Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors, 4th Edition

by Linda B. Nilson

The classic teaching toolbox, updated with new research and ideas Teaching at Its Best is the bestselling, research-based toolbox for college instructors at any level, in any higher education setting. Packed with practical guidance, proven techniques, and expert perspectives, this book helps instructors improve student learning both face-to-face and online. This new fourth edition features five new chapters on building critical thinking into course design, creating a welcoming classroom environment, helping students learn how to learn, giving and receiving feedback, and teaching in multiple modes, along with the latest research and new questions to facilitate faculty discussion. Topics include new coverage of the flipped classroom, cutting-edge technologies, self-regulated learning, the mental processes involved in learning and memory, and more, in the accessible format and easy-to-understand style that has made this book a much-valued resource among college faculty. Good instructors are always looking for ways to improve student learning. With college classrooms becoming increasingly varied by age, ability, and experience, the need for fresh ideas and techniques has never been greater. This book provides a wealth of research-backed practices that apply across the board. Given the ever-growing body of research on student learning, faculty now have many more choices of effective teaching strategies than they used to have, along with many more ways to achieve excellence in the classroom. Teaching at Its Best is an invaluable toolbox for refreshing your approach, and providing the exceptional education your students deserve.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction, Textbooks, School

408 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 1998

Reviews

[sdw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely do I order a book through interlibrary loan and decide to purchase it. This is a book I want to have on my shelf. The book incorporates the latest studies on how students learn into suggestions for how to run your classroom. It need not be read from beginning to end. Instead you can flip to the appropriate chapter for a refresher or for new information: "Course Coordination Between Faculty and TAs" "Making the Most of Office Hours" "Making the Lecture a Learning Experience" "Getting Your Students to Do the Reading." This book covers many more useful and applicable subjects than listed above.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource. Answers more questions than I had about making college classrooms more engaging and learner-focused. If I had the paper copy, it would have dogears; kindle doesn't really let useful books look well-used.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quickly becoming one of my favorite general sources on a wide variety of teaching issues. Best thing about Nilson is that she relies on research for all of her recommendations. And, not surprisingly, faculty (trained in research) are much more likely to follow recommendations that are based on careful studies. But beyond the solidity of the research, Nilson's essays are all short, to-the-point, easily navigable, well-organized, and clearly written. Nice job Linda!

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough, well-organised and endlessly useful not only for her near-exhaustive citation of seminal theories and the latest research, but for the many examples and insights that demonstrate the broad application of the concepts she shares.

I read this book because it was well-reviewed to begin with, so all I can do is add my voice to say this book is worth a read for any aspiring or early career educators.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has no training in pedagogy, this was perfect. There are case studies in many domains (science, math, liberal arts, etc) and this blends evidence-based research on learning with practical application to common problems in the classroom. I could not recommend this book more highly for new TAs or graduate students who are new to teaching.

[Anahiz]

This is a book about academia and teaching writing rather than a piece of creative writing, and I had to read it for my teaching practicum class, so I'm not going to rate it. But I will say that it was very informative for those who are interested in academia. However, I did find it to be a bit disorganized, repetitive, and frankly boring at times.

[Elisha Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book that I was assigned for a course. Nilson goes in-depth. This is a textbook for sure. But she covered a lot of ground and did so with short chapters and important information. I learned a lot as I read through the book and I have already been able to apply things that she encouraged. It's great for practicality and thinking about designing a course.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for thinking through how to improve teaching skills. It deserves five stars for books within the field of teaching. However, the topic of how to teach better is not the most gripping.

[John Dube · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid resource on teaching. As a pastor/teacher, I appreciate learning about teaching from the “teaching” perspective over/against the “preaching” perspective. Obviously, lots of overlap. I believe a resource like this one might be a great help in seminary preaching classes.

[Leigh]

More of a reference text than one that is useful to read thoroughly. Plenty of info but I'm more interested in reading teaching work that's written from a specific point of view rather than generalized info. Might come back to this at another point.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for new teachers. Very practical and thoughtful.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text was really useful in designing an undergraduate course that aims to limit lectures and engage students in discussions and classroom activities.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for school but actually did really like this one

[itsumoAoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a really handful book for teaching. undoubtedly there will many times i turn on its pages over and over again :D it covers "from top to toe" - about teaching at college. from the basic knowledge of pedagogy to detailed teaching techniques at class. from the definition of Bloom taxonomy to - even - how to control our pitch voice in class. it also offers solutions to common problems potential found in class - from cheating to learning style of students. it is also updated research based - teaching book. no wonder many readers gave 5 stars this book. two thumbs up

[Kaye Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this book to teachers interested in teaching reflectively, and who believe they can always teach better. I teach future teachers and will suggest they start reading this long before they set foot in their first classroom. Maybe if non-teachers read this, they could get a better sense of just how complex good teaching is and understand that teachers are true professionals--and that technological shortcuts will only shortchange students.

[Jeff Jacot · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the last section, on preparing a teaching statement and dossier, is great for anybody making their full tenure dossier. Otherwise, this book covers everything without much comment or analysis of the research behind it.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

2015 Reading Challenge - #14: a non-fiction book.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on teaching! Highly recommend! I refer to it often

[Milkiways · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every educator and scientific communicator must have this books. Very well written, easy to follow, filled with intellect and empathy.