Chance discussions are never to be missed in terms of how they can make us reflect on our practice as teachers and leaders. One such morning recently, a member of the senior leadership team popped by my office to discuss how they had been surprised with the focus on professional reading and theory in recent job interviews they had been having. Their perspective was their experience, not recent educational theory or fashionable books were more important to their ability to excel at the role applied for.

I could see their point of view. Especially when they had suggested they had used Tom Bennett as an example of his professional reading in the area of behaviour in UK schools. Someone I had not heard of, but when I checked their philosophy on behaviour, someone on first reading that I was almost diametrically opposed too.

However as an avid professional reader (apologies see the scrolling list on the homepage) I obviously disagree. I professionally read around my great passions in life: education, architecture and technology. Simply because I want to know different perspectives and be able to critically analyse and if necessary change and alter my viewpoints. And this is why, however much I may disagree with Tom Bennett's approach, the reading of some articles and peer reviewed research enabled me to look and reflect, and question. This links to one of my key tenets regarding the educational world we live in as highlighted by the article on TIE The International Educator below -reading and understanding different perspectives is key!

"The problem of not reading..."

"Next time you read a newspaper headline, or a tweet, a post, a statement, especially one that goes “viral”, ask yourself what the source is and who has read the research. The truth might not be as exciting to read as a dazzling affirmative or damning soundbite, but it needs to be respected." - Conrad Hughes

I also teach Theory of Knowledge and Digital Society at IB Level and it does not take too much for us all to agree the necessity for our students to be able to read, analyse and critically evaluate sources in todays misinformation, social media led world.

This however takes me back to Professional Reading for teachers.

"How much should a leader expect teachers to read?" "How much should senior leaders professionally read?"

Well I suppose like many things each school needs teachers and senior leaders that like to professionally read and then support them in the dissemination of the reading to improve learning within the school.

So I would suggest not everyone needs to read quite as much as I do maybe, but every school should have mechanisms in place to enable this reading and current evidence based findings to be shared in a simple and efficient way to all teachers within the school. One such way is the idea of sharing key texts for those interested by the Senior Leadership team, currently "Making Good Progress: The future of Assessment for Learning by Daisy Christodoulou" is doing the rounds at my school. Another is the dissemination of some great professional reading lists - such as Edutopias 2023 best articles end of year list. Number 8 is a gem, especially as an IB educator surrounded by inquiry sceptics who as all of us need to read before they think!