During the spring semester, the Drake Institute collaborated with University Libraries to offer a series of events that discussed the book Small Teaching by James Lang. The goal was to allow instructors to engage with the material and interact with others from across the university. Jane Hammons, a Drake Institute Affiliate and teaching and learning engagement librarian, and David Sovic, assistant director of the Drake Institute, facilitated a five-week book group where participants discussed topics such as retrieval practice, interleaving, connecting, and motivation.
After the book club, participants had the opportunity to explore the primary literature from various disciplines on retrieval practice, deliberate practice, and motivation in a primary-literature series facilitated by Hammons, Sovic, and Larry Hurtubise, curriculum and instruction specialist at the Drake Institute.
“The Small Teaching series provided a unique opportunity to engage with colleagues across disciplines. These exchanges were a meaningful and practical way to contemplate simple and effective teaching strategies that could be applied in the classroom and improve instruction.”
Kristin J. Hawkins, MA Course Coordinator the Department of Spanish & Portuguese
Past groups have discussed books on the Drake Institute Reading list, such as How Learning Works by Susan Ambrose and Engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by Cathy Bishop-Clark and Beth Dietz-Uhler. Look for the next book series focused on Teach Students How to Learn by Saundra Yancy McGuire with Stephanie McGuire in the fall.