Issue 27(2)

Student Affairs Staff as Teachers. (2007). Emily L. Moore (Ed.).San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 88 pp. $28. (paperback). ISBN #  978-0-7879-9722-9

Review by: Tamara L. Franklin

Director for Recruitment and Outreach

FAMU/FSU College of Engineering

Florida State University

 

Student Affairs Staff as Teachers is a guide to becoming a more effective educator. While geared towards student affairs administrators, this book can help all who wish to sharpen their teaching skills.

 

The book is organized with into seven chapters that chronicle different aspects of teaching. Each chapter is written by contributing authors; this helps readers see different perspectives regarding how to be effective in the classroom. Several chapters begin with a brief history of the specific subject followed by its current relevance to students. The Editor has structured a wide variety of chapter topics in which authors offer different approaches to using “hands on” student development methods in teaching.

 

Chapter topics range from welcome weeks for first year students to how staff members can articulate, communicate and disseminate student experiences to others facing similar teaching situations. The text includes many examples of programs put into place to meet different student needs. For example, both North Dakota State University and Iowa State University have programs where “student affairs professionals can contribute to the development and success of a learning community (p.39).” This gives readers interested in increasing their teaching skills the chance to connect to a section in the book.

 

I would recommend this book to individuals who want to enhance their teaching skills or those who would like to understand how teaching goes beyond the classroom to impact every aspect of the profession. I believe that anyone who wants to improve their teaching skills will benefit from reading this book. Chapter authors Ellertson and Thoennes hope that “professionals will embrace the exciting changes in the learning paradigm and expand roles as both teachers and learners” (p.45). Readers of this text will be one step closer to accomplishing this goal.