Bring Your 'A' Game: Leveling Up Class Discussion by Incorporating a Sense of Play

Breaking Through! Helping Girls Succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
By Harriet S. Mosatche, Elizabeth K. Lawner, and Susan Matloff-Nieves (Prufrock Press, 2016)

This book, coauthored by Elizabeth K. Lawner, a research associate at ACUE, is an essential resource for parents, educators, and others who care about the future of girls and young women. The authors combine research findings, practical tips, and inspiring quotes to offer readers strategies and activities for successfully engaging girls and young women in STEM. Critical reading for STEM faculty, the book describes the changing landscape of gender diversity in STEM; thoroughly reviews the research on girls and women in STEM, including stereotype threat and the impact of role models; and provides suggestions for how the research can be applied in real life. Many of the chapters cover topics that are important for instructors of all disciplines, such as creative problem-solving, creating gender-neutral classrooms, and supporting students with disabilities. This book is an excellent complement to the resources and strategies presented in ACUE’s learning modules on embracing diversity in your classroom, helping students persist in their studies, connecting with your students, and promoting a civil learning environment.

Teach Yourself How to Learn: Strategies You Can Use to Ace Any Course at Any Level
By Saundra Yancy McGuire with Stephanie McGuire and a foreword by Mark McDaniel (Stylus Publishing, 2018)
 
This book is a one-of-a-kind, step-by-step handbook that shows students exactly how to unlock their metacognitive potential and fall in love with learning. Based on Dr. Saundra McGuire’s four decades of success, the book is written in her engaging conversational style and organized like a one-on-one consultation. First, she hooks the reader with examples of students whose academic performance skyrocketed after using specific learning strategies. Then, after explaining why many students don’t already know how to learn, she reveals how Bloom’s Taxonomy, the Study Cycle, and specific learning strategies can turn readers’ intellectual development into the most fun and rewarding game they’ve ever played. But the book does not shy away from the hard work and time required to turn around lackluster academic performance. Two of the book's most popular learning strategies are exercises in intellectual persistence, yet McGuire makes that persistence attractive to students and makes its rewards clear. Each chapter concludes with reflection questions or activities, and some institutions have adopted the book for their first-year experience course. Mark McDaniel judged the book “a life changer.” It is directly applicable to several ACUE learning modules.

News in Brief

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Trust Students
To earn students’ trust, instructors must be dependable and demonstrate that they, in turn, trust students, opines Rob Jenkins. He suggests establishing this relationship by clearly stating expectations on the syllabus, remaining even-keeled in class, and emphasizing respect for others, among other ideas. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Should a President Teach?
When John Kroger became the president of Reed College, he thought teaching would distract him from his leadership and fundraising duties. Now, he believes teaching fulfills and reinforces skills, like creating compelling presentations, and breaks down barriers between administrators and students. Moreover, as he has resumed teaching once again, Kroger is reminded of the importance of higher education. (Leadership in Higher Education)

Higher Education Needs to Innovate. But How?
According to Steven Mintz, higher education institutions need to innovate in ways that support student success. They can do so, he writes, by prioritizing high-impact practices such as experiential and inquiry-based learning, offering structured pathways to meaningful degrees, adopting active learning pedagogies that foster skills like critical thinking and ethical reasoning, and more. (Higher Ed Gamma)

There Is No Such Thing as a Naturally Gifted Teacher
As with research, teaching is not an innate skill, writes Jessica Riddell; it requires discipline and development over time. Understanding that instruction is a learning process, gathering information, seeking feedback, and deliberately practicing can help instructors hone their instruction, she adds. (University Affairs)

In This Writing Assignment, Students Tell Their Professor How to Improve Their Education
When Fayetteville State University revamped its composition course to prepare students for career writing, Chuck Tryon asked students to write a proposal to modify either his course or the "educational mission" of the college. One proposal even led to actual change: a commuter student noted that tutoring services favored residential students, and now the college is planning to implement her idea of enabling students to access supplemental materials remotely. (The Chronicle of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter)

Yes, Your Syllabus Is Way Too Long
After students told him they weren’t reading his lengthy syllabi, Tom Deans experimented with creating a one-page, double-sided document. This length, he has found, makes the syllabus more manageable and enables him to distill the essentials concisely. (Vitae)

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