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BOOK REVIEW

A book review: Leaving the Lectern: Cooperative Learning and the Critical First Days of Students Working in Groups

Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: J. L McCord, 122 Esslinger Hall, 1240 Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1240 (e-mail: jlmccord{at}uoregon.edu)

THIS BOOK, Leaving the Lectern: Cooperative Learning and the Critical First Days of Students Working in Groups, tells the intriguing story of how a research-orientated professor learned to teach after years of what he thought was teaching. The author, Dean A. McManus, describes his classroom before, through many trials of change, and reaching success after he changed the way he taught or rather how he was able to engage the students. McManus starts his adventure by bringing the reader to where his teaching started (which most of us identify with) as a researcher that was told he must contribute to his department by teaching. He then continues on to tell readers why and how he started to notice that the outcome of his classroom needed to be changed, but he couldn't see how there was anything he could do besides lecture and assign readings. One day, a conversation with two students forced McManus to reflect on his teaching, which lead to the realization that there seemed to be no point to his assigned coursework. This breakthrough provided the fuel that drove him into teaching literature, communication of ideas with fellow teachers, and started the active learning classroom environment. He shares his own learning of the unconventional concept that students and teachers are collaborative partners in the learning process.

McManus separates the chapters into the types and levels of change and details ideas that worked and ones he would never suggest to try. The types of change he addresses are as follows: taking risks, piecemeal changes, finding and sharing answers to questions about student learning, altering what you put into a course, what students take away from the course, changes must be assessed for student learning and teaching, finding teaching colleague connections, and, possibly most importantly, changing your concepts about education and yourself. This book also brings a wealth of references for teaching information, research articles, and links to helpful internet resources. Much appreciated is how McManus continuously reminds the reader how he is in no way an expert but instead has shared his story with the hope of the reader being able to gain ideas to have a successful learning environment. His clearly stated purpose is for the adaptation of his ideas, not to adopt his way of teaching. He ends his book with this statement, "I have tried to tell you what I found when I opened my gate [of change]–what personal joy and gladness, educational success, and professional esteem it brought me, in spite of my stumbles and mistakes. I wish you no less." This wish gives me inspiration and motivation to experiment with innovative learning strategies to allow students to become successful. After all, our place in education should not be considered as a lecturer but rather as an "engager."

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McCord, J. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by McCord, J. L.