Resources

This work responds to a renewed emphasis on teaching in the academy. Written from the perspective of a classroom teacher, it is a practical application of the principles behind the Critical Thinking movement to the study of religion. Emphasizing that the acquisition of critical thinking depends less on what is taught than on how it is taught, the author presents concrete examples from his own experience to illustrate a student centered approach to teaching. By demonstrating how the study of religion contributes to the development of critical thinking - through the acquisition of problem-solving, decision-making, and metacognitive skills - Penaskovic suggests its value to a broader liberal arts curriculum as well. Both a theoretical review of Critical Thinking and a "nuts-and-bolts" manual on how it can be used and assessed in the classroom, this work will challenge new and veteran teachers alike to re-examine and renew what they do in the classroom. The book includes a selected, annotated bibliography on Critical Thinking. Every teacher of religion will want to read this book. (From the Publisher)

Assessment Clear and Simple is "Assessment 101" in a book -- a concise, step-by-step guide written for everyone who participates in the assessment process. This practical book helps to make assessment simple, cost-efficient, and useful to the institution, while at the same time meeting the requirements of accreditation agencies, legislatures, review boards, and others. Assessment Clear and Simple can help your institution employ assessment as a powerful instrument for improvement and provide a basis for wiser planning, budgeting, and change in curriculum, pedagogy, staffing, programming, and student support. (From the Publisher)

With wisdom, compassion, and gentle humor, Parker J. Palmer invites us to listen to the inner teacher and follow its leadings toward a sense of meaning and purpose. Telling stories from his own life and the lives of others who have made a difference, he shares insights gained from darkness and depression as well as fulfillment and joy, illuminating a pathway toward vocation for all who seek the true calling of their lives. (From the Publisher)

This primer on authentic education explores how mind and heart can work together in the learning process. Moving beyond the bankruptcy of our current model of education, Parker Palmer finds the soul of education through a lifelong cultivation of the wisdom each of us possesses and can share to benefit others. (From the Publisher)

Teachers choose their vocation for reasons of the heart, because they care deeply about their students and about their subject. But the demands of teaching cause too many educators to lose heart. Is it possible to take heart in teaching once more so that we can continue to do what good teachers always do - give heart to our students? In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer takes teachers on an inner journey toward reconnecting with their vocation and their students - and recovering their passion for one of the most difficult and important of human endeavors. (From the Publisher)

In a post-liberal critique of the mainline establishment, Oden identifies the failures of contemporary theological education and its accompanying ideology, maps out the ultra-liberalization of church bureaucracies and special interest politics, and calls for a return to classical Christian theological roots and categories.

This book addresses the fundamental changes occurring in higher education, centering on productivity, quality, access, and competitiveness. The 15 chapters illustrate how public and private institutions are providing leadership for the higher education revolution. (From the Publisher)

Cover title. "A resource for faculty and staff at the University of Notre Dame"--Cover.

In Learning from Our Lives: Women, Research, and Autobiography in Education, eleven women who are eminent educational researchers speak out intimately, and from these autobiographical accounts, readers experience how research that emerges from diverse women's lives shapes (and reshapes) educational knowledge and discourse. The book offers thoughtful insights into how the field of education might change as women assume positions of intellectual leadership. The distinguished list of contributors includes Kathryn H. Au, Concha Delgado-Gaitan, Maxine Greene, Patricia J. Gumport, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Ellen Condliffe Lagemann, Martha Montero-Sieburth, Anna Neumann, Nel Noddings, Penelope L. PEterson, and Linda f. Winfield. The book will be an important resource for graduate courses in foundations, teacher education, philosophy of education, women and education, research methods, sociology of education, and politics and education; general readers will find it fascinating reading as well. (From the Publisher)

Are you dismayed by the lack of discussion and questioning in your classroom? Good two-way communication can be difficult. Classroom Communication explains how effective strategies can get students out of the "tell me, show me" attitude and into lively participation. This book offers ideas on how to start and facilitate discussion, utilize group dynamics, and in-corporate discussion participation into grading. Each section ends with questions and suggestions for individual reflection, moving concepts from the page into the classroom. (From the Publisher)