Books teachers should read this summer
Given that India’s 200 million students are lumbered with obsolete syllabuses and curriculums, it’s imperative for teachers to be well read to stimulate creative thinking and innovation within the student community. a cross section of educationists, teacher trainers and school principals recommend a summer vacation supplementary reading list for teachers. Summiya Yasmeen reports
It’s one of the darkest secrets of Indian academia: the nation’s 5 million teachers are notoriously ill-read. According to informal surveys conducted by several book publishing companies and Delhi-based education NGOs, an estimated 90 percent of teachers don’t read beyond prescribed subject texts. And with pedagogies becoming increasingly interactive especially in India’s peer group five-star private schools, this knowledge lacuna is beginning to show up in classrooms across the country. Moreover given that India’s one million schools, 311 universities and 15,600 colleges with an aggregate enrollment of 200 million students are lumbered with obsolete syllabuses and curriculums, it’s imperative for teachers to be well read to stimulate creative thinking and innovation within the nation’s classrooms.
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| Malhotra with wife Vimla: build libraries |
"My estimate is that the overwhelming majority of school teachers in India don’t read books other than the subject textbooks prescribed by examination boards. This is primarily because government and mid-rung private schools in India don’t have libraries worth the name. Moreover the country’s public library system is in a pathetic condition. In these circumstances poorly paid teachers are unlikely to have much money to spend on buying books. If schools want to deliver education which stimulates creativity and innovation, qualities which are becoming increasingly important in the changing job marketplace, they must build libraries and encourage teachers to do supplementary reading. Well-read teachers are more tolerant, open to new ideas, encourage creativity among children and are admirable role models to young people," says Umesh Malhotra, a former IT professional who together with his wife Vimla has promoted Hippocampus, Bangalore, a children’s learning centre
inter alia equipped with a library of 7,000 books. Hippocampus has also established and manages libraries in nine government schools across the city.
Confidentially most teachers admit to neglecting supplementary reading but blame the excessive focus of school managements on delivery of excellent board examination results. With the average teacher-pupil ratio in India’s schools having climbed to 1:63, teachers are snowed under with homework to correct answer scripts and syllabus completion deadlines.
"In a large number of private schools in urban India, the problem is not lack of money or resources, but of attitude. School managements are only interested in teachers delivering higher pass percentages. They seldom invest in in-service training and skills upgradation. Hence stocking school libraries and encouraging teachers to read is a low priority on school agendas," says S. Nayana Tara, assistant professor of public policy and management at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
However Nayana Tara concedes that the poor general knowledge and extra-curricular reading of teachers in rural schools is rooted in the perennial resource shortages which characterise village India. "Most rural schools and villages don’t know libraries and lack even rudimentary reading rooms. Classrooms are multi-grade and teachers have to commute long distances to school. This is a serious lacuna offering scope for public-private partnerships. State governments and corporates need to make a joint effort to build village lending libraries to encourage teachers and students to read. The result of such an investment will be an educated, rather than a minimally literate, rural population," says Nayana Tara.
The general consensus of opinion in Indian academia is veering around to the view that teachers need to catch up on their reading for more than mere academic reasons. They need to be seen as contin-uous learners and role models. Comments Dr. Gopa Sabharwal, head of the sociology department at Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College, consistently ranked among the country’s top ten liberal arts colleges: "Obviously if you’re in the field of education, you ought to be well-read and updated. Teachers should be seen to be interested in learning and not as time-serving careerists. They should be equipped to satisfy the curiosity of young minds. If a teacher isn’t enthusiastic about knowledge, how will she ever enthuse her students? Every teacher should be a living example for her pupils and this can only happen if she is knowledgeable and well-read herself."
Yet even if teachers have not had the time or inclination for additional reading, one of the hidden perquisites of the teachers’ profession is that it’s never too late to start, especially with the summer vacation round the corner. EducationWorld asked an eclectic mix of educationists, teacher trainers and school principals across the country to recommend a summer vacation reading list for teachers which is detailed in the pages following.
