A colleague, Catherine Ross, Director of the Teaching and Learning Center at Wake Forest University, recently sent a query to the faculty developers listserv requesting examples of literary works focused on teaching and learning. The interesting list below was the result, with the person who shared the work and comments.
“Who Is To Blame?” Chekhov
Catherine Ross, Wake Forest University: Short story about teaching, learning, and Latin
Ignorant Schoolmaster by Ranciere (1991, translation by Kristen Ross)
Kevin Johnston, Michigan State University: Teaching experiences in early nineteenth century western Europe.
Teaching Stories: An Anthology on the Power of Learning and Literature (2004) edited by Robert Coles, Modern Library.
Fiction, poetry and personal essays by a range of writers, including Hardy, Julia Alvarez, Toni Morrison, Tolstoi, and Howard Nemerov–all on the classroom experience (Warren Rosenberg, Wabash College)
The Student Body: Short Stories about College Students and Professors (2001) edited by John McNally
(Kathryn Watson, Eckerd College)
The Education of Hyman Kaplan (1968) by Leonard Q. Ross
Emma Bourassa, Thompson Rivers University: An easy read that looks at learning as well as teaching; a bit of insight into adult learning that doesn’t quite match that of the instructor.
In Praise of Pedagogy: Poetry, Flash Fiction and Essays on Teaching Writing (2000) edited by Wendy Bishop and David Starkey.
P. Rachel Levin, Academy of Art University: My favorite is Nervouswork, a poem by William Snyder, Jr.
Teaching and the Case Method (1994) by Barnes, Christensen, and Hansen, Harvard Business School Press.
Ed Nuhfer, California State University Channel Islands: A wonderful collection.