{"id":1779,"date":"2010-07-20t19:54:24","date_gmt":"2010-07-20t19:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/"},"modified":"2010-07-28t14:31:00","modified_gmt":"2010-07-28t14:31:00","slug":"notes-from-the-cft-library-books-on-expanding-the-borders-of-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/articles-and-essays\/the-teaching-forum\/notes-from-the-cft-library-books-on-expanding-the-borders-of-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"notes from the cft library: books on expanding the borders of the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"
this article was originally published in the spring 1999 issue of the cft’s newsletter, teaching forum. <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n by dave jensen<\/em><\/p>\n the 2022年世界杯中国小组赛积分 has a growing library of materials related to teaching, including books, videotapes, journals, and articles. these materials are available to any teacher at vanderbilt; you may browse while in the library or check materials out. the library is located at the 2022年世界杯中国小组赛积分, calhoun 116.<\/p>\n <\/a>parker j. palmer, the courage to teach: exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life <\/strong>. jossey-bass, 1998.<\/p>\n best described as an “itinerant teacher,” parker palmer leads workshops and writes on the interconnections between teaching, social change, and spirituality. true to its title, the courage to teach focuses its attention on the “inner life” of the teacher, something which palmer claims has been neglected in an age more concerned with tricks of the trade and products of the profession. contrary to many prevailing winds that would blame teachers for a host of educational ills, palmer claims that most attempts at educational reform have bypassed the central agents for meaningful change: teachers who give heart to their students.<\/p>\n written with conviction and elegance, palmer’s book is part motivational text, part spiritual autobiography. he writes, “i am a teacher at heart, and there are moments in the classroom when i can hardly hold the joy. when my students and i discover unchartered territory to explore, when the pathway out of a thicket opens up before us…then teaching is the finest work i know. but at other moments, the classroom is so lifeless or painful or confused-and i am so powerless to do anything about it-that my claim to be a teacher seems a transparent sham.” peppered with references to his own trials and struggles as a teacher, the courage to teach may strike some readers as self-indulgent. glimpsed as a whole, however, the book has a clear purpose: to encourage teachers who have lost heart (and at times, this includes all of us) to recover the passion that brought them to the profession. by focusing on the “who” of teaching, rather than the “what” and “how,” palmer’s work is a refreshing read and a compelling piece of pedagogical self-discovery.<\/p>\n <\/a>janet eyler, dwight e. giles, and angela schmiede, a practitioner’s guide to reflection in service-learning <\/strong>, vanderbilt, 1996.<\/p>\n janet eyler and dwight giles are professors at peabody who are currently teaching a seminar on service-learning in higher education. both have done extensive research on the theory and practice of service-learning. what makes their recent guidebook unique-and accessible–is its focus on student reflection. the purpose of their work is clear: “to draw upon student testimony of successful reflection and to translate their stories into practice.”<\/p>\n interactive by design, a practitioner’s guide can be used as teachers plan courses with a service-learning component, or in the middle of the semester as a means of assessing course design and content. eyler and giles encourage educators to get as much feedback from students as possible: the more time teachers provide for student reflection throughout the semester, the greater the benefits of service-learning. chapters three and four are especially helpful in this regard, and offer several examples of reflective exercises. as a book that draws on actual student experiences of service-learning in practice, this guide is unparalleled.<\/p>\n