Prasad’s prescription
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| Nirmala Prasad |
Dr. Nirmala Prasad
is the principal of the MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai, a private, unaided institution with 2,700 students and 92 faculty. Her summer reading list for teachers:The Study Skills Handbook by Stella Cottrel (Macmillan)
A handbook which advises teachers on how to impart four important skills to students — to work in teams, to develop research capability, to sharpen critical and analytical skills and to improve memorisation.
Am I teaching Well by Lisa Hayes, Vesna Nikolic and Hanna Cabaj (Learning matters.co.uk)
A self-assessment strategies guide for teachers to assess professional practices, strengths and weaknesses, improve teaching skills and learn lesson presentation techniques.
Innovation in Learning and Teaching edited by Maddalena Taras (Business Education Publishers)
It stresses the importance of teacher feedback as an integral part of student self-assessment while detailing ways and means to make learning interesting through online and distance supplementary education.
Assessing Students’ Written Work by Catherine Haines (Routledge Falmer)
Assessment is one of the most powerful tools in teaching and every teacher should know how to assess students on parameters such as knowledge, time management, language and culture. This book suggests the right approach to student evaluation.
The Teacher’s Survival Guide by Angela Thody, Barbara Gray and Derek Bowden (Continuum Publishing Group)
It offers useful advice on how to deal with difficult students, cope with work-related stress and other commitments and yet manage to lead a full life.
Nadig’s reading notes
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| Devika Nadig |
Bangalore-based Devika Nadig is the director of Sparsh, a resource centre for teachers, and former principal of the Kalmadi Group of Schools, Pune with over 20 years of teaching experience.
Summerhill by A. S. Neill (Hart Publishing Company)
This tome recounts the history of the famous Summerhill School promoted by the author where success is not defined by academic achievement, where teachers and pupils have equal status, where creativity is not stifled by pressure, where who you are is more important than what you know. A unique experiment in school education which rocked Britain in the 1920s, Summerhill today is in gentle decline.
Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia Axline (Ballantine)
An educational, heart-warming and therapeutic tale beautifully recounted in the first person by the author, a psychologist and originator of ‘play therapy’. The story is unusually engaging in part because Dibs is an extraordinary child — a genius whose precocious words are amazingly accurate and poignantly expressive of shifting thoughts and feelings in various stages of therapy.
How Children Learn by John Holt (Perseus)
Holt’s premise is very simple: that learning is a natural process which needs very little adult guidance and interference. Holt is fascinated by the reality that children learn so much before formal schooling begins. This book looks at children and how they learn and helps them learn naturally. Along with its companion volume How Children Fail this book should be mandatory reading for all teachers.
Teaching Children Responsibility by Richard and Linda Eyre (Simon & Schuster)
"…Obedience is the first step on the responsibility staircase. It does not diminish freedom, it increases it. By teaching children to obey, we open channels through which we can teach them everything else..." write the authors. The Eyres identify 12 simple tasks to which children relate and provide a practical programme with enjoyable exercises, games, and activities to teach responsibility to children.
How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk by Faber & Mazlish (Harper Resource)
The book provides a step-by-step approach to improving adult-child communication and relationships and is liberally sprinkled with cartoon illustrations depicting true-life anecdotes. Designed to bring adults to the level of children and children to the level of adults, the book is helpful in working towards improving all relationships.
What is Worth Teaching by Prof. Krishna Kumar (Orient Longman)
A must-read for all teachers, this book explores teaching-learning issues in Indian classrooms. Krishna Kumar argues that children ought to decide what is worth learning and therefore educators and teachers should involve children in the curriculum development process. The book also discusses sensitive issues such as religious and gender biases that teachers face in classrooms. It is easy to relate to the numerous examples the author provides, because the idiom is Indian.
Mustafi’s recommendations
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| Kabir Mustafi |
An alumnus of Delhi and North Bengal universities, Kabir Mustafi is the former headmaster of Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and currently principal designate of the Scottish High International School under construction in Gurgaon, Haryana.
All Quiet On The Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque (Ballantine Books)
A brilliant account of the First World War which provokes introspection and catharsis with its wry humour and wonderful sensitivity.
