Suggested Readings

As many TBL papers as you want to read…at ERIC.gov

Jim’s Important Papers to Read

• ABOUT TEAM TASKS: Roberson, B., & Franchini, B. (2014). Effective task design for the TBL classroom. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25(3&4), 275-302.
• ABOUT TBL – Our Radical Shift in Teaching Strategy: A Tale of Two Criminal Justice Professors Who Cured Student Apathy by Shawn Bushway, Janet Stamatel, and Bill Roberson
• ABOUT ACTIVE LEARNING – Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses by Richard R. Hake
• ABOUT ACTIVE LEARNING – Improved Learning in a Large-Enrollment Physics Class by Louis Deslauriers,  Ellen Schelew, and Carl Wieman
• MTYHS ABOUT LECTURING – Twenty Terrible Reasons to Lecture by Graham Gibbs
• ORDER OF INSTRUCTION – A Time For Telling by Daniel L. Schwartz; John D. Bransford
• ABOUT MCQ’s – Multiple-Choice Tests Exonerated, at Least of Some Charges: Fostering Test-Induced Learning and Avoiding Test-Induced Forgetting by Jeri L. Little, Elizabeth Bjork, Robert A. Bjork, and Genna Angello
• ABOUT TEAM FORMATION – Assigning Students to Groups for Engineering Design Projects: A Comparison of Five Methods by Brickell, J.L., Porter, D.B., Reynolds, M.F., Cosgrove, R.D.

Jim’s Recommended Books about Teaching

Teaching for Quality Learning at University – John Biggs and Catherine Tagg

Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses
by L. Dee Fink

This is my favourite course design book. It is comprehensive and very complete. It will open your eyes to the possibilities of creating extraordinary learning experiences. I love Dee’s assertion….if you are not thinking about what your students will remember 5 years after your course…you are not having high enough course design aspirations.

Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice
by Maryellen Weimer

I love Maryellen’s writing. The book eloquently examines what she describes as the 5 pillars of the learner-centered classroom. I found her discussions about the power relationship in the classroom – most fascinating.

The Art Of Focused Conversation
by R. Brian Stanfield

The real testament to this book, is in spite of being on my bookshelf for years, I still get it out a few times a year and  use it to plan thoughtful discussions and facilitations using its powerful ORID model.

Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers
by Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross

This book helped with my first foray’s into making the classroom active. The book presents a practical set of recipes to assess how student learning is progressing from the simple “think-pair-share” to more complexity activities like the “learning matrix”. It highlights the difficulty of the activity, both in preparation and classroom implementation. This is another book on my shelf that keeps getting consulted year after year after year.

Other Books I Like

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by Brene Brown

Only by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable can we be truly free and strong. We often spend much of our vital life energy maintaining our outward personas. Its only be allowing ourselves to be vulnerable – to let the world see all of us – that we can get back and use this life force. A great read and an even better re-read.

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
by David Eagleman

A very interesting book that highlights how much our sub-concious does and how often the conscious part of our brain takes credit.

To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
by Daniel H. Pink

A very interesting book that reminds us that we are all trying to sell something. Whether its inspiring your colleagues to contribute to a project, hoping that the client will like your idea or convincing the people around you to support your cause. The book has a number of important take-aways, to help us sell better.

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
by Christopher Vogler and Michele Montez

The book very thoughtfully highlights the use of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey in stories all around us.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
by Carol Dweck

I love Carol’s work. This book highlight her interesting findings about mindset, whether we believe in a fixed view of intelligence or a malleable/growth view of intelligence. Which mindset you have controls both how you engage with difficult tasks and how you are affected by failures. Very worthwhile read.

Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds
by Carmine Gallo