Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom
- Downloads：1110
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-16 09:19:14
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：John C. Bean
- ISBN：1119705401
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Chelsea Renee Lovell
，
I feel like I’d be okay with this book if I was a teacher。。。however， it was given to me as a book to ‘learn how to teach writing’ as a TA in grad school， and it sucks。 I absolutely hated it， and found myself almost hating this semester of grad school because of this book。 I can see how it can be helpful for teachers who have a current classroom and who need to reinvigorate it， but as someone who’s never taught before， I am definitely not a part of Bean’s audience。 I found myself taking little to I feel like I’d be okay with this book if I was a teacher。。。however， it was given to me as a book to ‘learn how to teach writing’ as a TA in grad school， and it sucks。 I absolutely hated it， and found myself almost hating this semester of grad school because of this book。 I can see how it can be helpful for teachers who have a current classroom and who need to reinvigorate it， but as someone who’s never taught before， I am definitely not a part of Bean’s audience。 I found myself taking little to nothing away from this book except for frustrations and bland， traditional ideas that current college freshman don’t relate to or respond to at all based on observations from professors that do teach from this book。 。。。more
Julie R Somers
，
Excellent suggestionsThis book has challenged how I will be delivering my future course assignments。 Excellent and clear examples。 Very helpful！ Thanks
Ruth
，
Good tips for teaching in general and a great overview of ways to teach writing。
Peaches
，
This book isn't awful。 Bean knows what he's discussing and I applaud anyone who attempts to get professors to integrate active learning in the classroom instead of performing monologues to students。 I also liked how he links writing to thinking， especially how revision is a form of complex critical thinking。But I mainly liked the first two chapters。 The activities weren't very useful to me， and I imagine most of the people in my department are used to them。 Arts-based activity suggestions would This book isn't awful。 Bean knows what he's discussing and I applaud anyone who attempts to get professors to integrate active learning in the classroom instead of performing monologues to students。 I also liked how he links writing to thinking， especially how revision is a form of complex critical thinking。But I mainly liked the first two chapters。 The activities weren't very useful to me， and I imagine most of the people in my department are used to them。 Arts-based activity suggestions would have greatly enhanced this book。 。。。more
Lisajean
，
This is the best teaching book I read all year！ I get the sense that people in the education world look at anything published over five years ago as hopelessly dated （and， I think， are overly susceptible to passing trends as a result）， but this book is 23 years old and still tremendously relevant。 I won't go over all the strategies here; I'll just say that if you're looking to build critical thinking skills and push more of the thinking on to your students， this is the book for you！ I would reco This is the best teaching book I read all year！ I get the sense that people in the education world look at anything published over five years ago as hopelessly dated （and， I think， are overly susceptible to passing trends as a result）， but this book is 23 years old and still tremendously relevant。 I won't go over all the strategies here; I'll just say that if you're looking to build critical thinking skills and push more of the thinking on to your students， this is the book for you！ I would recommend this to teachers from middle school to college level， in any subject。 Bean actually focuses more on writing across the curriculum than he does on English classes and includes many helpful examples of how to include these concepts in math and science classes。 That's not to say that this isn't valuable to English teachers - there is a lot here that I will incorporate into my teaching next year。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Diz
，
This is a valuable resource for university lecturers who include writing as a part of their course。 There is a lot of good advice on how to construct writing assignments in ways that encourage students to engage in critical thinking。 Of particular use is the advice on how to grade papers in a way that reduces the work load for professors while still focusing on the most important aspects of writing。 Finally， there is also a good section that addresses students' weakness with academic reading。 If This is a valuable resource for university lecturers who include writing as a part of their course。 There is a lot of good advice on how to construct writing assignments in ways that encourage students to engage in critical thinking。 Of particular use is the advice on how to grade papers in a way that reduces the work load for professors while still focusing on the most important aspects of writing。 Finally， there is also a good section that addresses students' weakness with academic reading。 If you're teaching at the university or high school level， this is a good book to have in your library。 。。。more
