One of the blogs or fora I recently read suggested Discussion as a way of teaching by S. Brookfield and S. Preskill, as an excellent resource.
Leading discussions with my crickets is hard - I could use some help. I usually internally condemn them as not having read the work, but actually I think some of them DO read, yet are afraid to speak. A radical geographer acquaintance attributes this to the class struggle - they are uncomfortable in college; have not been stars in high school; are insecure about their thinking and potential for intellectual success.
He is so much more charitable than I. Yet I am not convinced that it's my job to be a confidence-builder. Yet, to get the level of dialogue I want, perhaps it is all part of my work.
I intend to spend some time reading books about various world regions over the winter break (since I am teaching World Regional Geography, TWO sections, this spring).
Tops on my list to find is stuff by 2008 Nobelist J-M G. Le Clezio. He is Mauritian-French, grew up in the desert as well as in Nice. His breakthrough was with "Desert" in 1980 - a lost culture in the North African desert, seeing Europe as unwanted immigrants.
Also he is atuned to ecology - see Terra Amata, The Book of Flights, War and The Giants. He tells his father's story in L'Africain (2004).
Alas, his recent notoriety (hey, just learned how to spell THAT!) means that his books are checked out from both library networks I belong to, and the hold lists are long. Someday...
Also when the library eventually re-opens after these pesky holidays, I will be reading about the Middle East and about the American drive to conquer the continent.
My ability to blog here may be ending soon, as I expect not to have UMN library access anymore. I'll have to figure out a new blog, which will probably be about higher education.
Just a place to park some information. I have lots to say about lots of things, but this isn't really the forum for any of that.
I just got an email from a friend (hi, Jeff!) waxing enthusiastic about how this is his favorite season. It's long been my LEAST favorite season: family tensions; pointless overconsumption. But I was a bit ashamed at his note - Christmas could be my favorite season, too: all I have to do is change my (bad) attitude.
In the meantime, Listening to Stone by Dan Snow looks like a really interesting book about the soul of stoneworking.