GREEN BAY — Seven University of Wisconsin-Green Bay professors contributed to a new book that showcases the rich diversity of thinking styles across disciplines and aims to enhance teaching effectiveness.
The book, “Exploring Signature Pedagogies: Approaches to Teaching Disciplinary Habits of Minds,” looks to put more tools in teachers’ tool boxes, said Prof. Regan A. R. Gurung, the book’s lead editor and contributing author.
With chapters covering various teaching disciplines, the book helps readers think outside their normal area of expertise.
“What is it like to think like a historian, or a psychologist, or a biologist,” Gurung said. “It’s a great summary of the best practices for teaching and learning different disciplines.”
“Exploring Signature Pedagogies,” published in early October by Stylus Publishing, has chapters written by six other UW-Green Bay professors—Prof. Aeron Haynie, Humanistic Studies; Prof. Denise S. Bartell, Human Development; Prof. Angela Bauer-Dantoin, Human Biology; Prof. Rebecca Meacham, Humanistic Studies; Prof. Kristin M. Vespia, Human Development; and Prof. David J. Voelker, Humanistic Studies. Gurung, professor of Human Development, and Haynie, were two of the book’s editors. (Nancy Chick, of UW Colleges, was a co-editor.)
The book is compiled entirely of chapters written by professors from within the UW System.
“I put out the call two years ago to all the UW System teaching scholars and teaching fellows,” Gurung said. “The writing of this book has been a good collaboration with Wisconsin’s teaching scholar program.
“The number of chapters over different disciplines represented by UW-Green Bay professors says a lot about our interdisciplinary program here, with contributors who are experts in humanities, social sciences and earth sciences.”
Reviewers have called the book, “a remarkable achievement that is sure to find its way onto everyone’s short shelf of essential books on teaching and learning.” (Lendol Calder, associate professor of history at Augustana College).
“What does it mean to think like a historian? Like a mathematician? Like a sociologist? The engaging essays in this extraordinary book pull back the curtain on 20 years of work on college and university teaching in 14 disciplines, and highlight innovations that are turning classrooms, labs and field sites into spaces where students practice what in earlier days professors simply preached.” (Mary Taylor Huber, senior scholar, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching).
Gurung used a simple analogy to describe the 304-page book.
“If you’re a carpenter and only know how to use a hammer, there are some jobs you can’t do because a hammer won’t be the right tool for the job. This book shows there are different teaching tools and ways to gain knowledge and solve problems. The more teachers learn about them, the more they can use them to their benefit and to the students’ benefit, which is more important.”
“Exploring Signature Pedagogies: Approaches to Teaching Disciplinary Habits of Minds” is available for purchase online at www.Styluspub.com. Hardcover copies are $79.95. Paperback versions are $29.95.
For more visit the publisher’s Web site.
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