To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee (Warner Books)
Seen through the eyes of a little girl, the book is an all- time classic which sensitively depicts a child’s world of love, fear, loyalty and terror in an unforgettable work of a genius.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The best play ever written providing a complete package of action, suspense, passion, emotion, humour, terror, fear, brutality, pathos, language, poetry, the supernatural and intrigue.
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (Signet Books)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Signet Classics)
Both these books are amazing examples of writing, combining allegory, magical reality and fantasy and exhibiting genius for detail and description.
Raghunandan’s bibliography
Bhavani Raghunandan is the principal of Vidya Mandir, Chennai, a CBSE affiliated school with an enrollment of 2,200 students and 100 teachers. Her reading list:
Schools that Learn by Peter M. Senge (Nicholas Brealey) details five key themes education institutions need to adopt to improve themselves. Senge’s ideas on educational change were first articulated in The Fifth Discipline which focusses on building organisations which facilitate learning.
A Passion for Teaching by Christopher Day (Routledge Falmer) brilliantly argues why teachers should develop a passion for teaching. Day believes that good teaching requires more than mere competence, nor can it be quantified. Teachers must sustain a passion for teaching over long periods and believe in being able to make a difference to young lives.
Learning to Teach by Linda Shalaway (Scholastic) is an invaluable guide to teaching and learning which combines research-based conclusions with practical information contributed by hundreds of educators. It details assessment tools, teaching strategies, and other useful tips for teachers.
How Children Fail by John Holt provides new insights into the problems of classroom learning and evaluation and advocates greater understanding of children. The book helps teachers detect the common reasons for children’s failure.
How Children Learn by John Holt
A follow-up volume, it uses anecdotal observations to question general assumptions about how children acquire learning skills. Holt calls upon educators and parents to trust and encourage children to solve problems and learn by themselves in the process.
Pinto’s purposive reading list
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| Baptist Pinto |
Baptist Pinto is principal of St. Xavier’s School, Mumbai, a Maharashtra state board affiliated school with an enrollment of 2,200 students and 70 faculty.
Teach your Child how to Think by Edward de Bono (Penguin India)
A book that provides teachers and parents simple and practical guidelines to develop creative thinking skills of children.
The Scriptures: Bible, Koran, Vedas or a spiritual book like The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (Mandarine)
Every teacher must be a person with deep faith in God within a religious tradition but open to other faiths and traditions. Reading the scriptures invests teachers with a moral and spiritual outlook and broadens horizons.
Games People Play by Eric Berne (Ballantine Books)
This book is recommended because it helps teachers acquire psychological insights into human behaviour and understand adult-child relationships better.
History of the World by any reputed author
To acquire an understanding of human civilisation and the world we live in, teachers must have a sense of history.
Menon’s must read
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| Maya Menon |
Maya Menon is director of The Teacher Foundation, a Bangalore-based teacher training and resource centre.
Schools that Learn by Peter Senge et al (Nicholas Brealey)
This is an excellent resource book on lifelong learning, classroom practice, and community involvement in school education. The 600-page tome can be picked up and read from any point.
How Children Fail by John Holt
How Children Learn by John Holt
These are two classics that all educators must read. Holt claims with sufficient reason and authority: "We like to say that we send children to school to teach them to think. What we do, all too often, is to teach them to think badly."
In his later book How Children Learn, Holt shares some effective ways of learning and is more reassuring. It details ways and means to make teaching and learning a meaningful process of mutual discovery and interaction.
Readings for Reflective Teaching edited by Andrew Pollard (Continuum)
Pollard, professor of education at Cambridge University, has done a great job of editing this book. It is a mini-library of sorts, providing practising teachers with easy access to key texts on education. It also seamlessly connects important research findings to effective classroom practice. A must for all teachers — pre-service and in-service.
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (Bantam Books)
Have you ever wondered about IQ versus EQ? This classic questions the normative narrow definition of intelligence which ignores a crucial range of abilities that matter immensely in life.
Mathew’s suggestions
Dr. Rama Mathew is professor of education, Delhi University.
Totto-Chan: A Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (Publication details not available in the book)
An account of childhood recollections about a school in Tokyo during World War II, it takes the reader into a wonderful school that combines learning with fun, freedom and love. Kuroyanagi, who became one of Japan’s most popular television personalities, attributes her success in life to the school and its headmaster.