Adrian
，
A solid text for anyone looking to have a grasp on how to teach。 It is filled with examples， strategies， and questions to improve your teaching。 Overall， I enjoyed that the text never loses the focus as to “why” we teach and how to beat do it in a changing educational landscape。
Jesi
，
Incredible。 Longer review later （I always say that， don’t I？） but this might be one of the most useful teaching books I’ve read yet。 SO much good stuff in here。 I can already tell I’ll be returning to this over and over again。 Splurge on the print edition instead of getting the Kindle version—it has nice big margins and you are going to want to mark it up/scribble notes to yourself on almost every page。
Robin
，
Thorough and specific about the pedagogy behind practical considerations for the classroom without getting bogged down by jargon or overwhelming the chapters with needless summary。 Plus， each chapter offers practical and specific suggestions for ways to incorporate these strategies into the classroom。 You know， basically modeling what the book's trying to teach you。 Thorough and specific about the pedagogy behind practical considerations for the classroom without getting bogged down by jargon or overwhelming the chapters with needless summary。 Plus， each chapter offers practical and specific suggestions for ways to incorporate these strategies into the classroom。 You know， basically modeling what the book's trying to teach you。 。。。more
Kim Donehower
，
I first read this book over 20 years ago， and every time I open it， I find new ways to improve my （and others'） college teaching。 This is a great book for high school teachers as well。 Everyone I have ever recommended it to has found something excellent in it to advance their teaching and their students' learning。 I first read this book over 20 years ago， and every time I open it， I find new ways to improve my （and others'） college teaching。 This is a great book for high school teachers as well。 Everyone I have ever recommended it to has found something excellent in it to advance their teaching and their students' learning。 。。。more
Andrea
，
A book that had me thinking "where have you been all my life？" I have never really like Bean's textbook for college writers as it seems theory heavy to me so I was surprised that his guide for professors was down to earth and practical while including reference to the theoretical underpinnings of his suggested methods。 Admittedly， ean's philosophy and approach is a lot like the one I have developed from years of hands on teaching and so it may be his approach happens to suit my teaching style mo A book that had me thinking "where have you been all my life？" I have never really like Bean's textbook for college writers as it seems theory heavy to me so I was surprised that his guide for professors was down to earth and practical while including reference to the theoretical underpinnings of his suggested methods。 Admittedly， ean's philosophy and approach is a lot like the one I have developed from years of hands on teaching and so it may be his approach happens to suit my teaching style more than it would some other people's but this book will have a prominent place in my bookshelf from now on。 Another book that should be helpful in developing faculty workshops and reading groups。 。。。more
Miguel Vega
，
As a textbook， I actually really like it！ It has very good instruction and ideas for teaching in the classroom。 This is a textbook that I can see myself re-readig again in the near future。
Ellyn Lem
，
This book was not typical "pleasure reading，" but instead part of a "reading circle" with other professors who were interested in gaining insight about teaching practices and student learning。 Much of what Bean offers as advice for "active learning" is probably already being used by teachers who have been in the profession for a while and have been involved in reflective meditation on aims and practices。 Still， he provides interesting suggestions and ideas across the curriculum。 One favorite par This book was not typical "pleasure reading，" but instead part of a "reading circle" with other professors who were interested in gaining insight about teaching practices and student learning。 Much of what Bean offers as advice for "active learning" is probably already being used by teachers who have been in the profession for a while and have been involved in reflective meditation on aims and practices。 Still， he provides interesting suggestions and ideas across the curriculum。 One favorite part for me was when he offers up five different variations for assignment design--some being very straight forward and others with more real-world application and higher levels of critical thinking。 In that same section， Bean asks， "What do I want them to remember most about my course？" Other ideas that were fruitful from the book include: asking students to put their names on the backs of exam booklets， so we don't read essay exams with the person forefront in our minds， trying to ask fewer subquestions related to a main question on essays exam since that might be harder for students to evaluate where to spend their time， considering whether exams can be replaced by other types of writing assignments that allow for revision， looking into different types of rubrics and how they can work together with what he calls "holistic brain-and-gut" feelings about a paper。Other worthwhile components were Joseph Bizup's schema for different functions of sources （B。E。A。M。-background， exhibits/evidence， argument， method sources） and reminders of how much professors talk during discussions with classes （86% of the time！） and in conferences and ways to change that dynamic。 Overall， kind of refreshing to read a book about teaching and see what all can be learned。 。。。more
