24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beneficial for new and seasoned professors alike, August 30, 2004
This review is from: Successful Beginnings for College Teaching (Teaching Techniques/Strategies Series, V. 2) (Paperback)
Successful Beginnings is divided into seven chapters, the first six of which focus on one of the following themes: course organization, first-day "icebreakers" to help start the semester well, building a good rapport with students throughout the semester, encouraging student participation and interaction, dealing with misbehavior in the classroom, and keeping students motivated through the mid and end-of-semester "blahs". The final chapter summarizes the main points of each prior chapter. Given the variety of subjects and classroom dynamics that professors work with, McGlynn does an admirable job of offering a variety of suggestions on any given topic. That way, even if certain suggestions aren't very applicable to a given professor's situation, others are more likely to be. My guess is that chapters one and four will be most beneficial to all teachers regardless of their subject matter or classroom size.
Now, for a few of the shortcomings. First, although there is likely some merit to the section, "The Chilly Classroom Climate" in chapter three, I think she gets a bit too politically correct here. For better or worse, students and professors alike will always have their biases which will affect the learning environment. Fortunately, as McGlynn herself notes, the suggestions she gives are more about enhancing the learning environment for all students than they are about accommodating "outsider" groups. Also, some of the "get to know you" exercises in chapter two strike me as a bit goofy for certain classes. For example, if you're teaching a calculus or astronomy class, does it really matter that you find out who in the class likes chocolate, is Jewish, has a twin, was born outside the U.S., etc? Probably not. However, if one is teaching a sociology or social psychology class, this might be helpful. In short, the generality of the book is at the same time one of its main strengths and one of its (rather excusable) weaknesses.
Successful Beginnings for College Teaching is by no means the last word on how to be a good teacher, but I doubt the author ever intended it to be. On the other hand, it offers useful suggestions on a variety of relevant topics. As such, it makes a good primer for young professors and a good refresher (or maybe even a renovator) for "old pros".
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Successful Beginnings means better learning, February 11, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Successful Beginnings for College Teaching (Teaching Techniques/Strategies Series, V. 2) (Paperback)
I'm sorry that this book wasn't available when I first started teaching. This book is such a valuable resource and guide to making all the right moves in preparing for and meeting students for the first time. Faculty in colleges are often isolated, and practical issues are rarely discussed, so "Successful Beginnings" goes a long way to rectify that situation. There is such a nice balance between theory and practical suggestions that experienced faculty will also find this book immediately helpful. Most importantly, Professor McGlynn takes readers beyond the beginnngs of courses to proven methods of effective classroom teaching and course management. She has a wonderful section on concluding courses in meaningful ways, and I plan to use some of her techniques myself at the end of this semester.
If I were an administrator at a college, I would make sure that I got this book into the hands of every new faculty member, full-time or adjunct!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic book on teaching!, January 31, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Successful Beginnings for College Teaching (Teaching Techniques/Strategies Series, V. 2) (Paperback)
I loved this book and felt so energized to get into my classroom and start using some of the wonderful techniques I learned from the book. McGlynn really knows her stuff and has clearly done some great research on how to get through to students. She shows how today's classrooms are different from those of 20 years ago or more when lecturing was the standard. She provides great information for breaking the ice the first day and then for ways to get the students to be active and engaged in class throughout the semester. Experienced and new teachers will get so much out of this book!
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