What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain

What the Best College Teachers DoWhat the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought Bain's "What the Best College Teachers Do" was excellent. It is well-written and packed with useful insight throughout.

In terms of criticism, two things come to mind.

First, the book seems to be an academic paper expanded to book form. As such, there is plenty of fluff. Some of the fluff is useful and adds embellishment to Bain's main points, but some of the fluff is just fluff.

Second, Bain's tone throughout the book is one of objective reporter. The tone is a perfect fit for the subject matter and helps the book feel like a discussion. I loved it. In the last few chapters, the tone switches abruptly to preaching. I did not like the preachy tone; it was a big turnoff to me.

Overall, I thought the book was useful and very well done. I recommend it to anyone (college profs, high school teacher, trainers, etc.) who ever tried to connect with students. The insights offered here will be useful to seasoned pros and rank amateurs. Very nice.

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