Asian senior woman reading book drinking coffee in sunny park

Summer reading list to inspire and reenergize your teaching

The summer season is just around the corner. What’s on your “to do” list? Have you been dreaming about dipping your toes in the sand at the beach, enjoying a breezy evening in a mountain getaway, pulling weeds in those neglected gardens, or prioritizing your well-being and self-care? It seems that everyone is craving a way to reenergize their body, mind, and soul. Why not put reading on your list! The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) team collaborated with Alissa Droog of the NIU Library team to develop a list of Summer Reading Suggestions for Faculty. CITL has selected 6 books that will be featured in fall 2021 book chats. Grab one, two, or all of the books to inspire your teaching while enjoying the summer break. Dates of book chats will be published in the fall. Enjoy!

Check out the books that will be featured in fall 2021 CITL book chats (excerpts from the book covers and publisher descriptions):

Creating Wicked Students book coverCreating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World by Paul Hanstedt

“Paul Handstedt argues that courses can and should be designed to present students with what are known as wicked problems because developing the skills to deal with such knotty problems will better prepare them for life after college…book is centered on the idea that the goal in the college classroom is to develop students who are not only loaded with content but also capable of using that content in thoughtful, deliberate ways.”

Geeky Pedagogy Book CoverGeeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to be Effective Teachers by Jessamyn Neuhaus

“Geeky Pedagogy is a funny, evidence-based, multidisciplinary, pragmatic, highly readable guide to the process of learning and relearning how to be an effective college teacher. It is the first college teaching guide that encourages faculty to embrace their inner nerd, inviting readers to view themselves and their teaching work in light of contemporary discourse that celebrates increasingly diverse geek culture and explores stereotypes about super-smart introverts.”

the missing course book coverThe Missing Course by David Gooblar

“There has been a revolution in teaching and learning over the past generation and we now have a whole new understanding of how the brain works and how students learn. But most academics have neither the time nor the resources to catch up on the latest research or train themselves to be excellent teachers. The Missing Course offers scholars at all levels a field guide to the state of the art in teaching and learning and is packed with invaluable insights to help students learn in any discipline.”

Is everyone really equal book coverIs Everyone Really Equal? : An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education by Özlem Sensoy and Robin J. DiAngelo

“Based on the authors’ extensive experience in a range of settings in the United States and Canada, the book addresses the most common stumbling blocks to understanding social justice. This comprehensive resource includes new features such as a chapter on intersectionality and classism; discussion of contemporary activism (Black Lives Matter, Occupy, and Idle No More); material on White Settler societies and colonialism; pedagogical supports related to ‘common social patterns’ and ‘vocabulary to practice using’; and extensive updates throughout.”

The Spark of Learning book coverThe Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion by Sarah Rose Cavanagh

“Historically we have constructed our classrooms with the assumption that learning is a dry, staid affair best conducted in quiet tones and ruled by an unemotional consideration of the facts. The field of education, however, is beginning to awaken to the potential power of emotions to fuel learning, informed by contributions from psychology and neuroscience. In friendly, readable prose, Sarah Rose Cavanagh argues that if you as an educator want to capture your students’ attention, harness their working memory, bolster their long-term retention, and enhance their motivation, you should consider the emotional impact of your teaching style and course design.”

From equity talk to equity walk book coverFrom Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education by Tia Brown McNair, Estela Mara Bensimon, and Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux

“Colleges and universities have placed greater emphasis on education equity in recent years. Acknowledging the changing realities and increasing demands placed on contemporary postsecondary education, this book meets educators where they are and offers an effective design framework for what it means to move beyond equity being a buzzword in higher education.” This text “presents academic administrators and staff with advice on building an equity-minded campus culture, aligning strategic priorities and institutional missions to advance equity, understanding equity-minded data analysis, developing campus strategies for making excellence inclusive, and moving from a first-generation equity educator to an equity-minded practitioner.”

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