The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)
Gathering concepts and techniques borrowed from outstanding college professors, The Joy of Teaching provides helpful guidance for new instructors developing and teaching their first college courses. Award-winning professor Peter Filene proposes that teaching should not be like a baseball game in which the instructor pitches ideas to students to see whether they hit or strike out. Ideally, he says, teaching should resemble a game of Frisbee in which the teacher invites students to catch ideas and
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(out of 9 reviews)
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Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary
Did you know you could teach from home and earn a six-figure salary? Thousands of people make a great living teaching online courses from home, and the more classes they teach the more they earn! If you want into this exciting profession, this guide will show you how to get started, find great jobs, and earn more than you thought possible.
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(out of 47 reviews)
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Additional reading on education degrees and teaching degrees college:
- The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)
The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman) Gathering concepts and techniques borrowed from outstanding college professors, The... - The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors
The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors Gathering concepts and techniques borrowed from outstanding college professors, The Joy of Teaching provides helpful guidance... - Teaching Your First College Class: A Practical Guide for New Faculty and Graduate Student Instructors
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Review by Paul Quigley for The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)
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I read this book as part of an effort to catch my breath during Spring Break in my first semester teaching a large college class. It left me feeling re-energized and excited about the new ideas I learned, and gave me new perspective on the whole undertaking. It is chock full of really useful and thought-provoking insights and suggestions. Reading the book basically got me ready to get back to teaching with renewed enthusiasm and confidence.
I would recommend this enjoyable and extremely useful book to any college teacher looking for new ideas and techniques–even a fresh attitude toward how they approach the classroom and their students.
Review by politicalsciencephd for The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)
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I felt I was still unprepared for what stepping into a classroom might be like, even after having taken a short preparatory course for social science teaching in college. I will begin teaching in a matter of weeks, and this author has helped me tremendously by pointing out some my blind spots which have been created by years of graduate school. These include the differences between how graduate students and undergrads learn (less abstract and more examples) and that one must observe the campus and the classroom in order to gauge what are reasonable expectations in terms of reading comprehension and grading. He also presents helpful guides for syllabi construction and discussion groups.
I really felt like the author was speaking to me in terms of the way I think. A wonderful, useful read!
Review by Gabriel C. Drummond-Cole for The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)
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The title and several of the other reviews are misleading. This book is by far most useful as a practical guide for college instructors in the humanities. As a mathematics instructor, I found some useful information in this book, but many of the tips and techniques were irrelevant or inapplicable to my situation. I am not dissing a learning-centered approach; I read and enjoyed Ken Bain’s “What the best college teachers do.” There, I felt the material was presented with a mix of broad, theoretical ideas and very specific, discipline-grounded examples with examples ranging not just through the humanities, but also through the arts, social sciences, and physical sciences as well as mathematics. Here, while some lip service is paid to other disciplines, a good deal of the suggestions and material, particularly in the second half of the book, are only applicable within a particular range of disciplines (admittedly a broad one).
For example, chapter 7 deals with broadening the learning environment and has a number of suggestions for things to do during class besides lecture or discussion. I love the idea of doing this! Traditional math classes are lecture-driven to an incredible extent and I think this is a big part of why people outside the discipline have such a negative association with them. However, there is not one example presented in the chapter that fits with a low-level math class without a ton of shoehorning. The portion of chapter 8 on grading focuses heavily on grading essays. Only in very particular math classes will you ever have the opportunity to grade an essay.
The feeling of being aimed toward teachers in the humanities permeates the book, not just in the suggestions, but in the tone. For example, in the perfectly general section “Don’t be a perfectionist” in chapter 10, Filene says “The lecture that impresses your colleagues will fly over your students’ heads.” The implication is that if you come up with a wildly original and nuanced idea, it may be too much for undergraduate students. If you are teaching a class on the history of the civil war or constitutional law (two examples Filene repeatedly employs), I can see how this implication makes sense. If I, on the other hand, am teaching a course in remedial algebra or anywhere in a calculus sequence, it is essentially impossible for me to give a lecture whose content impresses my colleagues. I may be able to impress them with the clarity of my exposition, but not with any deep content that will fly over anyone’s head. This is one example that stuck with me because it was near the end of the book, but there were many moments like this throughout.
I do not think this is a bad book. On the contrary, every part of it felt well-researched, and the text as a whole was not flabby, which is a particular danger of this kind of book. However, I think it is marketed in a deceptive manner, and I was tricked into buying it when I am, I feel, clearly not the intended reader.
Review by Mom Academic for The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)
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I really enjoyed this book because it truly helped me realize “the joy of teaching” that perhaps in my over-frenzied, over-worked state, I had missed out. While the book does have tips and ideas in it, it is primarily to help you become more reflective. It’s very short and easy to read and it’s a great place to start before moving on to more detailed or practical oriented guides like McKeachie’s Teaching Tips. If you are short on time and there is only one book you can read before you start an academic position (or if you need some reenergizing) this is the book for you.
