Why I wrote this book:
I believe that teaching is an art,
and like any art, it takes lots of practice to master the
necessary skills and talents. Having been a teacher in college
classrooms for three decades, I wrote this book at this point in
time because I believe that new teaching strategies are needed to
reach our changing college student populations. Throughout higher
education, and particularly in our urban, commuter, and community
colleges, we are teaching an incredibly diverse student body. Our
students come to us with a wide range of levels of preparedness to
do college work. Many of our students are juggling work schedules
and family responsibilities in addition to their course loads. In
addition, many of our students will need to learn how to
learn; they will need to develop study skills, organizational and
time-management skills, and they may need to make up for reading,
writing, and mathematical deficiencies before they can even start
college-level course work. And the diversity in our classes goes
far beyond issues of academic preparedness. Sitting in our classes
are male and female students of diverse ages, race/ethnicity,
socioeconomic status, religious affiliations, political
persuasions, and sexual orientation.
How can we meet the challenges of educating
our students in the broadest sense of the term? In this book, I
suggest strategies that are designed to create a welcoming,
inclusive classroom atmosphere so that we can be effective
teachers. In my training as a psychologist and as a family
therapist, I have learned the importance of understanding the
interpersonal dynamics that influence not only the communications
process but also the group atmosphere. I firmly believe that the
classroom atmosphere must be one where everyone feels safe,
respected, and engaged in order for true learning to take place.
Before we can teach students how to write, how to think
critically, how to communicate orally, and how to master the
content of our disciplines, we must create an atmosphere where
they are motivated to take that journey with us. I am
hoping that this book will help you become a seasoned motivator,
whether you are one of my esteemed veteran colleagues, or whether
you are at the start of your teaching career.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact
me via email at amcglynn@mccc.edu
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