We have received several new books on teaching in the Resource Room for University Teaching at CIDDE (3804 Forbes Avenue-across from the Beehive). Here are brief reviews of just two of these.
Diversity and Motivation: Culturally Responsive Teaching
Raymond Wlodkowski and Margery Ginsberg
Jossey-Bass, 1995
Wlodkowski and Ginsberg's Diversity and Motivation addresses the role that cultural factors play in motivating students. According to the authors, providing a culturally responsive teaching environment involves four primary components:
Establish inclusionWhen inclusion is established within the classroom, all learners will feel respected and connected to one another.
o Develop attitude Create a favorable disposition among learners toward the learning experience.
o Enhance meaning Expand, refine, and/or increase the complexity of what is being learned in a manner that matters to students. In order to do this, you must consider the values and purposes of your students.
o Engender competence Create an understanding for learners of how they can be effective in learning something of personal value in the classroom.
Throughout Diversity and Motivation, you are given theories and specific strategies for accomplishing each of the four objectives. Hypothetical situations provide examples of how you can appropriately deal with cultural tensions and disagreements that arise in the classroom.
Among other things, the authors emphasize ways to reach students whose primary language is not English, and they give suggestions on how to effectively meet each student's individual academic needs. You are encouraged to try out viable alternatives to the typical means of goal setting, research methods and assessment. These options allow students' perspectives and intrinsic values to be taken into consideration, motivating them to work to the best of their ability.
Teaching at a Distance with the Merging Technologies: An Instructional Systems Approach
Thomas E. Cyrs with Eugenia D. Conway
New Mexico State University, 1997
Have you visited the Web lately? Increasing numbers of "courses" are appearing on the Internet, and recent articles in the New York Times and the Washington Post emphasize that a major educational revolution is occurring with the increased implementation of distance education. They liken it to the transformation occurring in the health care industry. Thomas Cyrs debunks the myth of using technology as an easy or speedy alternative to face-to-face instruction. Employing an instructional systems approach, he reminds you of the foundations of good teaching: principles that apply in traditional settings as well as in distant modes. Cyrs guides you through the process of course planning and organization and goes on to describe with clear terms and examples how your course can be modified for effective learning at a distance. He then directs you through the intricacies of the various technologies, emphasizing the unique skills needed when you use interactive television or video courses, audioconferencing, or Internet based learning.
Stuck in a lecture mode? You will also discover a series of instructional methods that engage students in any kind of setting. Compare the standards embraced in Teaching at a Distance against the reality of the myriad online courses available today. You will conclude that some distant instructors need a mentor such as Cyrs to gently remind them of the precepts of good teaching.
Call 624-6592 to make an appointment to visit the Teaching Resources Room. Books are loaned out to members of the Pitt community.
Other new books include: