Heather Miceli, recently interviewed in the Teaching newsletter of the Chronicle, is offering a new opportunity for exploring topics of teaching and learning through reading about pedagogy. The Exploring Pedagogy Reading Group will kick off this spring semester.
This group will gather colleagues interested in reading and discussing pedagogy texts in order to develop stronger pedagogical frameworks that we can use to frame our teaching choices. This group is meant to look at the bigger picture of teaching and learning, rather than focusing on tactics such as "tips and tricks in the classroom." While "tips and tricks" professional development is valuable, sometimes it is difficult to see the forest for the trees.
The hope here is to dive into classic and recent pedagogy books and reflect on our entire teaching philosophy to inform the specific choices we make in the classroom.
The group is be participant-driven: booka are chosen by survey from a small list of books that was curated by the (very quickly defunct) Radical Pedagogy Group. From there, the group collectively decide on what texts they would like to engage with.
The goal is to read and discuss one book a semester - we recognize that time and energy are at an all-time low, but we think this could be a valuable addition to the CTLS offerings for those wanting to explore pedagogy deeper. To accommodate as many people as possible, meetings will be offered as a hybrid experience, and we will also have a crowdsourced document for each book with questions and discussions that can be accessed asynchronously for those who can't attend.
Spring 2022 Discussion
An Urgency of Teachers by Sean Michael Morris and Jesse Stommel
Summer 2022 Discussion
How Humans Learn: the science and stories behind effective college teaching by Joshua Eyler.
Fall 2022 Discussion - November 30th 3PM-4PM (ZOOM)
Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom, by Kelly A. Hogan and Viji Sathy
Find a copy at RWU