The college classroom is a place where students have the opportunity to be transformed and inspired through learning—but teachers need to understand how students actually learn. Robert DiYanni and Anton Borst provide an accessible, hands-on guide to the craft of college teaching, giving instructors the practical tools they need to help students achieve not only academic success but also meaningful learning to last a lifetime.
The Craft of College Teaching explains what to teach—emphasizing concepts and their relationships, not just isolated facts—as well as how to teach using active learning strategies that engage students through problems, case studies and scenarios, and practice reinforced by constructive feedback. The book tells how to motivate students, run productive discussions, create engaging lectures, use technology effectively, and much more. Interludes between chapters illustrate common challenges, including what to do on the first and last days of class and how to deal with student embarrassment, manage group work, and mentor students effectively. There are also plenty of questions and activities at the end of each chapter.
Blending the latest research with practical techniques that really work, this easy-to-use guide draws on DiYanni and Borst’s experience as professors, faculty consultants, and workshop leaders. Proven in the classroom and the workshop arena, The Craft of College Teaching is an essential resource for new instructors and seasoned pros alike.
Robert DiYanni is adjunct professor of humanities and instructional consultant with the Center for Faculty Advancement at New York University. Anton Borst is instructional consultant with the Teaching and Learning with Technology group at New York University. They are the editors of Critical Reading across the Curriculum.
"The Craft of College Teaching provides a compendium of great ideas about the art of teaching well. It succeeds in demonstrating that expertise can be acquired. This book is for all caring instructors who have the curiosity and dedication to hone their skills."—Jonathan B. Wight, author of Ethics in Economics and Saving Adam Smith
"The Craft of College Teaching is a treasure trove of practical advice and adaptable, student-centered strategies. Drawing on decades of classroom experience in a wide range of institutional contexts, this engaging book is a must for any teacher committed to helping students discover and explore their intellectual resourcefulness and practice their intellectual skills."—Donald McQuade, University of California, Berkeley
"The Craft of College Teaching is the best book on teaching that I have read. I predict that those who reflect on and employ these practices will find that their students are far more engaged in class and are also learning and retaining more."—Steven Brint, author of Two Cheers for Higher Education
"DiYanni and Borst weave together research on learning with a wealth of concrete teaching strategies, ideas about creative thinking from a range of sources, and lessons from their own experiences and those of their colleagues, all in a highly engaging form. If a new instructor could only have one resource, The Craft of College Teaching would be it."—Virginia Maurer, Harvard University
"Succinct and readable, The Craft of College Teaching provides much relevant information on how current undergraduate students learn most effectively and how teachers can more successfully engage their students."—Hephzibah Roskelly, coauthor of Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing
