Reading Groups
The TLC hosts “no guilt” reading groups throughout the year. Everyone is welcome to join in the conversation, no matter how much or how little of the reading selection you’ve been able to review beforehand. Usually a limited number of free copies are available to interested participants, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Reading Group selections relate in some way to the practice of teaching and learning. Sometimes they coordinate with events or initiatives co-sponsored with other offices.
Nominations for reading selections are always welcome! Message the TLC director with your suggestions.
2026-27 Reading Group Opportunities
For additional details about when each group meets, and how to request a copy of the current reading selection, review the TLC Events Calendar.
| Semester | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Teaching Toward Slow Hope: Place-Based Learning in College and Beyond | Book groups meet virtually, in order to expand access to participation. There will be 2 sessions: Friday, 10/9 @ 9:30am & Friday, 11/7 @ 9:30am (dates and times tentative) |
| Spring 2027 | TBD | TBD |
TLC Reading Group Badge
Any campus faculty or staff member who attends all meetings of a semester’s Reading Group will earn the TLC Reading Group Participant Credly badge.
Badges are awarded at the end of the academic year.
Badge earners are invited to help in the text selection process for future reading groups.
Previous Reading Group Selections
| Semester | Title |
|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | A Pedagogy of Kindness, by Catherine J. Denial |
| Summer 2025 & Winter 2026 | What If We Get It Right? by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (2025-26 Ideas That Matter Common Read selection) |
| Spring 2025 | Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions by Temple Grandin Coordinated with a campus visit by author Temple Grandin, sponsored by the Office of Accessibility Services. |
| Winter 2025 | You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place, by Janelle Shane (2024-25 Ideas That Matter Common Read selection) |
| Fall 2024 | Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It, by James M. Lang |
| Spring 2024 | The New College Classroom, by Cathy N. Davidson & Christina Katopodis Coordinated with a TLC Presentation by author Christina Katopodis. |
| Fall 2023 | Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, by bell hooks Participants were encouraged to experience the audio version of this book. |
| Spring 2023 | How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean in Practice, by Paul Kirschner & Carl Hendrick |
| Fall 2022 | Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom, by Kelly A. Hogan & Viji Sathy |