Readings on Effective Teaching: An Annotated List of Readings on Teaching, the Teaching of Economics and Research on Teaching Economics

Abstract

The preparation of graduate student instructors and new young faculty members for their initial teaching experience is still largely ignored in most graduate Ph.D. programs, including those in economics. When finally thrust into the teaching role, neophytes must live by their wits as they seek to develop those elusive skills that will enable them to present effectively the knowledge and thinking processes they have worked so hard to acquire in graduate study. Unfortunately, the results are probably quite mixed: A number turn out to be first-rate teachers, a few fall into the mediocre category, and the vast majority rank somewhere between these extremes. Unless we accept the view that good teachers are born rather than made, we must develop ways by which people can improve their teaching skills. The time is now ripe for this, given the widespread concern about the quality of undergraduate teaching. Wellpublicized student evaluations of professors are increasing these pressures, while at the same time the greater weight given to teaching performance in the setting of salaries offers an incentive for people to seek improvement. Instructors may be ready to respond to these changes but all too frequently, they simply don't know how. Several approaches offer hope. One is for colleges and universities to establish teaching improvement centers which provide professional help on instructional problems. A number of institutions are already moving in this direction. Another more direct approach is for departments to institute their own training programs, such as those at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere. These programs, though designed largely for graduate students, will almost certainly have some spillover effects on the teaching faculty. Both of these approaches are likely to have a substantial impact, although they require a strong commitment of energy and resources to the improvement of teaching. It is unfortunate but true that with budgets as tight as they are, and the antipathy displayed by academics to formal programs for teaching improvement, progress is not likely to be rapid. In the interim, then, individuals will have to rely almost exclusively on their own efforts at self-improvement. But where can they turn'? Interestingly, there exists a vast literature on teaching that is largely unknown to most of us. From this literature much can be learned, from the narrow tricks of the trade to the larger issues of what makes for effective teaching. I have gone through at least a portion of this literature in an effort to develop a short annotated list of inexpensive and accessible books designed to be helpful to both new and experienced teachers. I hope you will find some of these readings valuable in your on-the-job investment in teaching improvement.