Many of these books are directly related to children, learning, and education, while others may appear to have a more tenuous link. I’ve included them because each one has played a significant role influencing my philosophies around education, such as context-based-learning and The Four Fundamentals of Education. Note: I update this list frequently.
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
Myelin, myelin, myelin, and more myelin. You might think you could get tired of hearing “myelin” so many times, but nope, the more Daniel talks about it, the more fascinating it gets. So much good stuff here about how our brains work and how we learn. Once you understand it’s all about myelin it changes how you educate yourself, and how you want your kids to learn.
Mindset by Carol Dweck
I wrote a whole review on it here. It’s critical for parents, educators, and children to understand this stuff.
Unschooled by Kerry McDonald
The best book I’ve read on homeschooling and unschooling. A great overview of education in general.
A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille
Key takeaway: Everyone is responsible for their own education, because there’s no way to “force” anyone to learn anything, you can only inspire them to education themselves.
Weapons of Mass Instruction
I dare you to read this and leave your child in a standard public school. “But my kid’s school is a good one!” Yeah, right. I dare you to read the book and think the same way. Also read Dumbing Us Down by the same author.
NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
One of those “Here’s something you didn’t know…” books about the brain, children, and education.
Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen et al
A highly scientific view of the state of education at all levels, and how we might reengineer the educational process. The Innovator’s Dilemma applied to the educational industry. Also see The Innovative University, How Will You Measure Your Life, The Innovator’s DNA, The Innovative Method, Blended, and Choosing College.
Parenting With Love & Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
I don’t endorse 100% of what’s in here (and probably don’t in any book, I mean, who does?) but I think there are some valuable things, nonetheless.
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
Give kids what they truly want, and you’ll be able to influence them in so many ways.
Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
My go-to book on writing for business, but also full of great ideas on how you might educate others to write well.
The One World Schoolhouse by Salman Khan
If you’re interested in the educational industry and you haven’t read this…well, I feel like you can’t be in that industry and not read this.
Range by David Epstein
Will your child be better off specializing or having broad-based, general knowledge? The research may surprise you.
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
You’ve read her other books like Braving the Wilderness and Daring Greatly, now read this one while thinking about how to apply it as a parent or educator.
Scrum by Jeff Sutherland
You want to educate kids better? Read this. You want to educate yourself better? Read this. You want to know something you should definitely pass on to your kids or anyone you teach. Read this. Get more done, faster.
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
Because anyone who is responsible for educating anyone else needs a healthy dose of stoicism. Plus kids needs to know the stoics.
Also:
- The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel
- Parenting From the Inside Out by Daniel Siegel
- The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni
- The Connected Child by Kathryn B. Purvis
- Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Drive by Daniel H. Pink
- Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- Peak by Anders Ericsson
- The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
- How Children Learn by John Holt
- 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
- The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
- Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman Ph.D.
- Coaching for Performance by John Whitmore
- Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
- The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control by Walter Mischel
- Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Steven Kotler and Peter H. Diamandis
- The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey
- Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life by Stuart Diamond
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
- Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success by Shane Snow
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
- The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
- Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work: Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT by Paul L. Marciano
- College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students by Jeffrey J. Selling
- Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More Than Your Peers Ever Will by Dale J. Stephens
- Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal by Nick Bilton
- The Five Most Important Questions: You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization by Peter F. Drucker
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson Ph.D.
- Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success by Kerry Patterson et al
On my to-read list:
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