The Craft Of University Teaching

What does university teaching – as a craft – look like? What changes does a craft perspective suggest for higher education? The Craft of University Teaching addresses these questions in both a general sense – What does the act of teaching become when treated as a craft? What changes to a professor’s educational philosophy does it require? – and with respect to the practical, everyday tasks of university professors, such as the use and misuse of technology, the handling of academic dishonesty, the assignment of course reading, and the instilling of enthusiasm for learning. Intended for professors of all academic disciplines who either enjoy teaching or wish to enjoy it more, The Craft of University Teaching is a provocative and accessible book containing practical advice gleaned from the academic literature on pedagogy. In an era of increased bureaucratic oversight, rapidly diminishing budgets, and waves of technological distraction, The Craft of University Teaching provokes reflection on matters of pedagogy that are too often taken as settled. In so doing, it seeks to reclaim teaching as the intellectually vibrant and intrinsically rewarding endeavor that it is.

The essential how-to guide to successful college teaching and learning The college classroom is a place where students have the opportunity to be transformed and inspired through learning—but teachers need to understand how students actually learn. Robert DiYanni and Anton Borst provide an accessible, hands-on guide to the craft of college teaching, giving instructors the practical tools they need to help students achieve not only academic success but also meaningful learning to last a lifetime. The Craft of College Teaching explains what to teach—emphasizing concepts and their relationships, not just isolated facts—as well as how to teach using active learning strategies that engage students through problems, case studies and scenarios, and practice reinforced by constructive feedback. The book tells how to motivate students, run productive discussions, create engaging lectures, use technology effectively, and much more. Interludes between chapters illustrate common challenges, including what to do on the first and last days of class and how to deal with student embarrassment, manage group work, and mentor students effectively. There are also plenty of questions and activities at the end of each chapter. Blending the latest research with practical techniques that really work, this easy-to-use guide draws on DiYanni and Borst's experience as professors, faculty consultants, and workshop leaders. Proven in the classroom and the workshop arena, The Craft of College Teaching is an essential resource for new instructors and seasoned pros alike.

"This edition of Kenneth E. Eble's 1976 classic on college teaching has been hailed as one of the best books every published on this topic. It offers fresh insights on issues of enduring importance, from how students learn & how to make the best use of the classroom to the nuts & bolts of assignments, tests, grades & textbooks. Eble includes entirely new chapters on developing critical thinking & on how to motivate both students & faculty. He provides new material on the impact of computer-aided instruction & on mentoring, as well as on the 'myths' of teaching & many other topics originally covered in the 1st ed."--CTE.

Teaching Black: The Craft of Teaching on Black Life and Literature presents the experiences and voices of Black creative writers who are also teachers. The authors in this collection engage poetry, fiction, experimental literature, playwriting, and literary criticism. They provide historical and theoretical interventions and practical advice for teachers and students of literature and craft. Contributors work in high schools, colleges, and community settings and draw from these rich contexts in their essays. This book is an invaluable tool for teachers, practitioners, change agents, and presses. Teaching Black is for any and all who are interested in incorporating Black literature and conversations on Black literary craft into their own work.

What makes a great teacher great? Who are the professors students remember long after graduation? This book, the conclusion of a fifteen-year study of nearly one hundred college teachers in a wide variety of fields and universities, offers valuable answers for all educators. The short answer is—it’s not what teachers do, it’s what they understand. Lesson plans and lecture notes matter less than the special way teachers comprehend the subject and value human learning. Whether historians or physicists, in El Paso or St. Paul, the best teachers know their subjects inside and out—but they also know how to engage and challenge students and to provoke impassioned responses. Most of all, they believe two things fervently: that teaching matters and that students can learn. In stories both humorous and touching, Ken Bain describes examples of ingenuity and compassion, of students’ discoveries of new ideas and the depth of their own potential. What the Best College Teachers Do is a treasure trove of insight and inspiration for first-year teachers and seasoned educators.

Using a conversational voice, the authors provide a foundation as well as a blueprint and tools to craft a community-engaged course. Based on extensive research, the book provides a scope and sequence of information and skills ranging from an introduction to community engagement, to designing, implementing, and assessing a course, to advancing the craft to prepare for promotion and tenure as well as how to become a citizen-scholar and reflective practitioner. An interactive workbook that can be downloaded from Campus Compact accompanies this tool kit with interactive activities that are interspersed throughout the chapters. The book and workbook can be used by individual readers or with a learning community.

A practical guide for everyone who must deliver a lecture, lead a discussion, assign a grade, or carry out the hundreds of tasks involved in being a successful teacher from the first day of school to the last.