Graphic: The Joys of Teaching & Learning /refresh/

Recently published books by authors Joshua R. Eyler and Cyndi Kernahan

Available for purchase at West Virginia University Press (linked below).


Book Cover: How Humans Learn by Joshua Eyler
Joshua R. Eyler is our keynote speaker at this year’s Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning, and will address How Our Students Learn

 

 

Summary
Even on good days, teaching is a challenging profession. One way to make the job
of college instructors easier, however, is to know more about the ways students learn. How Humans Learn aims to do just that by peering behind the curtain and surveying research in fields as diverse as developmental psychology, anthropology, and cognitive neuroscience for insight into the science behind learning.

The result is a story that ranges from investigations of the evolutionary record to studies of infants discovering the world for the first time, and from a look into how our brains respond to fear to a reckoning with the importance of gestures and language. Joshua R. Eyler identifies five broad themes running through recent scientific inquiry—curiosity, sociality, emotion, authenticity, and failure—devoting a chapter to each and providing practical takeaways for busy teachers. He also interviews and observes college instructors across the country, placing theoretical insight in dialogue with classroom experience.
312pp | $24.99 | West Virginia University Press

Book cover: Teaching about Racism in the College Classroom by Cyndi Kernahan
Cyndi Kernahan, Professor of Psychology at UW-River Falls, is facilitating an interactive workshop, Teaching About Racism, at this year’s Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning.

 

 

Summary
Teaching about race and racism can be a difficult business. Students and instructors alike often struggle with strong emotions, and many people have robust preexisting beliefs about race. At the same time, this is a moment that demands a clear understanding of racism. It is important for students to learn how we got here and how racism is more than just individual acts of meanness. Students also need to understand that colorblindness is not an effective anti-racism strategy.

In this book, Cyndi Kernahan argues that you can be honest and unflinching in your teaching about racism while also providing a compassionate learning environment that allows for mistakes and avoids shaming students. She provides evidence for how learning works with respect to race and racism along with practical teaching strategies rooted in that evidence to help instructors feel more confident. She also differentiates between how white students and students of color are likely to experience the classroom, helping instructors provide a more effective learning experience for all students.
228pp | $24.99 | West Virginia University Press