Book Clubs

by Lewis D. Ludwig and Todd D. Zakrajsek

About the book club:

Summer can be a great time to pause, reflect on what we have been experiencing as educators, and think about what we would like to do differently. Join our summer book club to explore teaching and learning in the context of AI while striving to maintain evidence-based inclusive teaching practices. 

The authors are both STEM faculty. One is a mathematics professor, one an adjunct in family medicine. They come to this conversation not as “AI evangelists” but as educators who have been doing this work for a long time and are asking genuinely: where does what we already know meet this new(ish) reality? Where does AI disrupt our practice, and where might it actually enhance it? And how do the educational frameworks we know, e.g., backward design, TILT, UDL hold up?

We will read, discuss, and solve all of higher education's issues about AI together… OK, fine. We probably won't probably get to that, but we will try to figure out a more hopeful path forward together.

Outcomes:

• Identify connections between evidence-based teaching frameworks and emerging AI integrated practices

• Reflect on teaching practices and ways in which they can be modified in the upcoming year

• Facilitate a collegial discussion on a challenging topic

Deliverable: Each participant will be responsible for facilitating a discussion around one of the book’s chapters. Participants will be provided a guide and a shared space, and you'll be the one who comes in with questions and insights to move our conversation in any way that gets us thinking and talking.

by Cathy N. Davidson and Christina Katopodis

About the book club:

Why is this a 'magical' book club?

Because you don't need to read the whole book! The way the club will be set up is that each participant commits to reading the introduction, conclusion and one chapter of your choice (on which you help co-facilitate discussion). Through this model of rotating discussion leaders and having each participant focus on delving deep into one chapter then sharing out, we all get to experience the magic of the entire book without needing to spend as much time as we otherwise would. Plus, any time Highline faculty get together to discuss teaching, magic is made :)

Why The New College Classroom?

Davidson and Katopodis translate cutting-edge research in learning science and pedagogy into ready-to-use strategies to incorporate into any course. This is not a book about learning all the theories of teaching! It is written in a fun, conversational style and has suggested activities in every single chapter with practical tips on how to implement and time needed. The book covers a broad range of topics and has a nice balance between inspiration and anecdotes (how can we change ourselves, and our classrooms) and evidence-driven activities (think a recipe book for making learning more effective and engaging). Chapter titles include: Structuring Active Learning, Before the First Class, The First Class, Democratic and Antiracist Pedagogy, Group Work Without the Groans, Feedback That Really Works, Grades—Ugh!, and What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

This is a book that challenges us to grow and provides the means to do so, an idea very much captured by one of the quotes in the book: "Engaged pedagogy does not seek simply to empower students. Any classroom that employs a holistic model of learning will also be a place where teachers grow, and are empowered by the process." - Bell Hooks

Why join the Magical Book Club?

• You get a free book! The New College Classroom by Cathy N. Davidson and Christina Katopodis, two of the world’s foremost innovators in higher education.

• Focus on practical strategies. Learn specific evidence-based, inclusive teaching practices and come away with quick ready-to-implement activities that you can try out in your classes. 

• Community. Feeling siloed or isolated? This is a chance to have some teaching conversations in a relaxed atmosphere with faculty across different disciplines who all come with different approaches and experiences.

• Honest conversations. We won’t just talk about ideal scenarios but also what to do when things go wrong, challenges we face such as burnout and needing to cover a lot of content, and why inclusive and anti-racist teaching is hard.

• Inspiration. The ultimate goal is for everyone to leave feeling affirmed, validated and having ideas on new things to try. Whether these ideas come from the book or each other does not matter. Our goal is simply to be inspired to try something new.

What are you committing to?

1. Read the introduction and conclusion of the book.

2. Read one chapter of the book and co-facilitate a discussion on that chapter. Guidance and help will be provided though individual creativity is encouraged.

3. Attend weekly meetings in fall and winter. The book has 12 chapters so we will do 5 chapters in fall and 7 in winter. The book club will be flexible and proceed based on the needs of participants. If necessary, chocolate will be provided as therapy :)