Higher education institutions strive to turn out graduates that are well-rounded, engaged, and civic-minded individuals no matter their discipline or major. The authors believe that more can be done to ensure that this goal is attained. To address this issue, two librarians designed a learner-centered course that embraced the uncertainty found in…

Educators have long recognized the value and import of class journaling. Traditional approaches to journaling, however, only engage students in one mode of communicative expression while allowing them to procrastinate in writing their entries. Typical journals are also read exclusively by the instructor, which overlooks the opportunity for…

The integration of co-teaching across disciplines in higher education is an approach that enhances the learning experience for both students and faculty. The process of examining material from the perspective of two disciplines contributes to critical thinking skills beyond traditional pedagogical approaches. This article presents a model for…

This article presents a retrospective understanding of self-study by re-living a study abroad experience through critical reflection. It will explain and clarify how reflection and self-study of the personal experiences of a graduate student can enhance the meaning of inclusion. This paper begins with a brief conceptualization of self-study,…

Metaphors are pervasive and accessible thinking and learning machines that have the ability to disrupt and transform our patterns of thought. While much has been written about metaphor as a pedagogical tool, the potential learning opportunity that arises when students co-create metaphor within the classroom as a way to make sense and meaning of…

College and university educators seek to increase student engagement in learning content, skills, and applications. To achieve this goal, we used transformative teaching techniques in the design of a World Challenge: a two-week, group-based, reflective course for sophomores leading their own learning in developing creative solutions to the problem…

The goal of this paper is to examine how our personal pursuits--hobbies, activities, interests, and sports--can serve as a metaphor to reflect who we are in our teaching practice. This paper explores the notion that our favorite personal pursuits serve as metaphorical mirrors to reveal deeper assumptions we hold about the skills, values, and…

Writing requires reflective thinking that takes time. Yet, our technological society has speeded up the pace of our everyday lived experience. This article describes a systematic method developed by two tenured faculty at geographically distant universities to demystify the process of professional academic writing. Using action research as method,…

Teacher education and the teaching profession are adapting to innovative methods to ensure the professional longevity and effectiveness of those who become educators. This is particularly important because of the early, and sometimes abrupt, exit of beginning teachers from the profession. Clearly, to mitigate such early exodus from the profession,…

Service-learning can be used as a teaching tool to promote social justice, and its implementation can encourage both students' personal development and social engagement. In this article, I illustrate how service-learning can help students become more self-aware, appreciative of diversity, and agents of social change. This process involves…

This article describes a possible praxis for an undergraduate learning theories course. The philosophies of "a language-based theory of learning" (Wells, 1999), writing across the curriculum (Young, 1994), learner-centered education (Lambert & McCombs, 1998), and critical-thinking (Paul, 1995) are interwoven with the rationale and…