Resources

The author argues for collaborative learning at the college and university level, a method which engenders interdependence among peers rather than cultivating passivity, authoritarianism, irresponsibility, and hyper-competitiveness. (From the Publisher)

The essays in this volume ... were prepared for a conference sponsored by the Institute for the Advanced Study of Religion of the Divinity School of the University of Chicago on October 8-11, 1987. (From the Publisher)

Offers a variety of practical ideas, tools, and techniques for creating democratic classrooms. The authors suggest exercises to get discussion started, strategies for maintaining its momentum, ways to elicit a diversity of views and voices, ideas for creative groupings and formats, and processes to encourage student participation. In exploring the role of the teacher in discussion, they address the tensions and possibilities arising from ethnic, cultural, social class, and gender difference. Throughout, they emphasize how discussion fosters democratic participation and enhances learning, and they review how to balance the voices of students and teachers. (From the Publisher)

"Developing Critical Thinkers" is a book practitioners and others interested in applying critical thinking principles will find extremely useful. The writing is clear, the examples are many, and the ideas are well grounded in theory and research. (From the Publisher)

Analysis, resources, and recommendations by a colloquy of 7 Asian and Asian North American professors of religious and theological studies in largely white institutions. What impact does this isolation have on their functioning as faculty, and specifically in their attempt to introduce Asian or Asian North American perspectives into their respective theological disciplines? What extra constraints or requirements are placed on their struggle to teach as effectively and faithfully as they would like? And what about the dynamics of teaching primarily white or other non-Asian students?

A uniquely comprehensive resource about instructional consultation in higher education -- At many colleges, universities, and professional schools, consultants are available to faculty who wish to assess and improve their teaching. Consultation is widely regarded as a powerful intervention for improving teaching and learning. No service provided by teaching centers has greater potential for producing deep and enduring effects on teachers and teaching. A think tank was charged with identifying the knowledge base underlying instructional consultation, examining current practices, and recommending how best practices might best be disseminated. This book is the result of the think tank's work. The book offers a thoughtful blend of research-based principles and practical advice. It speaks practically to the practitioner. (From the Publisher)

Ernest L. Boyer's Scholarship Reconsidered offers a new paradigm that recognizes the full range of scholarly activity by college and university faculty and questions the existence of a reward system that pushed faculty toward research and publication and away from teaching. (From the Publisher)

Controversies about affirmative action hires, admission policies, intercultural relations in the classroom, the role of ethnic studies departments, and changes in course curriculum all seem to swirl around the changing ethnic composition of the campus. How do we all get along? Tackling this question are authors Bowser, Auletta, and Jones, who suggest some practical strategies for dealing with questions of racism, diversity, and intercultural communication. (From the Publisher)

Bowers examines how the educational process perpetuates cultural myths that contribute to the ecological crisis, particularly how thought patterns from the past are reproduced through the metaphorical language used in the classroom. He suggests that a more ecologically sustainable ideology is being formulated by such writers as Aldo Leopold and Wendell Berry. (From the Publisher)

This book is a wake-up call for environmentalists who need to consider how current educational ideals and practices undermine efforts to create a more sustainable future. It is also a wake-up call for educators who continue to base their reform efforts on the primacy of the individual, while ignoring the fact that the individual is nested in culture, and culture is nested in (and thus dependent upon) natural ecosystems. Bowers argues that the modern way of understanding moral education, creativity, intelligence, and the role of direct experience in the learning process cannot be supported by evidence. (From the Publisher)