The Dynamic Classroom: Engaging Students in Higher Education

Author: Black, Catherine, author, ed.
Publisher: Atwood Publishing, Madison, WI
ISBN: 9781891859823
Book Review Link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/teth.12009/abstract
Table of Contents: Preface

Part One: Preparing the Ground for Engaging Students
ch. 1 It Is Yours for the Asking: Using Questioning to Promote Discussion in the Classroom (Elleen Wood)
ch. 2 Strategies for Engaging Students with Learning Disabilities (Jacqueline A. Specht)
Mind Mapping: Engaging Students (Ernest Biktimirov)

Part Two: Engaging Students in a Variety of Settings
ch. 3 The Dreaded Pause: Initiating and Sustaining Discussion in a Small-to Medium-Sized Classroom (The Dynamic Classroom: Engaging Students in Higher Education)
ch. 4 Teaching Large Classes (Mike Atkinson)
ch. 5 The Inquiry Circle (Jeanette McDonald)

Part Three: Engaging Students with New Technologies
ch. 6 Blog or Discussion Board: Which Is the Right Tool to Choose? (Matt Crosslin)
ch. 7 LiveJournal: Technological Solutions to Traditional Journaling Problems (Margaret D. Anderson)
ch. 8 Online Teaching: The Joys of Joining the Discussion (M. Louise Ripley)
ch. 9 Using Electronic Portfolios to Foster Communication in K-12 Classrooms (Elizabeth Meyer, Anne Wade, Vanitha Pillay, Einat Idan, and Philip C. Abrami)
ch. 10 Broadcollecting: Using Personal Response Systems ("Clickers") to Transform Classroom Interaction (Tom Haffie)
ch. 11 Podcast: A Tool to Pique Curiosity, Evoke a Response, and Create Opportunities for Student Engagement (Dave Yearwood)

Part Four: Assessing Students’ Engagement
ch. 12 Assessment of Online Participation (Denise Stockley and Wendy Freeman)
ch. 13 When Learning Matters: Students’ Assessment and Participation Using Portfolios in Higher Education (Mercedes Rowinsky-Geurts)

Conclusion
For Further Reflection and Action
Contributors
Index

With each new era, educators must examine the cultural and technological changes that define the times in order to reflect or incorporate them into teaching practice. As a result of that examination, teachers find ways to use the best, ignore the worst, and strive to create a meaningful and dynamic learning environment.

The Dynamic Classroom: Engaging Students in Higher Education submits that there is no single method for the current era or any other era, and accordingly approaches this crucial question from multiple angles in a collection of fourteen best-practices papers. These papers address student engagement thoughtfully and practically, offering in-depth insight into solutions for each pivotal issue.

This book includes sections on how to:

Prepare the ground for engaging students
Engage students in a variety of settings
Engage students with new technologies
Assess students engagement

The Dynamic Classroom provides detailed examinations of a range of engagement strategiesÂ— from asking the right questions to using the Inquiry Circle to using new technologies. Selecting from these strategies streamlines the process for educators and offers the teacher some contemporary and exciting ways to inspire and engage students. (From the Publisher)