The Craft of College Teaching: A Practical Guide

by Robert DiYanni, Anton Borst

The essential how-to guide to successful college teaching and learning

The college classroom is a place where students have the opportunity to be transformed and inspired through learning--but teachers need to understand how students actually learn. Robert DiYanni and Anton Borst provide an accessible, hands-on guide to the craft of college teaching, giving instructors the practical tools they need to help students achieve not only academic success but also meaningful learning to last a lifetime.

The Craft of College Teaching explains what to teach--emphasizing concepts and their relationships, not just isolated facts--as well as how to teach using active learning strategies that engage students through problems, case studies and scenarios, and practice reinforced by constructive feedback. The book tells how to motivate students, run productive discussions, create engaging lectures, use technology effectively, and much more. Interludes between chapters illustrate common challenges, including what to do on the first and last days of class and how to deal with student embarrassment, manage group work, and mentor students effectively. There are also plenty of questions and activities at the end of each chapter.

Blending the latest research with practical techniques that really work, this easy-to-use guide draws on DiYanni and Borst's experience as professors, faculty consultants, and workshop leaders. Proven in the classroom and the workshop arena, The Craft of College Teaching is an essential resource for new instructors and seasoned pros alike.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Teaching

232 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2020

About the author

Robert DiYanni is an adjunct professor of humanities and an instructional consultant at the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at New York University. In these capacities he teaches courses on critical thinking, interdisciplinary humanities, commerce and culture, and business and its publics, and conducts workshops and consultations with faculty throughout the university on aspects of pedagogical practice. Before coming to NYU, Dr. DiYanni taught at Queens College and Pace University and as a visiting professor at Harvard. He also served, for ten years, as Director of International Services at The College Board.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to college teaching for those who are just getting into it, and it can serve as a refresher for those who may feel that their teaching is getting a bit stale. The section that I liked the most was one about metaphors of teaching that asks educators to think of metaphors that describe the essence of their concept of teaching. For example, do you see teaching as a dance, a performance, or wrestling? Do you think of your teaching as ministering, collaborating, subverting, conversing, inspiring, and so on? By thinking about the metaphor of your teaching style, that can help you plan your syllabi and lessons in a way that suits your teaching style.

[holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's lots of concrete examples and methodologies in here, which is fantastic! It's worthwhile as a starter book. It serves the purpose of informing new teachers (or professors needing to rework their pedagogies from scratch) where to start, what to avoid, what to keep in mind, how to engage and respect students. It doesn't push barriers like Freire or hooks, but I don't think it was meant to - I think as a level 1 resource for new teachers, or experienced professors who aren't hitting home with their students, it's great, and maybe essential. You have to know the basics to break them, right? Once you have these concepts under control, though, move on to transgressive and liberatory pedagogy.

[Ryan Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing amazing, but a useful review of ways to think about teaching.

[Joshua Byerly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very helpful chapters!