Divasvapna by Gijubhai Badheka (National Book Trust)
An extract from the preface by Prof. Krishna Kumar best captures the essence of this book: "As a reader of Divasvapna one is blown off in a gust of joy and curiosity, leaving behind the sadness borne out of one’s knowledge of India’s colourless, dust-wrapped primary schools. One starts to paint the picture of a future in which the talent imprisoned in the nation’s schools will break forth and children will enjoy the pleasure of taking stock of the world around the classroom with their teacher." It’s sure to touch every teacher in some important way.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (Pan Books)
It is, in a nutshell, the story of a seagull, who flew, and understood the concept of heaven as being perfect. This, he also taught other seagulls. Every hour he was by his students’ side, demonstrating, suggesting, pressuring, guiding.
What’s Worth Fighting for in Your School by Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves (Teachers College, Columbia University)
This book brings alive what teachers go through in their everyday lives: the problem of untapped competence and neglected incompetence, isolation, overload and at the same time the narrowness of teachers’ role, and the problem of poor solutions.
Readings in Teacher Development by Katie Head and Pauline Taylor (Oxford: Heinemann)
It is an extraordinary book that’s worth re-reading again and again. It is a colourfully woven tapestry that uses various sources and paints a picture of teacher development. It’s a book that provides inspiration to every reader to do something or to just acquire a deeper understanding.
Shahani’s eclectic list
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| Dr. Govind Shahani |
Dr. Govind Shahani, an alumnus of Bombay University with 36 years of teaching experience is principal of the Jai Hind College, Mumbai.
Struggle for Indian Independence by Bipin Chandra (Penguin)
Reading a book on the history of India’s freedom struggle is mandatory. Teachers need to locate themselves in our recent history to be able to deal better with the social context in which we live.
Modern India by Sumit Sarkar (Macmillan)
This is an incisive narration of 20th century Indian history. Teachers from all disciplines should read this book because they need to understand how the past has shaped the present.
Women’s Writing in India edited by Susie Tharu and K.Lalita (Oxford University Press)
This book raises many questions about gender issues through women’s writings stretching back to the 6th century BC. It’s important for both men and women to read this book to learn that feminism is not a Western import but has been a part of our tradition for a very long time.
Representations of the Intellectual by Edward Said (Vintage)
In this book Said explores the importance of intellectual dissent. It’s important reading for teachers who want to influence and leave a lasting impression on their students.
Manufacturing Consent: the Political Economy of the Mass Media by Noam Chomsky and Edward S.Herman (Pantheon Books).
This well-argued book explains how a highly prejudiced elite creates state propaganda that is presented as ‘news’. The authors skilfully dissect how markets and the economics of publishing significantly shape news. Since the media dominates our everyday life, teachers should read this book.
The Antonio Gramsci Reader edited by David Forgacs (The New York University Press)
Gramsci is a well-known Italian Marxist thinker. He critically discusses the role intellectuals have played in shaping history.
Monga’s reading list
Anu Monga
is the principal of the IGCSE affiliated Bangalore International School.To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite (Jove Books)
A man, a teacher in the truest sense, finds himself in a school full of children who seem to subscribe to values totally opposed to his own, bordering on insolence and rude humour. The story is about his trials to reach out and the relationship that is built between him and his students, with a lot of give and take on both sides.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Harper Collins)
The simple journey of a young boy’s search for his dream , becomes a search for all dreams everywhere.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (Bantam Classics)
The teacher and the taught in search of an identity and an epic which provides answers to profound questions of life.
A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins (Pocket)
In a world where survival of the fittest and the need to live by one’s beliefs and ethics are in conflict, the book relates the trials and dilemmas of a youngster caught in a world very much like our own.
Illusions by Richard Bach (Dell)
A teacher of all the simple truths of life where one gets to practice, rather than be preached to. Simple words for the simple soul who is willing to try.
With Neeta Lal & Autar Nehru (Delhi); Pallavi Bhattacharya (Mumbai) & Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)