Nanette
，
This is a great book regarding the pedagogy of writing。 I found its style engaging and content instructive in ways that are very applicable to teaching writing。
Elizabeth
，
A truly insightful and helpful book for any professor who wants to design smart writing assignments across many disciplines。
Maria
，
Practical， easy to implement ideas for increasing student writing for learning。 I'm eager to implement a few ideas this semester， and then gradually convert my courses to this type of model。 The book， of course， does not address language learning contexts， but I think the ideas can be judiciously applied to even lower level courses。 Practical， easy to implement ideas for increasing student writing for learning。 I'm eager to implement a few ideas this semester， and then gradually convert my courses to this type of model。 The book， of course， does not address language learning contexts， but I think the ideas can be judiciously applied to even lower level courses。 。。。more
Katrina Sark
，
1 – Using Writing to Promote Thinkingp。8 – Develop Strategies to Include Exploratory Writing， Talking， and Reflection in Your Courses – Good writing grows out of good talking – either talking with classmates or talking dialogically with oneself through exploratory writing。 2 – How Writing is Related to Critical Thinkingp。22 – The View of Knowledge Underlying Academic Writing – For the most part， formal academic writing requires analytical or argumentative thinking。 Such writing is initiated by a 1 – Using Writing to Promote Thinkingp。8 – Develop Strategies to Include Exploratory Writing， Talking， and Reflection in Your Courses – Good writing grows out of good talking – either talking with classmates or talking dialogically with oneself through exploratory writing。 2 – How Writing is Related to Critical Thinkingp。22 – The View of Knowledge Underlying Academic Writing – For the most part， formal academic writing requires analytical or argumentative thinking。 Such writing is initiated by a problem or question and is typically characterized by a controlling thesis statement supported by a hierarchical structure of reasons and evidence。 The thesis statement is the writer’s one-sentence summary of his or her argument – the writer’s “answer” or “solution” to the question or problem that drives the essay。 p。30 – Present Knowledge as Dialogic Rather Than Informational – We need to show students that our course readings （and our lectures） are not “information” but arguments。 p。33 – A Positivist Model of the Writing Process: 1。tChoose a topic2。tNarrow it3。tWrite a thesis4。tMake an outline5。tWrite a draft6。tRevise7。tEditp。35 – Suggestions for Encouraging Revision:1。tProblem-driven model of the writing process – instead of asking students to choose “topics” and narrow them， encourage students to pose a question or problems and explore them 2。tGive problem-focused writing assignments – students are most apt to revise when their essays must be responses to genuine problems3。tCreate active learning tasks that help students become posers and explorers of questions 4。tDevelop strategies for peer review of drafts， either in class or out of class9 – Helping Students Read Difficult Textsp。170 – Teach Students “What It Says” and “What It Does” – A “what it says” statement is a summary of the paragraph’s content。 A “what it does” statement describes the paragraph’s purpose or function within the essay: for example， “provides evidence for the author’s first main reason，” summarizes an opposing view，” “uses an analogy to clarify the idea in the previous paragraph。” p。174 – Help Students See that All Texts Are Trying to Change Their View:1。tBefore I read this text， the author assumed that I believed…2。tAfter I finished reading this text， the author wanted me to believe…3。tThe author was / was not successful in changing my view。 Why or why not？ 13 – Designing and Sequencing Assignments to Teach Undergraduate Researchp。229 – The Difficult Subskills of Research Writing: 1。tAsk research questions that are interesting， significant， and pursuable at the undergraduate level 2。tEstablish a rhetorical context （audience， genre， and purpose） 3。tIntegrate sources into the paper4。tTake thoughtful notes5。tCite and document sourcesp。250 – Explaining the “moves” in an academic introduction: 1。tBegin by explaining the problem your paper will address – the writer’s goal is to hook the reader’s interest in the problem being examined， showing why the problem is problematic and what is at stake in solving it。 2。