What makes a great teacher great? Who are the professors students remember long after graduation? This book, the conclusion of a fifteen-year study of nearly one hundred college teachers in a wide variety of fields and universities, offers valuable answers for all educators.
The short answer is--it's not what teachers do, it's what they understand. Lesson plans and lecture notes matter less than the special way teachers comprehend the subject and value human learning. Whether historians or physicists, in El Paso or St. Paul, the best teachers know their subjects inside and out--but they also know how to engage and challenge students and to provoke impassioned responses. Most of all, they believe two things fervently: that teaching matters and that students can learn.
In stories both humorous and touching, Bain describes examples of ingenuity and compassion, of students' discoveries of new ideas and the depth of their own potential. What the Best College Teachers Do is a treasure trove of insight and inspiration for first-year teachers and seasoned educators.
Should be required reading for professors October 7, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Over the past fifteen years, research and writing on the subject of college teaching has accelerated at a rapid pace. Every year passing seems to bring excellent publications worthy of a high ranking on any reading list for new faculty and their more seasoned colleagues. At the top of my list is Ken Bain's, What the Best College Teacher's Do (Harvard University Press, 2004). This is a wonderful book -- a must read for new faculty. It might also surprise and motivate even the most experienced professors.
Great transaction! September 28, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The book arrived in a timely manner and was in exactly the condition described. I recommend this seller.
What the Best College Teachers Do September 15, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've ordered this book frequently as it is popular for various workshops given by our center, which is part of a university in the Midwest.
A Book for After You're the Best September 10, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a relatively new college instructor I've been absorbing many of these books on the best teaching methods. But there is an undeniable pattern in the genre, in that these books reflect the ideal world achieved by veteran professors who have gained the opportunity to experiment with small classes in elite institutions with open-minded administrators. Those of us without those luxuries are still waiting for our own comprehensive guide to college teaching - not just from the book market but sometimes from our own departments.
As is usual in books of this nature, we learn the best methods for teaching the best students in receptive college environments that allow for personalized strategies. But grittier realities like large classes in auditoriums, taught by instructors faced with unyielding departmental requirements and the oversight of old-school administrators (and maybe even governments for public universities), are treated as exceptions, regardless of the fact that most college students and instructors start out in these environments.
Granted, Ken Bain does a pretty good job discussing the latest theories of teaching and offering exemplary war stories from the best professors at elite institutions. Much of the book is actually quite informative for those interested in the latest pedagogical theories. But the unfortunate trends of the genre keep damaging this book's true usefulness for a major percentage of its intended audience. Items of interest for less pampered college instructors pop up occasionally and briefly, like a single subsection in Chapter 5 on how to use your voice in a lecture hall, but the book keeps collapsing into buzzwords and new-age ideals like "learning-based approach" and "critical learning environment." Bain also continuously tells us how great it is for professors to accept late assignments, offer take-home exams, or treat students to dinner every week, as if his entire audience has such flexibility.
These methods may well improve student learning if you have the opportunity, but like many of his fellow experts Bain forgot that most of his audience does not enjoy the luxuries enjoyed by the professors studied herein. I plan to be in that stratosphere someday, with my own Chair in a department that offers me free rein in small classes with ultra-modern conveniences. When most of my colleagues and I get to that point, we might finally be in the audience for typical books like this on how to teach college. [~doomsdayer520~]
An Amazing Book June 27, 2008 3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is excellent for all teachers, in grades K-12, not just college teachers. It gets at the essential elements of great teaching and teachers. I have given it to many of the teachers at my school.
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