
Teaching What You Don't Know
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rebecca Van Volkinburg
-
By:
-
Therese Huston
About this listen
Your graduate work was on bacterial evolution, but now you're lecturing to 200 freshmen on primate social life. You've taught Kant for twenty years, but now you're team-teaching a new course on "Ethics and the Internet". The personality theorist retired and wasn't replaced, so now you, the neuroscientist, have to teach the "Sexual Identity" course.
Everyone in academia knows it and no one likes to admit it: faculty often have to teach courses in areas they don't know very well. The challenges are even greater when students don't share your cultural background, lifestyle, or assumptions about how to behave in a classroom.
In this practical and funny book, an experienced teaching consultant offers many creative strategies for dealing with typical problems. How can you prepare most efficiently for a new course in a new area? How do you look credible? And what do you do when you don't have a clue how to answer a question?
Encouraging faculty to think of themselves as learners rather than as experts, Therese Huston points out that authority in the classroom doesn't come only, or even mostly, from perfect knowledge. She offers tips for introducing new topics in a lively style, for gauging students' understanding, for reaching unresponsive students, for maintaining discussions when they seem to stop dead, and - yes - for dealing with those impossible questions.
Original, useful, and hopeful, this book reminds you that teaching what you don't know, to students whom you may not understand, is not just a job. It's an adventure.
The book is published by Harvard University Press.
©2009 The President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2012 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Teaching College
- The Ultimate Guide to Lecturing, Presenting, and Engaging Students
- By: Norman Eng
- Narrated by: Joseph Brookhouse
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Your students aren't reading. They aren't engaged in class. Getting them to talk is like pulling teeth. Whatever the situation, your reality is not meeting your expectations. Change is needed. But who's got the time? Or maybe you're just starting out, and you want to get it right the first time. If so, Teaching College: The Ultimate Guide to Lecturing, Presenting, and Engaging Students is the blueprint. Find out how to hack the world of higher education instruction and have your course become the standard.
-
-
Treating adults as teens and children
- By Kingsley on 05-04-17
By: Norman Eng
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Nope
- By Anna OConnor-McClure on 10-27-23
By: Adam Grant
-
The Intriguing Case of the Fulfilled Teachers
- Unfold Strategies for a More Effective Teaching and Add More Meaning to Your Career
- By: Tony Jon
- Narrated by: James Daniel Burkdoll
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are you passionate about making an impact on your students’ lives? Everyone remembers that one teacher in school who inspires, encourages, and makes learning incredibly fun! Even when you couldn’t rely on the education system, you could turn to that special teacher who gave you the means to reach your maximum potential. If you’ve been feeling a tad insecure before entering your classroom, The Intriguing Case of the Fulfilled Teachers can guide you through every nook and cranny of the craft.
By: Tony Jon
-
Uncommon Sense Teaching
- Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn
- By: Barbara Oakley PhD, Beth Rogowsky EdD, Terrence J. Sejnowski
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neuroscientists and cognitive scientists have made enormous strides in understanding the brain and how we learn, but little of that insight has filtered down to the way teachers teach. Uncommon Sense Teaching applies this research to the classroom for teachers, parents, and anyone interested in improving education.
-
-
This is not groudbreaking
- By taubrt on 01-17-23
By: Barbara Oakley PhD, and others
-
On Writing
- A Memoir of the Craft
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Joe Hill, Owen King
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.
-
-
Who needs a print edition when King reads King?
- By Cather on 11-18-05
By: Stephen King
-
The First Days of School
- How to Be an Effective Teacher, 4th Edition
- By: Harry K. Wong, Rosemary T. Wong
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The bestselling book ever on classroom management and teaching for student achievement with over 3.7 million copies sold. The audiobook walks a teacher, either novice or veteran, through structuring and organizing a classroom for success that can be applied at any time of the year at any grade level, pre-K through college.
-
-
Best suited for paper format
- By Amazon Customer on 10-18-15
By: Harry K. Wong, and others
-
Teaching College
- The Ultimate Guide to Lecturing, Presenting, and Engaging Students
- By: Norman Eng
- Narrated by: Joseph Brookhouse
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Your students aren't reading. They aren't engaged in class. Getting them to talk is like pulling teeth. Whatever the situation, your reality is not meeting your expectations. Change is needed. But who's got the time? Or maybe you're just starting out, and you want to get it right the first time. If so, Teaching College: The Ultimate Guide to Lecturing, Presenting, and Engaging Students is the blueprint. Find out how to hack the world of higher education instruction and have your course become the standard.
-
-
Treating adults as teens and children
- By Kingsley on 05-04-17
By: Norman Eng
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Nope
- By Anna OConnor-McClure on 10-27-23
By: Adam Grant
-
The Intriguing Case of the Fulfilled Teachers
- Unfold Strategies for a More Effective Teaching and Add More Meaning to Your Career
- By: Tony Jon
- Narrated by: James Daniel Burkdoll
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are you passionate about making an impact on your students’ lives? Everyone remembers that one teacher in school who inspires, encourages, and makes learning incredibly fun! Even when you couldn’t rely on the education system, you could turn to that special teacher who gave you the means to reach your maximum potential. If you’ve been feeling a tad insecure before entering your classroom, The Intriguing Case of the Fulfilled Teachers can guide you through every nook and cranny of the craft.
By: Tony Jon
-
Uncommon Sense Teaching
- Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn
- By: Barbara Oakley PhD, Beth Rogowsky EdD, Terrence J. Sejnowski
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Neuroscientists and cognitive scientists have made enormous strides in understanding the brain and how we learn, but little of that insight has filtered down to the way teachers teach. Uncommon Sense Teaching applies this research to the classroom for teachers, parents, and anyone interested in improving education.
-
-
This is not groudbreaking
- By taubrt on 01-17-23
By: Barbara Oakley PhD, and others
-
On Writing
- A Memoir of the Craft
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King, Joe Hill, Owen King
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.
-
-
Who needs a print edition when King reads King?
- By Cather on 11-18-05
By: Stephen King
-
The First Days of School
- How to Be an Effective Teacher, 4th Edition
- By: Harry K. Wong, Rosemary T. Wong
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The bestselling book ever on classroom management and teaching for student achievement with over 3.7 million copies sold. The audiobook walks a teacher, either novice or veteran, through structuring and organizing a classroom for success that can be applied at any time of the year at any grade level, pre-K through college.
-
-
Best suited for paper format
- By Amazon Customer on 10-18-15
By: Harry K. Wong, and others
-
Small Teaching
- Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning
- By: James M. Lang
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Research into how we learn has opened the door for utilizing cognitive theory to facilitate better student learning. But that's easier said than done. Many books about cognitive theory introduce radical but impractical theories, failing to make the connection to the classroom. In Small Teaching, James Lang presents a strategy for improving student learning with a series of modest but powerful changes that make a big difference - many of which can be put into practice in a single class period.
-
-
Why is there no accompanying PDF????
- By Esben on 12-04-19
By: James M. Lang
-
Originals
- How Non-Conformists Move the World
- By: Adam Grant, Sheryl Sandberg - foreword
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders, Susan Denaker
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Give and Take, Adam Grant not only introduced a landmark new paradigm for success but also established himself as one of his generation’s most compelling and provocative thought leaders. In Originals he again addresses the challenge of improving the world, but now from the perspective of becoming original: choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?
-
-
Interesting, but not science
- By Lloyd Fassett on 03-14-16
By: Adam Grant, and others
-
Ultralearning
- Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
- By: Scott H. Young
- Narrated by: Scott H. Young
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Future-proof your career and maximize your competitive advantage by learning the skill necessary to stay relevant, reinvent yourself, and adapt to whatever the workplace throws your way in this essential guide. Scott Young incorporates the latest research about the most effective learning methods and the stories of other ultralearners like himself - among them Ben Franklin, Judit Polgar, and Richard Feynman, as well as a host of others, such as little-known modern polymaths like Nigel Richards who won the World Championship of French Scrabble - without knowing French.
