Tools for Teaching

This is the long-awaited update on the bestselling book that offers a practical, accessible reference manual for faculty in any discipline. This new edition contains up-to-date information on technology as well as expanding on the ideas and strategies presented in the first edition. It includes more than sixty-one chapters designed to improve the teaching of beginning, mid-career, or senior faculty members. The topics cover both traditional tasks of teaching as well as broader concerns, such as diversity and inclusion in the classroom and technology in educational settings.

Table of Contents:
Preface vii Credits xiv The Author xv PART I: GETTING UNDER WAY 1 1 Designing or Revising a Course 3 2 The Comprehensive Course Syllabus 21 3 The First Days of Class 37 4 Classroom Conduct and Decorum 48 PART II: RESPONDING TO A CHANGING STUDENT BODY 55 5 Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom 57 6 Students with Disabilities 72 7 Reentry and Transfer Students 85 8 Teaching Academically Diverse Students 90 PART III: DISCUSSION STRATEGIES 95 9 Leading a Discussion 97 10 Encouraging Student Participation in Discussion 106 11 Online Discussions 112 12 Asking Questions 118 13 Fielding Students’ Questions 127 PART IV: THE LARGE-ENROLLMENT COURSE 133 14 Preparing to Teach the Large-Enrollment Course 135 15 Delivering a Lecture 148 16 Explaining Clearly 157 17 Personalizing the Large-Enrollment Course 162 18 Encouraging Student Participation in the Large-Enrollment Course 168 19 Maintaining Instructional Quality with Limited Resources 174 PART V: ALTERNATIVES AND SUPPLEMENTS TO LECTURES AND DISCUSSION 179 20 Web 2.0 181 21 Learning in Groups 190 22 Informal Group Learning Activities 207 23 Formal Group Learning Activities 214 24 Case Studies 222 25 Simulations: Role Playing, Games, and Virtual Worlds 229 26 Service Learning and Civic Engagement 233 27 Undergraduate Research 244 28 Guest Speakers 251 PART VI: ENHANCING STUDENTS’ LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 257 29 Helping Students Learn 259 30 Learning Styles and Preferences 273 31 Motivating Students 278 32 Informally Assessing Students’ Learning 290 33 Mobile Learning 298 PART VII: STRENGTHENING STUDENTS’ WRITING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS 303 34 Helping Students Write Better in All Courses 305 35 Designing Effective Writing Assignments 314 36 Evaluating Students’ Written Work 325 37 Homework: Problem Sets 335 PART VIII: TESTING AND GRADING 343 38 Promoting Academic Honesty 345 39 Quizzes, Tests, and Exams 362 40 Allaying Students’ Anxieties about Tests 375 41 Multiple-Choice and Matching Tests 390 42 Short-Answer and Essay Tests 401 43 Grading Practices 409 44 Calculating and Assigning Grades 419 PART IX: PRESENTATION TECHNOLOGIES 431 45 Flipcharts 433 46 Chalkboards and Whiteboards 436 47 Interactive Whiteboards 441 48 Overhead Projection 443 49 Slide Shows 447 50 Video Recordings and Clips 450 51 PowerPoint Presentations 453 PART X: EVALUATION TO IMPROVE TEACHING 459 52 Early Feedback to Improve Teaching and Learning 461 53 Video Recordings and Classroom Observations 472 54 The Teaching Portfolio 481 PART XI: TEACHING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM 489 55 Holding Office Hours 491 56 E-mail, Text Messages, and Instant Messages 497 57 Academic Advising and Mentoring Undergraduates 504 58 Guiding, Training, Supervising, and Mentoring Graduate Student Instructors 517 PART XII: FINISHING UP 527 59 The Last Days of Class 529 60 Student Rating Forms 534 61 Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students 551 Index 557

About the Author :
THE AUTHOR Barbara Gross Davis is assistant vice provost for undergraduate education at the University of California at Berkeley. Her areas of interest include teaching, learning, and evaluation in higher education.

Review :
"Her advice is well grounded in research and consistently reflects best practices. Whereas some books in this area reflect the author's experiences or received wisdom, Davis draws on recent scholarship of teaching and learning to support her assertions. There are many strengths to this book. First, it is helpfully organized as a reference guide. Readers can consult chapters as needed and do not have to read it from cover to cover. It is easy to find targeted suggestions to enhance performance or remedy a problem in a specific area. Moreover, Davis writes concisely and in very practical terms. Second, Tools for Teaching is applicable to a wide range of audiences across disciplines and experience levels. In sum, this updated edition of Tools for Teaching is a thorough compendium of effective teaching practices. If I were to select only one book to give to a colleague or graduate student to help him or her teach, it would be this text." --American Psychological Association PsycCritiques Vol 54, Release 43, Article 9 (October 28, 2009)