Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education)

This is an amazing read for any higher education professor. It is down to earth and very relevant no matter what subject matter you teach. Thank you Jessamyn!!

Jessymyn Neuhuas's "Geeky Pedagogy" is a terrific read -- useful for new and experienced teachers alike. Neuhaus helps us think about who we are in relation to our students, and how to think about preparing for and reflecting on our teaching. In particular, she explores teaching from the perspective of "intellectuals, introverts, and nerds". Through this perspective, Neuhaus pushes us to stay cognizant that most who teach excelled in school and we know how school works -- we can lose track of this and forget that school can be much more difficult for many of our students. Neuhaus also offers valuable advice about managing the social demands of teaching -- a challenge for the many introverts who teach in higher ed. Neuhaus's voice is authentic, wise, and humorous. Quoting everything from Star Trek to Spongebob Squarepants -- "Geeky Pedagogy" is a fun journey of professional development.

I am really enjoying this book and when someone recently asked me "how do you get people to love teaching?" I immediately recommended this book. I find her writing delightful. It is reflective and at times hysterical. She clearly loves teaching and shares that love with her fellow introverted readers.

If you consider yourself a "geek", get excited about academic knowledge and you cannot help but constantly search out more information about the scholarship of teaching and learning, this is the book for you!!

The glossary alone is worth the cover price. It’s a refreshing, engaging take on issues that can drag teachers down professionally as well as emotionally.

I laughed. Yoga and Star Trek?? Yes!I nodded. Oh damn, I’ve said/seen/felt that.I cringed. Ugh... this is so hard.I exhaled. Feeling grateful to see my thoughts/feelings about being a faculty member shared so eloquently.I believe. We can reach our students. Jessamyn Neuhaus speaks to the experts and passionate scholars about how to do make it happen.I’ll be sharing this book. With a senior member of my department, who is thinking about retiring soon and can’t understand why students are so different. With a junior faculty member I’m mentoring this year. And with my chair, who seems open to being more than the most feared department on campus. Thank you, Dr. Neuhaus, for writing this book!

Through using awareness, preparation, reflection, support and practice, Dr. Neuhaus humorously teaches anyone how to be a better teacher. Though this book is directed to GINs (geeks, introverts and nerds) who are brainiacs about their topic but don't necessarily know how to teach it effectively, it can be useful for anyone who takes the art of teaching seriously and wants to improve their efficacy. New and veteran teachers alike can learn valuable and practical lessons from this book.

As a new full time faculty member teaching college, I found this book accessible and thoughtful. Most compelling was the section on making mistakes (without derailing your course), as well as the author’s consistent use of popular culture to make student-centered insights come alive.