A Book Suggestion for All GAs

I have a suggestion for a book that should be required reading not only for all teachers in all disciplines, but especially for incoming GAs at Missouri State University. It could be used either during training for first-year GAs, during ENG 603, or both. It is a text that spans the entire teaching profession and would act as an effective and concise guide for all novice instructors. In fact, it is required reading in ENG 670 (Teaching Technical Writing).

The book is Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers by Wilbert J. McKeachie, and it is currently in its twelfth edition, which should give you some idea as to its notoriety. McKeachie is an esteemed Professor of Psychology and former Director for the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan, where he has taught since 1949. In this tiny book (roughly the size of a trade paperback), McKeachie addresses nearly every facet of teaching and pays special attention to new instructors. The book has 26 brief chapters which cover everything from the first day of class to grading methods, ethics, and classroom diversity. I've included a brief list below of some of the content discussed in the text.

In addition to encompassing a wide range of teaching topics, McKeachie treats each topic concisely and provides examples from his and his colleagues' own experiences. It is an easy book to just sit down and read cover-to-cover, but it is also effective as a reference for specific issues one might have in the classroom (the "problem" student, effective lectures, cheating, etc.). I would highly recommend that every current GA take a look at Teaching Tips, and that the university should consider making it required reading for all incoming GAs in the future.

Topics Included (brief version):

• Course preparation and meeting a class for the first time
• Active learning and facilitating discussion
• Grading and testing
• Student psychology and cultural diversity
• Teaching with technology (A Cadle fave! :)
• Role of the teacher
• Ethics and the vitality and growth of the teacher

McKeachie, Wilbert J. Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.