Faculty Study Seminars

Fall 2010

Two Faculty Study Seminars will be offered this fall. The seminars provide a means for faculty with common interests to learn more about a teaching-related topic. Each group meets four times a semester, at times mutually agreed to by participants, to read and discuss a teaching-related book (books provided by the Office of Instructional Development). The participant’s only obligation is to read and to show up for discussion.

To sign up for a FSS, e-mail the facilitator noted below with your contact information (e-mail and phone) and a copy of your fall semester schedule (noting the times you cannot meet). You will be contacted once an initial meeting date is set. For more information about FSS groups, contact Anne Kelsch at Anne.Kelsch@und.edu or 777-4233.

John Tagg, The Learning Paradigm College (Jossey-Bass, 2003).

Tagg’s book begins with a simple but profound question: “What are colleges for?” Noting that typically “the successful college . . . is the one that fills classes with students and thus grows in enrollment,” Tagg advocates for a paradigm shift towards a learning centered environment that attends to students rather that classes and he documents how this is happening at some institutions.  Tagg argues that to change our paradigm from teaching to learning is to view education through a new lens—“seeing” our work in a different light and having diverse experiences as we and our students interact to learn. Reviewers refer to The Learning Paradigm College as “one of the most important, provocative, and accessible works to have entered the higher education literature in many years,  . . . it is broadly applicable to every postsecondary institution.” If you are interested in reading this book as part of a Faculty Study Seminar, contact Anne.Kelsch@und.edu or 777-4233.

Casanave, C.P. & Sosa, M. (2007). Respite for Teachers: Reflection and renewal in the teaching life. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Casanave and Sosa's book is not designed to teach something new; instead, the purpose of the book is to inspire faculty to spend time reflecting on the joys and challenges of teaching and of connecting with students and colleagues. The authors cover a wide variety of diverse topics, including a comparison of teaching and musical groups, difficult students, fear and curiosity, grading, mentoring, solitude, as well as a chapter about students who "just don't seem to belong where they are." Most of these chapters are designed to both raise an important issue and inspire at the same time.  One reviewer noted that while the book is accessible and avoids jargon and terminology it "is very much grounded in theory and does an excellent job encouraging ... teachers and researchers to think about how to reduce the gap between theory and research and classroom practice." If you are interested in reading this book as part of a Faculty Study Seminar, contact Scott.Baxter@und.edu or 777-6381.

Spring 2009

Spring FSS books are:

Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms, 2nd ed. by
Stephen D. Brookfield and Stephen Preskill (Jossey-Bass, 2005).

Brookfield and Preskill have written this 2nd edition of their book for all teachers and leaders who use discussion to help people learn. One book synopsis states "Brookfield and Preskill clearly show how discussion can enliven classrooms, and they outline practical methods for ensuring that students will come to class prepared to discuss a topic. They also explain how to balance the voices of students and teachers, while still preserving the moral, political, and pedagogic integrity
of discussion." This revised edition includes new material related to the use of discussion for online teaching, as part of democratic participation, and theoretical foundations for the use of discussion. So if you're interested in the use of discussion in the university classroom, this book can provide practical, usable tools to either get you started or enhance your current practice. If you are interested in reading this book as part of a Faculty Study Seminar, contact Sonia Zimmerman at szimmer@medicine.nodak.edu or 777-2200.

Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active
Learning in the Classroom by John C. Bean (Jossey-Bass, 1996).

John Bean designed Engaging Ideas as a nuts-andbolts handbook for instructors who want to successfully integrate writing into their courses. Bean explains the fundamental link between critical thinking and writing in the classroom, and provides several strategies on how to address these concerns: “The goal of these activities is to transform students from passive to active learners, deepening their understanding of subject matter while helping them learn the thinking
process of the discipline: how members of the discipline ask questions, conduct inquiries, gather and analyze data and make arguments.” Bean gives practical advice on every state in the writing process— from designing an assignment to offering feedback. This book is a great starting place for faculty interested in practical advice on how to use writing and critical thinking successfully in the classroom. If you are interested in reading this book as part of a Faculty Study Seminar, contact Shane Winterhalter at shanewinterhalter@mail.und.nodak.edu or 777-6381

If you have any questions or are interested in participating in either FSS please send an email to anne_kelsch@und.nodak.edu