I am thrilled to share the 3rd annual CITL summer reading list! These are the books that CITL consultants are reading this summer.
Over the summer, CITL and EDS consultants will be reading Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone (Tobin & Behling, 2018). In this book, the authors encourage readers to broaden their view of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) from simply an accommodation for students with disabilities to a general diversity framework that benefits all students.
This is the second collective read the consultants have done together. The first was The Blended Course Design Workbook (Linder, 2016) during the spring semester. In addition to these collective reads, CITL consultants would like to recommend some of their individual reads as well.
Contemplative Practices in Higher Education –Barbezat & Bush (2014)
Barbezat and Bush start the book by explaining the theoretical and practical background of contemplative pedagogy and the role it plays in reforming higher education. (Contemplative pedagogy encourages deep learning through focused attention, reflection, and heightened awareness.) The authors provide research on contemplative practices, as well as common classroom challenges. The second portion of the book provides descriptions of some common contemplative practices that one can try in the classroom.
– Read by Leslie Drane
Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities – Warner (2018)
This book focuses on writing, but would be interesting to anyone who wants to learn more about student motivation, authentic assessments, and grading practices. Warner argues that students don’t produce good college writing because they’ve been trained to produce thoughtless fluff for standardized tests and other non-authentic assignments, including five-paragraph essays. In producing writing, students are motivated by grades, not primarily by the prospect of learning. Warner provides some useful solutions to these problems.
– Read by John Paul Kanwit
Quiet. The Power of Introverts in a World that can’t Stop Talking – Cain (2013)
Even if you are not an introvert, this in-depth breakdown of how people think and interact is worth a read as it reveals the different ways in which people prefer to work and how they are successful. The author takes us through the storied history of how introverts and extroverts have been viewed, treated, and how to maximize each type of person within teams and working groups.
-Read by Matt Barton
Meaningful Grading: A Guide for Faculty in the Arts – Haugnes, Holmgren, Springborg (2018)
This is a thought-provoking book on developing assessment strategies for evaluating creative student work, including assignment design, rubrics, and more. The emphasis is on process over product. Any teacher who assigns creative, project-based work would benefit from some of the tips presented in this book.
-Read by Kate Ellis
Race, Equity, & the Learning Environment– Tuitt, Haynes, & Stewart (2016)
This book is great for anyone interested in benefits and challenges of implementing critical and inclusive pedagogies. The first section explores how instructors have created conditions for students to develop an understanding of how power impacts social identities. The second section of the book focuses on how letting students relate their experiences allows for deeper learning. The third section evolves around challenging the idea of racially neutral educational institutions, and the section addresses how inclusive pedagogy can potentially filter out some of the inequities that exist in higher education.
– Read by Tamar Trice (SoTL Student Liason)
Bandwidth Recovery – Verschelden (2017)
Verschelden provides readers with well synthesized foundational work on a broad range of facets related to inclusive teaching & learning. In this synthesis, she argues that leveling the learning field is not just a systemic challenge to be solved, but provides strategies individual instructors can incorporate into their courses to improve student learning as well. Great introduction for instructors who may be new to these concepts. – Read by Shannon Sipes
If you are interested in reading Bandwidth Recovery, consider joining us for a reading group this fall sponsored by the SoTL program within CITL. The reading group is open to all faculty and AIs of Indiana University, but registration is limited to 14. Participants will receive a copy of the book.
Meetings will be held in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning in the Wells Library from 9:00-10:30am on Fridays. Meeting dates include: Sept. 6, Oct. 4, and Nov. 8, 2019. If you are interested in joining the book group and can commit to attending all three of these meetings, please fill out the brief application form no later than Friday, June 28, 2019.
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