallo collects 300 strategies to share with readers in support of thirteen goals, everything from fluency to literary analysis.