1. Upcoming Book Talk Panel Discussions
Upcoming Booktalk Panel Discussions
2009-2010
October 2009: Engaging Ideas. John Bean’s premier guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the college classroom.
November 2009: A Whole New Mind. Dan Pink, chief speechwriter for former vice-president Al Gore, has crafted a profound read to guide your adjustment to expanding your right brain if you plan to survive and prosper in the Western world.
December 2009: Talent is Overrated. Geoff Colvin offers evidence that top performers in any field--from Tiger Woods and Winston Churchill to Warren Buffett and Jack Welch--are not determined by their inborn talents. Colvin suggests greatness doesn’t come from DNA but from practice and perseverance honed over decades.
January 2010: Hot, Flat, and Crowded. Thomas Friedman’s provocative look at two major national problems: our surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11 and the global environmental crisis.
February 2010: Lost in Meritocracy. In this hilarious memoir, Kirn recounts the ways that the American educational rat race betrayed him. He ends up miserable at Princeton, bullied by his rich roommates and ashamed of his Minnesota upbringing. He majors in English because it sounds like something he already knows and applies for a Rhodes scholarship while high on speed.
Closing Time. James Mc Manus’ engaging memoir of Irish life in America—on par with Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes
March 2010: Enhancing Learning through Formative Assessment and Feedback. This book is based on the argument that detailed and developmental formative feedback is the single most useful thing teachers can do for students. It helps to clarify the expectations of higher education and assist all students to achieve their learning potential.
The Secret Life of Girls: Games of Stance, Status, and Exclusion. Goodwin’s groundbreaking work that uses ethnographic fieldwork to offer a powerful and rare look into the social dynamics of girls' social life.
April 2010: Earth in Mind. David Orr examines the problematic success of the industrial economy and of the educational system that subserves it. The book is a manual of ideas and possibilities to reverse this trend.
Whatever Happened to the Faculty? : Drift and decision in higher education. Mary Burgan surveys the deterioration of faculty influence in higher education. From campus planning, curriculum, and instructional technology to governance, pedagogy, and academic freedom, she urges far greater consideration for the perspective of the faculty.