tPresent your paper’s purpose or thesis 3。tProvide an overview of outline of your paper “First， I will show…; the second part of the paper explores…’ finally， I show…” 15 – Coaching the Writing Processp。293 – Paired Interview Questions: 1。tWhat problem or question is your paper going to address？ 2。tWhy is this question controversial or problematic？ Why is it significant？ What makes this a good question to address？ 3。tWhat is your one sentence answer to this question？ 4。tTalk me through your whole argumentp。295 – Have Students Submit Something Early in the Writing Process: •tTwo Sentences: Question and Thesis – ask students to submit two sentences: a one-sentence question that summarizes the problem the paper addresses and a one-sentence thesis that summarizes the writer’s argument in response to the question。 •tAbstract – ask students for a 100- to 200-word abstract of their drafts。 The act of summarizing one’s own argument helps writers clarify their own thinking and often reveals organizational and conceptual problems that prompt revision。 p。296 – In-Class Peer Review Workshops – students exchange drafts before class and do the reviews as homework， following the instructions on a peer-review sheet prepared by the teacher。 Peer Reviewers then meet with writers in class to discuss their reviews。 p。297 – Questions for Peer Reviews: 1。tDoes the paper have a thesis statement？ （underline it） 2。tIs the thesis clear？ 3。tIs the paper clearly organized？ （make an outline） 4。tDoes the writer use evidence effectively to support the argument？ （Which evidence do you think is the strongest， which are the weakest？ Make note。） 5。tIs the paper clearly written （highlight any passages you had to read more than once to understand what the writer was saying）6。tHow persuasive is the argument？ （do you agree or disagree with the writer’s position？ Why or why not？） p。307 – Make an idea map to brainstorm for more ideas， make an outline to help with organization， have students talk through the ideas to clear up confusing spots （“my purpose in this paper is…” “my purpose in this paragraph is…” 。。。more
Amanda Smith
，
Has some great ideas for teaching that I will implement into my classroom。
Melissa
，
Really great text for a college writing instructor or any instructor who uses writing in the classroom。 It breaks down the concepts and provides research in easy to digest ways and more importantly has so many helpful tips， exercises， and samples to pull from on topics of critical reading， analytical writing， and commenting on student papers。 I have written up many new class activities and prompts while reading this book。 I am sure I will be coming back to it again and again。
Sareene
，
I don't like the textbook Bean worked on （Allyn and Bacon guide to writing）， but I did enjoy this book。 I learned a lot about teaching writing and he gives some great advice on commenting and peer reviews。 This would be a good textbook for incoming college writing TAs or teachers。 I don't like the textbook Bean worked on （Allyn and Bacon guide to writing）， but I did enjoy this book。 I learned a lot about teaching writing and he gives some great advice on commenting and peer reviews。 This would be a good textbook for incoming college writing TAs or teachers。 。。。more
travelgirlut
，
An excellent look at how to make writing assignments into critical thinking problems and how to use critical thinking to improve writing and how both combined make for a better learning experience overall。 The book is written to college professors to use in their courses， but there's plenty that can be used in the lower grades as well。 I will admit to having skimmed over a couple chapters that weren't pertinent to me， as they discussed applying writing assignments across college departments and An excellent look at how to make writing assignments into critical thinking problems and how to use critical thinking to improve writing and how both combined make for a better learning experience overall。 The book is written to college professors to use in their courses， but there's plenty that can be used in the lower grades as well。 I will admit to having skimmed over a couple chapters that weren't pertinent to me， as they discussed applying writing assignments across college departments and such things， but I took copious notes on all the rest。 I plan on implementing some of Bean's ideas and methods into our homeschool curriculum。The ideas in this book complement those in How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J。 Adler， which focuses more on the reading side of critical thinking， and especially Writing to Learn: How to Write--And Think--Clearly about Any Subject at All by William Zinsser， which covers very similar topics as Engaging Ideas but in a more broad and easy-going manner。 Both of these books would make excellent follow-up reading to Engaging Ideas， or even better yet， pre-reading。 。。。more
Matt Sautman
，
