Teaching Gradually Practical Pedagogy for Graduate Students, by Graduate Students

"The authors in this volume are generous in offering readers a seat in their classrooms. Their willingness to share their insights, innovative practices, perspectives on how best to promote learning, and useful 'hacks' will invigorate your teaching wherever you are in the career span.

What I find so persuasive about this volume is that it lifts the conversation on teaching development from a unidirectional expert-to-novice perspective to a side-by-side one of peers. And, by bringing together a wide array of contributors representing a range of institutions, they reshape the community from intra-institutional to inter-institutional membership.

The editors and authors of this volume are generally starting out now on their teaching careers and already deeply embrace the power of a community of teachers. The genesis of this collection came out of the values they found they shared as a graduate students and post-doctoral fellows preparing for their careers: curiosity about learning, mutual support, and shared love of teaching as they each experimented, innovated, and evolved. With this volume, they invite us to join this community, as well.

With this collection we move from others writing about the graduate student experience in learning to teach to hearing graduate student teaching assistants speaking for themselves. Together, they invite the reader into a collegial and generous dialogue that I believe will resonate with readers across disciplines, career stages, and institution types."

Mathew L. Ouellett

Executive Director, Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University

"Teaching Gradually is a unique resource for graduate student instructors at all levels. In brief, highly readable chapters, the authors draw on the wisdom of their practice grounded in pedagogical research and the unique positionality of graduate students as teachers. Readers will find themselves returning regularly to this volume for field-tested discussions of teaching contexts as varied as discussions, labs, field experiences, and undergraduate research, with a welcome and timely emphasis on diversity and inclusion."

Matt Kaplan

Executive Director, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan

"The most important reform of graduate education over the past three decades has been the increased preparation of graduate students planning careers in the professoriate in the teaching and mentoring of undergraduate students. Both inspiring and practical, Teaching Gradually is a sophisticated work and evidence itself of how far the movement to prepare future faculty has progressed. This thoughtful, well-planned volume will be an indispensable companion on the journey to becoming a professor ready to engage today's students."

Leo M. Lambert

President Emeritus and Professor, Elon University

"Grounded, engaging, and thorough! Teaching Gradually provides a plethora of evidence-based strategies for any new (or even seasoned) instructor. The example teaching practices and professional development approaches apply across the disciplines, and are made even more powerful coming from graduate student teachers who understand that context best. The diverse voices and chapter formats make for an interesting read. An excellent resource for a college teaching course or for supervisors to read with their graduate students. Thank you for this book!"

Donna Ellis

Director of the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo (Canada) and Past President of the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network

"Teaching Gradually is an exciting collection of essays about the theory and practice of teaching in higher education, written for graduate students (who are new to teaching) by other graduate students (who have become experienced teachers). The book includes 42 chapters addressing critically important teaching topics, ranging from ways to implement effective pedagogical practices relevant to a wide array of learners and contexts to assessment of student learning and strategies for self-reflection. As near-peers, the chapter authors speak directly from their various disciplinary perspectives, discussing what they know from theory, research, and practice, and providing specific practical examples from their own teaching experiences. I highly recommend this book to all graduate students who are eager to be effective, stimulating, and innovative teachers. This engaging and well-written book is filled with evidence-based strategies that will help teachers in higher education excel!"

Ann E. Austin

University Distinguished Professor of Higher Education and Interim Dean, College of Education, Michigan State University