Faculty Reading Groups

2024 SPRING FACULTY & TA READING GROUPS

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching is offering the following three faculty and two graduate student (TA) reading groups this semester. Each group will meet once a week for three weeks to discuss the books in sections. We hope you can join us! Please register here.

How Learning Works: Eight Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching
How Learning Works: Eight Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching

Thursdays: 2/1, 2/8, 2/15
2:00–3:30 p.m. in 432 DIF
Print copy, delivered through interoffice mail

The newly updated edition of this important book translates decades of scientific literature into practical advice, introducing eight general principles of how people learn. The authors draw on cognitive, developmental, and social psychology, as well as educational research, anthropology, etc. The discussion spans issues from memory to motivation, integrating theory with real classroom examples. Participants will develop strategies for strengthening their own teaching through the application of these principles.

Click here to explore the book.

Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom
Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom

Fridays: 2/9, 2/16, 2/23
2:00–3:30 p.m. in 432 DIF
Print copy, delivered through interoffice mail

The newly revised third edition of John Bean’s best-selling classic will be the foundation of this reading group, in which we will discuss using writing as a mode of teaching and learning in any course. From formal writing projects to informal classroom activities, we will explore the ways writing can be used to help students improve as critical thinkers and effective communicators. Then, we will make plans to apply strategies Bean and Melzer describe in this new edition to enhancing writing instruction and active learning in our own courses.

Click here to explore the book.

Creating the Path to Success in the Classroom
Creating the Path to Success in the Classroom

Fridays: 2/23, 3/1, 3/8
11:00–12:30 p.m. in Dirac Conference Room
Print copy, delivered through interoffice mail

Over the past few decades, extensive research has shown that we can enhance student learning by adjusting our teaching practices and the ways we structure our courses. But where do we start? Kathleen Gabriel’s book provides practical strategies for building our courses to ensure that more students learn more and more deeply. Gabriel offers concrete steps we can take to enhance student motivation, structure class time effectively, prompt critical thinking, design effective assignments, and create classroom climates that promote learning.

Click here to explore the book.

Learner-Centered Teaching: Putting the Research on Learning into Practice
Learner-Centered Teaching: Putting the Research on Learning into Practice

Fridays: 2/2, 2/9, 2/16
11:00–12:30 p.m. in Dirac Conference Room
E-book, available for free through FSU’s libraries
Note: This group is for graduate students only.

Recent decades have brought a wealth of research on learning and cognition. These developments are gradually making their way into work on best practices for the college classroom. Doyle’s Learner-Centered Teaching is a practical, comprehensive guide to strategies for making effective use of the research. When we adjust our classroom focus from teaching to learning, we make our own work more gratifying, and we can enhance our students’ learning experience as well as their mastery of material. In this group, graduate teaching assistants will discuss Doyle’s text and specific strategies and activities for enriching our own classrooms.

Click here to explore the book.

Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College
Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College

Thursdays: 2/1, 2/8, 2/15
11:00–12:30 p.m. in 432 DIF
E-book, available for free through FSU’s libraries
Note: This group is for graduate students only.

Peter Felten and Leo M. Lambert argue that education is not merely a series of transactions, but instead an opportunity for students to form a web of meaningful relationships that are vital not only to their academic success but also to their sense of belonging and self-discovery. They explain that social connection and belonging are not just pleasant extras in college, but prerequisites for learning, especially for powerful learning. The book provides examples and strategies for how institutions can foster richer learning environments, and the reading group will discuss ways we can shape our teaching to cultivate community and connection in our classrooms.

Click here to explore the book.


Looking for great books about college teaching? You can explore our archive of past reading group selections here.