This serves better as a reference book than as a textbook one might read cover-to-cover。 As someone whose background lies within English education， I do not find the majority of the textbook as relevant to me as I might if I were preparing to teach English for the first time or if I were teaching writing within a non-English curriculum and wasn't sure where to begin。 This serves better as a reference book than as a textbook one might read cover-to-cover。 As someone whose background lies within English education， I do not find the majority of the textbook as relevant to me as I might if I were preparing to teach English for the first time or if I were teaching writing within a non-English curriculum and wasn't sure where to begin。 。。。more
Kimberly Coyle
，
Required reading， but well worth it。
Sarah
，
I loved the amount of practical suggestions that I could take into the classroom the next day in addition to helping me reconceptualize my classes over all。
Ryan Patrick
，
Some good ideas in here， backed up with some research。 I'll be re-reading parts of this。 Some good ideas in here， backed up with some research。 I'll be re-reading parts of this。 。。。more
Jennifer Shaiman
，
This review is for the second edition。 This is the book that I wish someone had handed me before I first stepped into a classroom。 While I "discovered" many of the techniques Bean discusses here on my own or through mentoring by and collaborating with other teachers， these lessons were learned hard way， in many cases。 How nice it would have been to have been to have known all these approaches from the beginning！ This review is for the second edition。 This is the book that I wish someone had handed me before I first stepped into a classroom。 While I "discovered" many of the techniques Bean discusses here on my own or through mentoring by and collaborating with other teachers， these lessons were learned hard way， in many cases。 How nice it would have been to have been to have known all these approaches from the beginning！ 。。。more
Sarah Schantz
，
I read this for a professional development class I took at the college where I teach both creative writing and composition--a program called， Writing Across the Curriculum。 The book， along with the other two that we read， was a refreshing surprise after having suffered through some previous texts about rhetoric and writing I'd read on my own in an effort to not only become a better writer myself， but a better writing teacher; while it reinforced， or simply named some of the methods and/or reason I read this for a professional development class I took at the college where I teach both creative writing and composition--a program called， Writing Across the Curriculum。 The book， along with the other two that we read， was a refreshing surprise after having suffered through some previous texts about rhetoric and writing I'd read on my own in an effort to not only become a better writer myself， but a better writing teacher; while it reinforced， or simply named some of the methods and/or reasons for how or why I teach the art of writing the way I do， it also taught me some new strategies， and helped me to fall even more in love with both the written word and the craft behind this form of rhetoric。 Furthermore， it solidified the fact that writing is the deepest form of thinking out there; whether we are writing a text for the catharsis of releasing our emotions， or to compose a complicated thesis， or just to strengthen the mind， writing is important for any academic discipline， just as it is equally crucial for assisting us all in the process of human evolution。Reading this book and discussing it weekly with a group of other teachers that included one artist， one mathematician， an orator， a poet， and a chemist was not a bad way to make a little extra dough。 If you are a first time composition teacher， read this book。 If you are a science teacher or art instructor， or anywhere between， and wanting to add writing exercises and prompts to your syllabus， this is the book you need。 Had I been able to write my way through algebra or biology when I was a young student， I might have done better in these classes that not only challenged me， but almost made me turn my back on school in general。 I hope more teachers from such areas of study will find a way to employ writing as a way to learn。 。。。more
Mel
，
A wonderful overview of the ways teachers can use writing in their classrooms。 Those who have a background in composition and writing studies will find that little of this information is "new，" but it is organized in a way that allows writing teachers to re-envision the activities and assessments they use in their classrooms。 I can see this book as especially helpful to teachers who are uncomfortable using writing in their classes， and/or folks interested in WAC or WID。 A wonderful overview of the ways teachers can use writing in their classrooms。 Those who have a background in composition and writing studies will find that little of this information is "new，" but it is organized in a way that allows writing teachers to re-envision the activities and assessments they use in their classrooms。 I can see this book as especially helpful to teachers who are uncomfortable using writing in their classes， and/or folks interested in WAC or WID。 。。。more
Laurie Neighbors
，
I've been using this book for years to train new teachers and veteran teachers。 Simple and straight-forward。 I've been using this book for years to train new teachers and veteran teachers。 Simple and straight-forward。 。。。more
Cathleen
，