Personal Essays on the Scholarship of Teaching

Preface

One's academic discipline and its corollary skills define what university faculty and graduate teaching assistants teach. Methods and techniques constitute the hows of teaching. This book and accompanying Web site offer some whys of teaching—colleagues' reflections about their motivations, perspectives, and philosophies concerning teaching the subjects to which they dedicate themselves. Through these essays, faculty and graduate students indicate how they understand their disciplines and the nature of learning in those disciplines. We are delighted to publish this collection of compelling, diverse statements in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Teaching Resource Center, an office dedicated to helping enhance teaching at the University of Virginia.

Over the past decade, U.Va. colleagues have written reflectively about their teaching for several different occasions: when nominated for teaching awards, when writing comprehensive teaching portfolios, when applying for various grants and fellowships, or when seeking postgraduate employment. These varied motivations, as well as writers' differing levels of professional development, have led to contrasting types of statements: some authors stand back from their teaching and paint with a broad theoretical brush; others see their research and teaching as so intimately intertwined that they write scholarly statements of both teaching and research; still others, particularly those less experienced, focus more intimately on the hows that support the whys of their teaching. We have consciously chosen a wide variety of statements and academic disciplines, knowing that colleagues serving on teaching awards committees and other selection committees over the years have found inspiration in different points of view.

If you teach, we hope these selections inspire you to think more deeply about your teaching. If you do not teach, we hope these essays offer insights into the complexities of good teaching and the dedication of the U.Va. academic community. We have long recognized our colleagues' thoughtfulness about teaching in their disciplines and expect that you will find pleasure in their perspectives.

Marva A. Barnett
Professor and Director, Teaching Resource Center