Virginia E. Rutter is Professor Emerita of Sociology at Framingham State University (MA), where she continues to teach classes on families and methods. She’s a senior scholar at the Council on Contemporary Families. She has received both top teaching and scholarship honors at FSU and was a statewide union leader focused on transparency in universities …
Category: Author Conversations
Practical Strategies and Learning Activities for Braving the New World of Multiple Choice on the AP® English Exams
The news is out: the multiple choice portion of the AP English exams will have only four—not five—answer choices. Say what?? Change of any kind tends to bring about uncertainty and mixed emotions, but we can all agree that reducing answer options will make the multiple choice portion of the exam less of a beast. …
Five Questions to Help Environmental Science Students Understand the Current Energy Transition
Daniel J. Sherman is the Luce-Funded Professor of Environmental Policy and Decision Making and Director of the Sound Policy Institute at the University of Puget Sound. He studies the roles individuals and groups play in environmental politics, policy, and sustainability. In addition to his undergraduate text, Environmental Science and Sustainability, Sherman published Not Here, Not …
Advancing Equity through Teaching with Artificial Intelligence
In this age of Generative Artificial Intelligence (often abbreviated GenAI or, simply, AI), many educators are understandably apprehensive about students’ illicit use of these tools and the possible negative impacts on students' critical thinking and authentic learning. I frequently hear from dedicated instructors who worry about how to ban or detect their students’ use of AI. While I empathize with and validate these concerns, I’ve concluded that ultimately this is not a productive way to spend our intellectual energy. Instead, I propose that we reframe the opportunity in front of us: we can help our students learn the ethical and responsible use of AI. In doing so, we are advancing equity in teaching, learning, and society more broadly.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts:” Teaching Intro American Government in an Election Year
William T. Bianco is professor of political science at Indiana University, Bloomington. His research focuses on congressional institutions, representation, and inequality. He is the co-author (with David Canon) of a Norton textbook, American Politics Today, as well as numerous journal articles and books. William T. BiancoImage Credit: Paul B. One of the priorities in the …
Science Education Needs Storytelling. Here’s Why.
An award-winning science writer based in Boston, Massachusetts, Megan Scudellari works with editors, scientists, and organizations to craft compelling science narratives. With fifteen years of journalism, editing, and content development experience, she specializes in the life sciences and technology, with expertise in genetics and cell biology. She is also the author of the nonmajors biology …
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A Sixty-Year Tradition: Q&A with Today’s Authors of Norton’s First Composition Reader
The W. W. Norton Composition team sat down with editors of The Norton Reader to discuss its growing legacy at Norton and what instructors can look forward to in the Sixteenth Edition, publishing this summer. Why do you think The Norton Reader has endured for six decades? Joseph Bizup: John Brereton, a former editor of …
Worried about AI in the Classroom? Try Process-Oriented Pedagogy
If you’re like most faculty, you’re worried about AI—specifically, how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Bing Chat will affect your students’ learning. For example, one colleague said she was concerned that “students will lose their unique voices.” Another added: “I want to hear their original thoughts. I want them to be …
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UNCHARTED TERRITORY: Working with Nonfiction
Jim Burke, an English teacher at Middle College at the College of San Mateo, has been teaching for more than twenty-five years, and has written more than twenty-five books about teaching and literacy. He has received numerous awards, including the Exemplary Leadership Award from the National Council of Teachers of English and the Distinguished Service Award …
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A New Paradigm for Music Appreciation: Introducing THE CURIOUS LISTENER
Larry Hamberlin is professor emeritus of music at Middlebury College, where he taught courses in music appreciation, Western classical music, American music, jazz, and popular music. His books include Tin Pan Opera and, with Richard Crawford, An Introduction to America’s Music. Larry HamberlinImage Credit: Francine Hamberlin Nearly everyone intuits that music is more than just pretty sounds. …
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