Hi Reader,
​
Sadly, we are winding down our amazing Italian learning adventures. In addition to our first collaboration in Reggio Emilia plus lots of meetings, Gary gave public lectures at the University of Padova and University of Trento. Sylvia was a keynote speaker at the EdMedia 2025 Conference in Barcelona.

Next up, Gary will be heading back to Switzerland in a few weeks to lead two workshops and present a paper at the Constructionism 2025 Conference, lead a three-day workshop in Santa Cruz County, California, and offer our new Learning Adventures workshop in Los Angeles.

Later this summer will be the fantastic Constructing Modern Knowledge Australia institute in Melbourne this August 12-15th. Winter in Australia is the perfect way to cap off a joyous summer.

Even if you can’t join us at an upcoming event, summer is a a great time to recharge, learn, and become inspired for the next school year. It is in that spirit that we assembled a list of some of our favorite book recommendations for you to enjoy.

President Clinton once said, “every problem in education has been solved somewhere.” Educators stand on the shoulders of giants and should be fluent in the literature of their chosen field. We should be reading all of the time, but summer is definitely an opportunity to “catch-up.”

Regrettably too many “summer reading lists for educators” are better suited for those concerned with get-rich quick schemes than enriching the lives of children. Case-in-point, the President of the National Association of Independent Schools recently published a suggested reading list containing not a single book about teaching, learning, or even educational leadership.

At my most recent school, the principal suggested I provide options for the team to read at least one book over the summer. I chose a selection of books that would appeal to teachers of different grade levels, disciplines, and interests, but support and inspire any school’s desire to be more progressive, creative, child-centered, authentic, or project-based. Colleagues enjoy reading different books, sharing highlights, and finding common themes to launch their work in the new school year.

(The following recommendations have been condensed for this email and point to Amazon links. Click here to see the entire list of recommendations, complete with their book covers.)

🆕 Notable Recent Books

• ​The Learner’s Apprentice – Creative project ideas for learning with AI as your intellectual partner.
• ​Spell Freedom – A detailed history of underground schools during the Civil Rights Movement.
• ​How to Teach College – James Loewen's posthumous book of advice for college educators.
• ​Math-ish – Jo Boaler’s new book on creative, meaningful math education.
• ​An End to Inequality – Jonathan Kozol’s latest must-read on educational justice.
• ​The Fantasy Economy – Neil Kraus critiques neoliberalism and the STEM obsession in education.

📘 Recommendations for Whole School Faculty Summer Reading

• ​In the Spirit of the Studio – Aimed at early childhood education, but equally applicable at any grade level. Illustrates how to honor the “hundred languages of children.”
• ​Loving Learning – A spectacular case made for progressive education in the face of the nonsense masquerading as school “reform” these days.
• ​The Big Picture – Aimed at secondary education, but with powerful ideas applicable at any level. Students spend 40% of each week in authentic internship settings.
• ​The Children’s Machine – A seminal book that situates the maker movement and coding in a long progressive tradition. Papert worked with Piaget, co-invented Logo, and is a major force behind educational computing.
• ​Making Learning Whole – A clear and concise book on how to teach in a learner-centered fashion by a leader at Harvard’s Project Zero.
• ​Changing Lives – “One of the finest books about teaching and learning I’ve read in the past decade.” (Gary Stager)
• ​Teaching What Really Happened – Guidance for educators teaching history/social studies by James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me.

🧠 The Cure for the “Science of Reading” Craze

• ​Reading: FAQ – Frank Smith’s small but mighty rebuttal to “science of reading” hysteria.
• ​Unspeakable Acts, Unnatural Practices – Smith dismantles the flawed logic behind intensive phonics mandates.
• ​And What Do You Mean by Learning? – Seymour Sarason’s foundational inquiry into the true meaning of “learning.”

👨‍👩‍👧 Summer Fun (and Learning) for the Whole Family

• ​The Invent to Learn Guide to the micro:bit – 30+ projects in electronics and coding for all ages.
• ​Scrappy Circuits – Learn circuits for under $1 per student—no soldering required.
• ​Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Adaptation – A visual retelling of Loewen’s powerful book on American history.
• ​The Tinkering Workshop – 100 colorful, clever, hands-on STEAM projects.

🤖 AI & Education

Interested in how AI might change teaching and learning? Explore the curated reading list at:
👉 constructingmodernknowledge.com/aireading​

And more...

Learn by making this summer—alone, with colleagues, or with your own children. Check out the CMK Press collection of books on learning-by-making by creative educators for creative educators! And if you still have the blue (first edition) Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, now is a great time to crack open the purple second edition!

Happy summer!

Sylvia Martinez & Gary Stager
Constructing Modern Knowledge