Resources

Along the fault line of public education and conservative religious beliefs, this break-through volume explores five curriculum arenas that have been "ground zero" in community debate—science and human evolution, textbook selection, sexuality instruction, character development, and outcome-based education. Curriculum, Religion, and Public Education will assist educators, parents, and community leaders in crossing boundaries to communicate with "the others," and in the process transform schools—and ourselves. (From the Publisher)

In Seminaries, Theologates, and the Future of Church Ministry, Sr. Schuth details some of the ways seminaries are responding to the ministerial requirements of the Church of today and tomorrow. Extensive research images of Church, priesthood, and ministry are taken from a broad sample of faculty, students, administrators, and trustees to answer such questions as: What is the nature of the local and universal mission of the Church in which people seek to serve these days? What is their vision of the church's future? How must people be prepared to carry, out the vision they hold about the church's ministry? What are their fears, hopes, anxieties about ministering in the Church? and What would be their one wish for the future? Studies of what parishioners expect of their Church and ministers complement the internal views. (From the Publisher)

This new 8-volume series brings us the seasoned fruits of modern scholarship. The authors are personally and pastorally aware of the theological concerns and challenges of our time and are attuned to the needs of contemporary students. (From the Publisher)

Doctors, architects, lawyers and engineers are all trained in schools that emphasize technique but neglect the key element of artistry that distinguishes the true professional. Today's professional is a drudge, mechanically applying privileged knowledge to rote tasks. That is Schon's diagnosis of higher education, and as a remedy he recommends learning by doing. To teach skills of improvisation and problem-framing, he feels our universities should borrow the methods used in art studios, dance conservatories, athletics coaching, craft appenticeships and psychoanalytic training. In all these settings, a dialogue between student and coach in a low-risk atmosphere encourages creativity. Despite its academic prose, this primer by an MIT urban studies professor will enlighten students, teachers and professionals. Schon concludes the book (a sequel to The Reflective Practitioner with a description of his attempt to create a ``studiolike'' curriculum for MIT's city planning courses. (From the Publisher)

This important book includes more than twenty essays by faculty from different disciplines, each articulating the multiple dimensions and components of multicultural teaching. Teachers discuss their own teaching methods and classes in terms of course content, process and discourse, and diversity among faculty and students in the classroom. This volume integrates new scholarship that reflects a more expansive notion of knowledge, and suggests new ways to communicate with diverse populations of students. (From the Publisher)

This book provides a brief history of the most recent wave of assessment in higher education, particularly focused on the faculty role in assessment. It traces major conceptual, methodological, political and policy advances in assessment over the past decade. The authors suggest some ways of thinking about assessment, strategies, and next steps which they view as necessary for more clearly envisioning assessment as a faculty role. (From the Publisher)

Every teacher wants to improve teaching effectiveness, and a good place to begin is by understanding the various ways students perceive and process information. Learning Style Perspectives addresses the learning needs of the students, taking into consideration individual preferences for absorbing and retaining material in an auditory, visual, or tactile manner. Lynne Celli Sarasin gives an overview of major theorists and synthesizes those theories into an approach to teaching which is easily applied in any college or university classroom setting. The characteristics of auditory, visual, and tactile learners are described along with appropriate teaching techniques, student reactions, and evaluation of each style of learning. Includes easily referenced charts of descriptors, teaching strategies, and student behaviors. (From the Publisher)

Using a feminist poststructural focus, Ropers-Huilman (Louisiana State Univ.) investigates feminist teachers' positions and styles in order to examine the practices of a theory of teaching. She explores teachers' reflections on power and gender, how they operate in the classroom, and their experiences as innovators in feminist teaching. No one particular approach or process is emphasized. The application of theory to practice allows the 22 teachers who were interviewed to explore and debate the interaction between students and teachers. The complexity of investigating feminist practices, rather than just the teachers themselves, allows a more flexible look at the issues and the social forces defining their interpretations. Ropers-Huilman explores factors contributing to the many forms of feminist teaching and how power affects and shapes the experience. (From the Publisher)

College and university teachers who struggle to connect instruction with students' real world experiences have found much of value in service learning. This volume of New Directions for Teaching and Learning presents an academic conception of service learning, described as a pedagogical model that intentionally integrates academic learning and relevant community service. Contributors provide a conceptual structure for academic service learning, describe successful programs, and discuss issues that faculty and administrators must consider as they incorporate service into courses and curricula. This is the 73rd issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Teaching and Learning. For more information on the series, please see the Journals and Periodicals section. (From the Publisher)

Taken ad seriatim, these essays present a wide range of differing theoretical positions and practical strategies for reform. It is our hope that, when read from this point of view, they will evoke the kind of very specific discussions, debates and actions that will be required if real change is to occur. (From the Publisher)