Inspired College Teaching: A Career-Long Resource for Professional Growth (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education)

268 Pages·2010·1.3 MB·English

by  Maryellen Weimer

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Inspired College E Teaching
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Only by being truly involved can faculty Teaching
E Inspired College
undertake the transformative activities that
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result in vibrant, invigorated teaching.
Good teaching requires a lot from teachers:
Inspired College Teaching is the hands-on
resource that can help faculty understand and “The thoughtfulness, personalization, and consideration Maryellen Weimer demon- I Teaching emotional energy, the will to keep caring, intel-
plan for all that it takes to sustain teaching strates in discussing the experience of faculty members; her ability to identify issues n lectual stamina, creative approaches, vigilance,
excellence across a career. that are shared and solvable; and her suggestions and solutions to commonly experi- perseverance to fi nd the way back from failure,
s
enced stressors and diffi culties in college teaching are major strengths of this volume. and faith in the power of feedback to promote
In addition, her personal and professional refl ections on her long career as a faculty p learning.
member, writer, and faculty developer expose tantalizing research questions that young i
education researchers might want to examine. The originality of this volume is its ex- r In this groundbreaking work, Maryellen Weimer,
ploration of and refl ection on a faculty member’s career from a long-term perspective. e acclaimed education author, experienced college
The focus on iterative self and course renewal is personal and thus practical. In a way, it d teacher, and editor of The Teaching Professor,
is a ‘workshop between book covers’ or perhaps several workshops!” posits that the growth and development of a
A Career-Long Resource for Professional Growth
— Laura L. B. Border, director, Graduate Teacher Program and Collaborative C college teacher should be seen as a journey and
The Author
Preparing Future Faculty Network, University of Colorado at Boulder shows how this career-long quest can be just as
o exciting as its destination.
“A book by Maryellen Weimer always displays her wonderful grasp of the literature on l
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college teaching and learning, her ability to tell good stories, and her wit and wisdom. l Inspired College Teaching reveals what faculty
e
This one is no exception.” at all levels (beginning, mid-career, and senior)
has more than thirty years of experience teach- —Nancy Van Note Chism, professor, Indiana University School of Education, g are best positioned to accomplish as teachers.
ing college. She was the director of the Instruc- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis e It proposes activities that faculty can use across
tional Development Program at Pennsylvania their careers to awaken their intellectual curios-

State University for ten years and served as “Although I work at a faculty teaching center and encounter many books on teaching, I T ity, develop instructional prowess, and keep alive
associate director at the National Center on have seen very few that span the full arc of the teaching career and what steps can be e the motivation to teach with passion.
Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assess- taken at each stage in order to retain vitality all the way through the way that this book
a
ment. She is the editor of The Teaching Profes- does. I look forward to getting my own copy and using it as a resource in the faculty Filled with wisdom and a healthy dose of wit,
sor, a monthly newsletter on college teaching, development activities of my center. It will have a wide readership.” c Inspired College Teaching puts the spotlight
and she is the author of numerous books, includ- —Mano Singham, University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education, h on how faculty can best use Weimer’s tested
ing Learner-Centered Teaching and Enhancing Case Western Reserve University improvement process. Step by step, she shows
i
Scholarly Work on Teaching and Learning, both n how to select changes, how to adapt them,
from Jossey-Bass. how to implement them, how to assess their
Jacket design: Michael Rutkowski HIGHER EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT g effects, how to revise them, and when to infuse
these changes elsewhere in the classroom. This
method rests on Weimer’s premise that faculty
can and should play the central role in their own
www.josseybass.com
Maryellen Weimer
improvement process.
—continued on back flap—
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Inspired College
Teaching
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Inspired College
Teaching
A Career-Long Resource for
Professional Growth
Maryellen Weimer
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Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Weimer, Maryellen, 1947–
Inspired college teaching : a career-long resource for professional
growth / Maryellen Weimer.
p. cm.—(The Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7879-8771-8 (cloth)
1. College teaching–United States. 2. Effective teaching–United
States. 3. College teachers–Professional relationships–United States.
4. College teachers–In-service training–United States. I. Title.
LB2331.W385 2010
378.1′25—dc22
2009051938
Printed in the United States of America
fi rst edition
HB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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The Jossey-Bass Higher and
Adult Education Series
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Contents
Preface xi
About the Author xxi
1. Principles for the Professional Growth of
College Teachers 1
2. Refl ection for Growth and Change 23
3. Rewriting the End-of-Course Ratings Story 49
4. Feedback for Teachers That Improves Learning
for Students 75
5. Colleagues as Collaborators 105
6. Implementing Change Successfully 129
7. New Faculty: Beliefs That Prevent and
Promote Growth 149
8. Maintaining Instructional Vitality: The
Midcareer Challenge 173
9. The Journey Continues: Senior Faculty 199
10. Conclusion 219
References 223
Index 235
vii
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