{"id":1799,"date":"2020-09-10T10:33:08","date_gmt":"2020-09-10T16:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/?p=1799"},"modified":"2021-05-11T10:12:11","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T16:12:11","slug":"sip_12-4_inspire_lifelong_learning_using_1_book-1_project-2_transform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/sip_12-4_inspire_lifelong_learning_using_1_book-1_project-2_transform\/","title":{"rendered":"SIP 12.4 Inspire Lifelong Learning Using 1 Book\/1 Project\/2 Transform"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice?<\/h3>\n

\"SabrinaFaculty members want to promote ideals such as curiosity, lifelong learning and open-mindedness. Sometimes, though, the textbooks we choose seem to have an almost-opposite goal: They may be narrowly focused, ruthlessly structured and blinkered in their approach. Of course, these textbooks serve their purpose and often serve it well \u2013they provide up-to-date expertise using all the best instructional design and pedagogical devices. However, chances are good that once they graduate, our students won\u2019t be seeking out books whose chapters begin with \u201cLearning Objectives\u201d and end with \u201cConcept Summary\u201d and \u201cReview Questions.\u201d Engaging students in reading popular or \u201ctrade\u201d books is a great way to bridge classroom-based, academic learning with the kind of unfettered explorations that are the mark of ongoing learning.<\/p>\n

Take a SIP of this:\u00a0<\/strong>Beyond the textbook: using book clubs to engage students in lifelong learning<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Broadening students\u2019 horizons with readings that go beyond the textbook is a great way to spark lasting interest in the power of literature to connect across different content areas. Here, \u201cliterature\u201d doesn\u2019t necessarily mean high-minded and enduring artistic works, but it does mean books that aren\u2019t neatly divided into 16 chapters to represent the 16 weeks of a semester. It means books that take readers afield, that integrate ideas from different cultures, themes and disciplines.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have to look far to see that reading and discussing books with others is a wildly popular way to foster social connections, to share different perspectives and to generate passion for exploration of different topics and stories. Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Noname have generated broad national participation in book clubs, and local community book groups are thriving even in these pandemic times.<\/p>\n

Shared intellectual experiences such as book clubs can increase student retention and engagement (Kuh, 2008<\/a>), moving students from the circumscribed areas of study demanded by specific coursework into books whose content transcends any course or discipline and into communities of diverse readers. And in these pandemic times, when people might have a bit more time to read, the internet provides a space for book discussions to continue in spite of quarantines and lockdowns.<\/p>\n

Here at Metropolitan State University of Denver, faculty, staff and students are invited each year to participate in\u00a01 Book\/1 Project\/2 Transform<\/a>, a common reading program built on the idea that we can be transformed \u2013 and can, perhaps, transform our communities \u2013 by what we read and how we engage with others. This year\u2019s 1B\/1P\/2T selection is \u201cSabrina & Corina<\/a>\u201d (Penguin Random House, 2019), a book of short stories by\u00a0Kali Fajardo-Anstine<\/a>, an MSU Denver alumna. Fajardo-Anstine \u2013 an English major and Chicano\/a Studies minor who graduated in 2009 \u2013 sets her stories generally in the American West, more specifically in Denver and sometimes even on the Auraria Campus. Her stories weave in topics and themes such as homelessness, abortion, elder care, incarceration, interpersonal violence, health disparities, missing persons, neighborhood crime, parenting and family, mental health, and neighborhood change\/gentrification. The writing rings with authenticity. In describing the book, author\u00a0Julia Alvarez<\/a>\u00a0said, \u201c(This) work will easily find a place, not just in Latinx literature but in American literature and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it may be too late to integrate \u201cSabrina & Corina\u201d into this semester\u2019s syllabus, it\u2019s definitely not too late to encourage students to attend campuswide virtual book discussions (Sept. 24 and Oct. 7) and a virtual keynote address by Fajardo-Anstine on Oct. 14. There also may be books available, provided by the 1B\/1P\/2T program, for use in the spring semester. For more information about 1 Book\/1 Project\/2 Transform and the events listed here, visit\u00a0msudenver.edu\/1Book<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1 Book\/1 Project\/2 Transform isn\u2019t the only campus book club. More than 60 health scholars from 10 disciplines are reading \u201cWhat the Eyes Don\u2019t See<\/a>,\u201d a riveting account of lead poisoning, systemic racism and the water crisis of Flint, Michigan, told by pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha, M.D. Another book club about environmental justice will start soon and is open to everyone: The Auraria Sustainable Campus Program is hosting a series of virtual discussions of the book \u201cClean & White: A History of Environmental Racism in the U.S<\/a>.,\u201d by Carl Zimring. For information about that book club, go to\u00a0https:\/\/forms.gle\/k2w4K5RRiAkzRttV7<\/a>. Your students (and you) might also like to participate in a book club about the classic graphic novel \u201cThe Watchmen<\/a>,\u201d sponsored by the\u00a0Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still thirsty?\u00a0 Take a SIP of this:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Barack, L. (2018).\u00a0Book clubs can help comprehension blossom among students.<\/a><\/p>\n

Ferguson, M. (2006).\u00a0Creating common ground: Common reading and the first year of college.<\/a><\/p>\n

Recent research on common reading programs in higher education:\u00a0https:\/\/sc.edu\/about\/offices_and_divisions\/national_resource_center\/research\/research_findings\/details.php?id=19<\/a><\/p>\n

Author Kelly Corrigan in a TED Talk called\u00a0More Reading<\/a><\/p>\n

Can a book club fight racism?\u00a0https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/can-a-book-club-fight-racism_n_5f3a80abc5b6e054c3fc9d44<\/a><\/p>\n

The therapeutic value of books during the pandemic\u00a0https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/culture\/archive\/2020\/04\/quarantine-book-clubs-living-mountain-reading-antidote\/609742\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice? Faculty members want to promote ideals such as curiosity, lifelong learning and open-mindedness. Sometimes, though, the textbooks we choose seem to have an almost-opposite goal: They may be narrowly focused, ruthlessly structured and blinkered in their approach. Of course, these textbooks serve their purpose and often serve it well … <\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[517],"class_list":["post-1799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sip-post","tag-campus-book-club-kali-fajardo-anstine-community-reading-program-first-year-students-student-retention-student-engagement-sabrina-corina","item-wrap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}