Review by Gail A. Olson for The Joy of Teaching: A Practical Guide for New College Instructors (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman)
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After grading your hundredth paper or reading endless homework assignments, it can be easy to forget the joy and rewards of teaching. This excellent guide renews the spirit of the teacher. Teaching really is a calling and this book affirms the joy that is available for those who share their life and knowledge with others. As well as the joy of learning from others! Teaching is really receiving from the students, watching them grow, and seeing the gifts of learning! Inspiring book for teachers!
Review by Doc Dave for Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary
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The authors provide a nice overview of online teaching, including a lot of important considerations for job seekers (many of which apply equally well to those looking for jobs outside the realm of online education). The advice seems honest, and the authors admit that, unfortunately, there is no single source, website or service that will provide you with access to all the job listings/opportunities that are available. I didn’t find anything new among the websites they suggest monitoring for job opportunities, but this doesn’t mean that you won’t…it may depend on how much research you’ve already done. Their advice on strategies for making inquiries, even when no opportunities are listed, seems reasonable and should be helpful to many.
There was a good deal of emphasis on how to use and maximize current technologies, along with accounts of the authors preferences. I had hoped there would be more focus on the actual online teaching process…e.g., tips for addressing common problems students encounter in adapting to discussion forum-based learning, etc. Granted, the advice may help you to be more organized and efficient, and therefore give you more time to think about how to manage e-classroom issues and improve your teaching techniques. Nevertheless, managing relationships with institutions, administrators and other online-teachers is covered reasonably well, but not so extensively for the online student/teacher relationship. I can’t fault the book too much for these issues however, as the title is “Make Money Teaching Online,” and not “How to Teach Online.”
This brings up another aspect that I found troubling, in the subtitle implication that the book will show you how to “earn a six-figure salary” from online teaching. Although I don’t doubt that it is possible for those who manage their time exceptionally well, I have my doubts as to whether this is realistic for all but the most committed and hardworking teachers, as well as some others who may likely be precariously overextended and therefore of little utility to their students. The advice in this book may well help online teachers to be more organized and maximize their time, possibly allowing them to take on extra work. However, is it really necessary or advisable to promote online teaching in this way? Overall, the book does makes a pretty nice guide for career exploration, especially for those who already have a little bit of classroom-based teaching experience and are interested in pursuing online opportunities. I wouldn’t recommend going into this field if extremely high earnings are your primary motivator however.
Review by Becky T. for Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary
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As a current student of an online advanced-degree program, who is considering teaching in the growing online educational industry, I highly recommend “Make Money Teaching Online.” It is one of those rare reference (how-to) books that is actually compelling and provides helpful insights in every chapter (note: I found that skipping around by chapter and segments provides information but reading the book in totality really maximizes the overall experience). The authors both have doctoral degrees and solid histories of teaching online, but unlike typical research work, the book includes their personal insights and stories which make the information easy to understand and retain, in a one-on-one coaching style.
This is an excellent book for those interested in teaching online and even for those considering enrolling in a school with online degrees (as it provides a clear, inside perspective of the online education industry). From its initial information on the credibility of online schools, to its step-by-step job hunting directions, to what to expect in benefits and compensation, down to its “Must-Have Technologies” chapter, this book has been thoughtfully and meticulously written. I appreciate that it is not a glossy motivational book but one that is seemingly grounded in reality and honesty.
My only question was why these authors have so generously given of their experience and information which will only increase the competition…my peers who have had classes facilitated by Dr. Mirabella have said that he is extremely responsive and intensely focused on their learning, so I have to assume it is about the genuine passion to teach and help others (book royalties only go so far)…Whatever the reason for their book however, their enthusiasm and dedication make for a refreshing, must-read.
Review by Rabid Reader for Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary
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I teach for both a state university and for an online university. I cannot imagine what this author is trying to sell. The money in teaching adjunct and online is notoriously low in most cases. I suspect that if the author is making six figures, it is from book sales. I have never encountered a legitimate teaching institution that would accept less than a master’s degree. After viewing the Today show interview, I was convinced that the author was not being wholly honest. Beware.
Review by Suite Dreamer for Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary
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Dr. Babb’s book answers so many questions that one might have when entering the realm of online teaching. This book will help you figure out what your resume should look like, what to say in your cover letter, where to look and what questions one might be asked. I used this book as a supplement to my Transition Assistance Program which helped me a great deal. If one does not have the benefit of professional resume writers and such, I would suggest getting extra reading material. However, I think that this book is geared towards people who are already professionals in their fields so it should work just fine.
Review by Dennis Dow for Make Money Teaching Online: How to Land Your First Academic Job, Build Credibility, and Earn a Six-Figure Salary
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I’m a professional paranoid, so I was pretty suspicious that the book would be some get rich quick scheme. It isn’t. This is a very sound book that make a pretty convencing demonstration that one can take solid academic credentials and some teaching experience and work at home. The authors are well experienced in the field and made comments regarding online tools that I also share about the same tools. They do indeed know what they are talking about.
If you have a masters or (better) terminal degree in your field, love teaching and mentoring, and want to work at home full time, this is an excellent book.