The heart of teaching is how teachers feel about their students. The hidden fact about the teaching profession is that learners complicate it enormously. A teacher's obligation is to value students enough to value everything done for them. (MLW)

Three recently published books intended to help both new and experienced college teachers with their teaching methods and skills are given brief but favorable reviews. "The Art and Craft of Teaching" (edited by Margaret Morganroth Gullette) includes chapters and essays on teaching methods, the first day of class, lecturing, questioning…

If college faculty were encouraged by leadership to share their teaching experiences and insights, good teaching could flourish. Useful conversation topics include critical moments in teaching and learning; the human condition of teachers and learners; metaphors and images of the teaching process; and autobiographical reflection on great teachers.…

Good teaching will help people learn to speak and listen in the community of truth, to understand that truth is not in the conclusions so much as the process of conversation itself. Fear of public conflict is a major barrier to creating spaces where the community of truth can be practiced. (MLW)