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Want to become a Teaching & Learning Scholar? Start here.
How People Learn (1999), published by the National Research Council. If you haven't read anything on the topic, this is really where you should start as it provides an excellent overview about learning and is fairly up-to-date. I've read this one several
times and each time I get something new out of it. The entire text is available as an eBook (so no budget excuses) or, of course, it's also available at many bookstores
on the Internet.
Click here for the executive summary.
Cognitive Development and Learning in Instructional Contexts (2007), by James P. Byrnes. Wow! I've only read three chapters (the first two chapters and the chapter on math) and I can't wait to find the time to read the rest. I've actually got the
2nd edition of the book - it's about to go into the 3rd edition. This is absolutely the best resource I've found (backed by research) to explain in simple language (but using the correct
terminology, how learning takes place.
The Glass Wall (2002), by Frank Smith. I've used this book in conjunction with my Math for Elementary Teachers class for a number of years now. It provides some good insights into how the language of mathematics can make its so difficult for some students
to learn. Some of it is a bit abstract and there are a few technical details that are off in this book, but overall, the ideas are good and it is readable for college students. The
more years I've used it, the more insights we have had in the classroom about what makes mathematics difficult, and for that reason, I'm listing it as a good read. Click here
for more information.
The National Center for Academic Transformation is, according to their website, an "independent, not-for-profit organization that provides leadership
in using information technology to redesign learning environments to produce better learning outcomes for students at a reduced cost to the institution." They have a GREAT emailed newsletter (free) called "The Learning
Marketplace" As I find interesting math related articles from
this newsletter, I'll post them in a list here:
- Math Lectures: An Oxymoron?
(July 2007) This is a link to a recent "viewpoint" from the National Center for Academic Transformation about math course redesign. The article was very informative and discusses where mathematics falls in the "Five Models for Course Redesign."
Innovation Abstracts: Short weekly publication (only published during the academic year) with articles written by instructors about
innovative teaching techniques. These are not often about mathematics, but I have adapted several techniques from these articles for use in the math classroom. To read my September 22, 2006 article "Back to the Board" in Innovation Abstracts, click here.
My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student (2006), by Rebekah Nathan. A friend recommended this one and I polished it off this weekend. A 50-something female anthropology professor registers as a Freshman at her university and conducts
a qualitative research study on the "Freshman Experience." Although the book focuses on the experience of 4-year Freshman (and so involved dorm life),
the insights about the way students spend their time and how they view coursework are (I think) valid for 2-year students as well. This was an easy, interesting, and enlightening read. Click
here for the Amazon.com link. You can read the USA Today article about this book here. Note:
This is probably not how you want to spend your sabbatical unless you are an anthropology professor. Do you think we can get her to register at a
community college for her next sabbatical?
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