The Best Books for Teaching and Learning
The best books for teaching and learning include insights on neuroscience, biology, philosophy, psychology, and communication theory.
How Time and Space Converge to Evoke Walter Benjamin’s Aura
“The concept of aura which was proposed above with reference to historical objects may usefully be illustrated with reference to the aura of natural ones. We define aura of the latter as the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be. If, while resting on a summer afternoon, you follow with your eyes […]
Creativity in the Classroom: Knowing, Doing, and Making
“To be creative a person must exist and have a feeling of existing, not in conscious awareness, but as a basic place to operate from. Creativity is then the doing that arises out of being. It indicates that he who is, is alive.” D. W. Winnicott, Living Creatively Creativity in the classroom is not easy. […]
Make America Read Again: Take the Factory Model Out of Education 📚
“An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself.” ~Albert Camus In a 2009 interview with Reuters Magazine, Kanye West says, “I am a proud non-reader of books. I like to get information from doing stuff like actually talking to people and living real life,” which he ironically shares while on a tour promoting his own […]
Mark Edmundson on Becoming the Author’s Advocate, His Attorney for Explication and Defense
“The kind of teaching I part company with, the kind that seems to me most destructive to the freedom of self-making, is the kind that simply applies a standing set of terms to every text that comes to hand. These forms of teaching are a little like bad translation. Every work, alas, is rewritten in […]
One Sentence Reviews of the Best Reads of 2016
This year was full of half-read books, tons of audiobooks, and plenty of research. Out of the books I read and finished, these are the ones that made the cut. Below is this year’s list of one sentence reviews of the best reads of 2016. Check out previous years here: 2014 Winners 2015 Winners Professional […]
Teaching Strategies: 7 Habits of an Excellent Teacher
“The one exclusive sign of knowledge is thorough teaching.” Aristotle Teaching strategies are hit or miss, but these seven teaching strategies are tried and true and pretty easy to practice. These seven teaching habits of an excellent teacher are seven down-and-dirty tips for teaching college students. They are based on Chickering’s and Gamson’s “Seven Principles […]
Summer Reading List – Teacher’s Edition
I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” ~John Steinbeck Summer is here! Enter self-care, family time, and relaxation. […]
Thinking Critically – Stop Being a Lazy Thinker
Thinking critically is easier than you think, but it is rare. Professors, pastors, and politicians are not modeling what it means to think critically and it drives me crazy. Once in a while, I’m going to write to you, my reader, out of frustration. Today is that day. I am tired of being surrounded with […]
Why Books are the Best Travel Souvenir
I want to share a glimpse of the globe-trotting adventures with my oldest daugther today. I teach internationally with many amazing and bright young minds all over the world. I am always looking for ways to encourage a love of reading and learning. Find out why books can be the best travel souvenir you can possibly bring […]
Goal Setting for Book Lovers
I am a goal setter and find this helps me more than anything else to stay on track with reading. If you’ve ever trained for a marathon, then you know the importance of varying your routine while staying disciplined. And the most important thing is to make a little bit of progress everyday, so following […]