National Council of Teachers of English

Educators as Readers: Forming Book Groups as Professionals Position Statement

“Teacher experts are teachers who have continued teaching in a P–12 classroom while also serving the field and growing their educational knowledge and pedagogy continually throughout their long careers.”

—From the NCTE position statement, Recognizing Teacher Experts and Their Paths to ExpertiseNCTE expresses, through rich policy statements and other published works, the vital nature of professional learning for literacy educators and the essential role of reading as part of our daily and professional lives. The following guidance offers insight and strong practice on forming book groups among literacy educators.

“The most successful aspect has been the opportunity to interact with other teachers, to hear different perspectives, and to function more as a group of learners than teachers.”

–Comment from a book group participant

What Are Book Groups?

Book groups are gatherings of readers who aspire to remain lifelong learners. Educators who read and enjoy quality fiction and non-fiction contribute with confidence to the rich, literate environment of classrooms. Educators as Readers Book Groups consist of participants who

Why Should Educators Form Book Groups?

Guidelines to Form Face-to-Face Book Groups

Guidelines to Form Virtual Book Groups

In addition to the above guidelines,

How to Fund Book Groups

Seek funding for reading materials. Consider:

Explore possible partnerships with local businesses and industries; prepare a simple grant proposal before talking to or meeting with them. If outside funding is not available, use books currently in schools or public libraries. In any event, don’t let financial concerns stop you from reading widely and well.

Tips for Book Group Facilitators

Comments from Book Group Participants:

“We read the books, came together informally before school once a month, and shared/discussed what we’d read. In so doing, not only was our collective understanding enhanced, but we also came to know one another better as individuals. All in all, the sessions have been a very positive experience. The only ‘negative’ was that often we ran out of time before we’d said all we wanted to say.”

“This group has helped its members find a forum where all thoughts and opinions were welcomed and respected. It also helped the participants come to know each other better. These new relationships have carried over into other areas of the educational program.”

“I really found I could read for enjoyment during the school year. It was great!”

“The group has been a great means of getting new books into the hands of teachers and students.”

“I am a teacher of younger students, but I particularly enjoyed reading literature aimed at older children and meeting with upper-grade teachers. This experience gave me a broader perspective of the type of reading my students will encounter later.”

Research Supporting This Resolution

Bishop, R.S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and using books for the classroom, 6 (3).

Burbank, M. D., & Kauchak, D. (2010). Book clubs as professional development opportunities for preservice teacher candidates and practicing teachers: An exploratory study. The new educator, 6, 56–73. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ893563.pdf [2].

DeWitt, J., DeBruler, K., Kwon, J. B., & Gerlach, J. (2018). Engaging teachers in professional development through online book studies. Michigan Virtual University. https://www.mvlri.org/research/publications/engaging-teachers-in-professional-development-through-online-book-studies/ [3].

Goldberg, S.M., & Presko, E. (2000, May). The teacher book club. Educational leadership, 57 (8), 39–41.

Kendi, I.X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. One world.

Robb, E. (2018, March 19). Book studies: Home-grown professional development. EDU: Scholastic’s blog about education and learning. http://edublog.scholastic.com/post/book-studies-home-grown-professional-development# [4].

Spencer, J. (2016, June 27). Brainstorming is broken: Here’s how you can fix it. https://spencerauthor.com/a-different-approach-to-brainstorming/ [5].

United Federation of Teachers. (2019). Professional book study. https://www.uft.org/teaching/professional-development/school-based-pd/professional-book-study [6].

Will, M. & Najarro, I. (2022, April 18). What is culturally responsive teaching? Education week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/culturally-responsive-teaching-culturally-responsive-pedagogy/2022/04 [7].

This statement is an update of the NCTE position statement Teachers as Readers: Forming Book Groups as Professionals (1997).

Statement Authors

This document was composed by the following working committee: