A Conversation about Teaching While Nerdy

Welcome to The Academic Life! In this episode you’ll hear about:

• The hidden curriculum of transforming yourself from student to teacher
• Accepting and embracing your nerdy/geeky/introverted self
• Challenges faced by introverted teachers
• Prep [for yourself, your syllabus, and your course]
• Engaging effectively with students
• A discussion of the book Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers

Todays’ book is: Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers, a funny and pragmatic guide to the process of learning and relearning how to be an effective college teacher. It is the first college teaching guide that encourages faculty to embrace their inner nerd. Neuhaus eschews formulaic depictions of idealized exemplar teaching, instead inviting readers to join her in an engaging, critically reflective conversation about the vicissitudes of teaching and learning in higher education as a geek, introvert, or nerd. Written for the wonks and eggheads who want to translate their vast scholarly expertise into authentic student learning, Geeky Pedagogy is packed with practical advice and encouragement for increasing readers’ pedagogical knowledge.

Our guest is: Dr. Jessamyn Neuhaus, a professor of popular culture, historian of gender, and scholar of teaching and learning, and a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. As an educational developer, she advocates for introverts in the college classroom. She is the author of Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers. You can learn more about her work and publications here https://geekypedagogy.com/about-jessamyn-neuhaus

Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, an introvert who is probably geeky or nerdy or both. She is a historian of women and gender, and the co-founder of the Academic Life on NBN.

Listeners to this episode might also be interested in:

• “The Damaging Myth of the Natural Teacher” by Beth McMurtrie in The Chronicle of Higher Education, vol 68, number 5, p. 13-21
• Ungrading by Susan D. Blum
• The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom by Stephen Brookfield
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
• This discussion of effective teaching strategies
• Geeky Bonus Materials: A Bibliographic Essay from Dr. Neuhaus

You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island and neither are we. We reach across our mentor network to bring you experts about everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring on an expert about something? DM us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.

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