We all know grad school doesn’t prepare you to be an excellent faculty member. I’ve curated a list of 6 books that were instrumental in helping me become an effective teacher. You can enhance your college teaching with these 6 books.
Watch the video to learn about why I recommend each book.
Radical candor
Radical Candor by Kim Scott – a book about how to be honest and direct with feedback so that people know what you want and can course correct.
The Butterfly Cage
The Butterfly Cage by Rachel Zemach – a memoir. A Deaf person finds her identity amidst a Deaf education program in California. Heartbreaking, enraging, and enthralling.
Grading For Growth
Grading for Growth by David Clark and Robert Talbert – explains why traditional point based systems aren’t great for student learning. Loads of ideas for how to make changes. – small or large – to improve how teaching and learning work in higher education.
Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty by Robert Talbert – step by step guide for creating course activities that makes the best use in and out of class time.
Specifications Grading
Specifications Grading by Linda Nilson – a deep dive into specifications grading and how to implement it.
Understanding by Design
Understanding by Design by Wiggins & McTighe – a thorough introduction into backward design principles. You can use it to build a course (or program) backwards. Start from the outcome you want and build back to the specific assignments and class activities.
Learning that Matters
Learning that Matters by Zehnder and colleagues – a book about how to go beyond teaching your course content to teaching your students by meeting them where they are and building your course in ways to support their learning.
