McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

What I appreciate most about this book is it's mixture of theory and practical suggestions. When talking about how to make lectures more effective, McKeachie provide a concise review of the most relevant research, then spends time going over specific suggestions for how an instructor can improve his or her lectures. This same approach of providing an overview of the most important research alongside extremely practical suggestions is found in a number of chapters.

Another aspect that I like about this book is that McKeachie has the openness to invite other people to write specific chapters on topics such as technology in teaching, motivation, laboratory instruction. Many of the individuals writing these chapters are recognized nationally for their expertise in various aspects of teaching. So this book isn't just a collection of McKeachie's insights - it provides the wisdom and counsel of nine other individuals.

In my own work as a teacher at a small undergraduate college, it has become absolutely essential for me to re-read this book cover to cover every few years. There are other books that are highly recommended as resources for various aspects of teaching. But _McKeachie's Teaching Tips_ is one of the most balanced, broadest, and best coverages of what is involved in teaching effectively at a college. Get it, read it, reflect on it, and both your teaching and your students' learning will benefit.

McKeachie is a psychologist, and his personal experience is in teaching the social sciences. His preferred approach is constructivist rather than didactic (he prefers discussion to lectures), and his personal value system (chapter 25) can be sensed in most of his advice. His highest value is love and respect for others within a relativistic framework. He is quite committed to active learning in all its various guises.

In a fragmented discipline like psychology, McKeachie's approach is likely to be quite successful. I wonder if those teaching in disciplines with a higher fixed content will find his advice as useful.

The primary strength of this book is the smooth blend of theory with practical advice. Research-supported theory (learning and memory in chapters 4 and 5, Bloom's taxonomy in chapter 24) is introduced with a light touch that makes it easy to assimilate - often with a "take what you want, leave the rest" attitude. In like fashion, the practical advice (cheating, discussion monopolizers) is not heavy-handed, but suggestive.

I read this book through over a two day period, finding that it bogged down only in Part 5 that focused on teaching in contexts that I am unlikely to encounter in the near future. Twice I found myself revising my typical course syllabus.