Summer 2025 Reading List for Educators

Essential Reading for Visionary Educators

Math-ish
(Jo Boaler)
Boaler presents mathematics as human, creative, and accessible. It's a liberating read for teachers weary of meaningless formulas and serves as a toolkit to make math relevant to every student.

The Big Picture: Education Is Everyone's Business
(Dennis Littky with Samantha Grabelle)
Imagine a school week where students spend nearly half their time in real-world internships. Littky's vision is not just theoretical; it serves as a framework to transform secondary education into a launchpad for life.

Making Learning Whole
(David Perkins)
From a leader of Harvard's Project Zero, a simple yet profound guide to teaching that resonates. Perkins breaks down learning into principles you can apply immediately, transforming lessons into experiences that extend well beyond the classroom walls.

Learning Without Limits
(Susan Hart, Alison Peacock, Mary Jane Drummond)
A fresh perspective on the belief that every learner has untapped potential. This book encourages you to remove the barriers and labels that hinder students, envisioning a classroom where “ability” is seen as fluid rather than fixed.

Spell Freedom
(Charles Cobb Jr.)
A compelling account of underground schools during the Civil Rights Movement. Cobb's storytelling illustrates that education is more than just curriculum; it is an act of courage and resistance.

For the Confident, Tech-Savvy Teacher: Master the Modern Classroom.

The Learner's Apprentice: AI and the Amplification of Human Creativity
(Ken Kahn)
An inspiring guide for using AI not as a shortcut, but as a creative partner. These project ideas are well-suited for educators utilising tools like Quilgo to merge human insight with technological potential.

The Children's Machine
(Seymour Papert)
Papert's classic feels remarkably relevant as an exploration of coding, making, and authentic learning that anticipated the maker movement decades ahead.

The Fantasy Economy
(Neil Kraus)
Kraus presents a bold challenge to the unbalanced emphasis on STEM education, advocating for a more comprehensive vision that values creativity and critical thinking alongside technology.

Critical Thinking and Social Awareness

Teaching What Happened
(James W. Loewen)
An essential guide for teaching history in its messy, nuanced, and profoundly relevant context. Loewen's approach transforms passive memorisation into active civic engagement.

An End to Inequality
(Jonathan Kozol)
Kozol's latest work tackles systemic barriers in education, urging us to reconsider how fairness and opportunity manifest in our schools.

Higher Education Focus

How to Teach College: Inspiring Diverse Students in Challenging Times
(James W. Loewen)
A candid posthumous gift from Loewen to educators in higher education. It's filled with practical advice, sharp insights, and honesty that can transform a first-year seminar or an entire department.

From Reading to Action

A great book does more than just entertain; it enhances your skills, deepens your understanding, and provides new perspectives. These titles can help you view education in a fresh light, uncover innovative approaches, and draw inspiration from the experiences of others.

Whether you're looking for practical strategies, thought-provoking ideas, or simply a spark to try something new, each of these reads offers insights that can enrich your teaching and contribute to your professional growth.

Why Educators Choose Quilgo

Quilgo allows educators to create secure, proctored assessments in just minutes. It helps evaluate real-world skills and ensures fairness through features like time limits and anti-cheating measures. In an era where AI-assisted shortcuts are becoming more common, Quilgo helps maintain transparency and trustworthiness in testing, preparing educators for the future.

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