-
-
I Thought I Already Knew Something About Learning
- By Tyler L on 09-08-19
By: Scott H. Young
-
The Five Elements of Effective Thinking
- By: Edward B. Burger, Michael Starbird
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking presents practical, lively, and inspiring ways for you to become more successful through better thinking. The idea is simple: You can learn how to think far better by adopting specific strategies. Brilliant people aren't a special breed--they just use their minds differently.
-
-
Thinking about Thinking
- By Cynthia on 05-20-14
By: Edward B. Burger, and others
-
The Knowledge Gap
- The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System--and How to Fix it
- By: Natalie Wexler
- Narrated by: Natalie Wexler
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system - one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware.
-
-
Thoughts on The Knowledge Gap
- By cchamberalain on 02-28-20
By: Natalie Wexler
-
Love, Teach
- Real Stories and Honest Advice to Keep Teachers from Crying Under Their Desks
- By: Kelly Treleaven
- Narrated by: Kelly Treleaven
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every teacher will tell you the first years are the hardest, and even the most confident of the pack sometimes ask themselves, Am I cut out for this? Kelly Treleaven, the teacher behind Love, Teach, wants you to know that you're not alone, and that yes, she has cried under her desk, too. Treleaven's blog has become a sensation in the education world, known for its heartfelt, high-spirited dispatches straight from the trenches and its practical advice. Here, she gives rookie teachers the advice she wishes she'd had when she started out in a large district in Houston.
-
-
Best Teaching Guidance Book Ever!!!
- By Anonymous User on 11-07-23
By: Kelly Treleaven
-
The Art of College Admission
- Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting an Unforgettable Application and Avoiding the 11 Mistakes College Admissions Officers Say Lead to Rejections
- By: Noah Craig
- Narrated by: Genesis Renji
- Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ready for college? Take a confident approach to college admissions with this definitive guide – all without stressing yourself out. Getting into college is a magnificent stepping stone that can definitely give you an edge in your professional career and in your life. Unfortunately, the part that comes before all this is not so easy.
-
-
Great resource for any student
- By Marcia B. on 01-02-23
By: Noah Craig
-
Ultimate Guide for Making Top Grades in College
- The Most Concise Guide for Your College Success: What Most Excellent Students Do to Get A’s
- By: Koorosh Naghshineh
- Narrated by: Alex Campbell
- Length: 1 hr and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For every college-failure-turned-success story, there are countless less-inspiring ones. The real reason why most people don’t make the grades they need or become so disheartened that they drop out of college early has nothing to do with the subject they’re studying or their drive to succeed…. It’s because they lack essential study skills and inside knowledge. Your courses focus on your subject—as they should…. But there’s a wealth of other information you’re missing out on that could make the difference between a pass and a fail.
-
-
Full of Great Tips And Advice
- By Patricia on 01-20-23
-
The Science of Self-Learning
- How to Teach Yourself Anything, Learn More in Less Time, and Direct Your Own Education
- By: Peter Hollins
- Narrated by: Gregory Allen Siders
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How to learn effectively when you have to be both the teacher and student. Work smarter and save yourself countless hours. Self-learning is not just about performing better in the classroom or the office. It’s about being able to aim your life in whatever direction you choose and conquering the obstacles in front of you.
-
-
Good Guide for Self-Learners
- By A. Yoshida on 06-11-19
By: Peter Hollins
-
Innovate Inside the Box
- Empowering Learners Through UDL and the Innovator's Mindset
- By: George Couros, Katie Novak
- Narrated by: George Couros, Katie Novak
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every educator faces constraints — from budget restrictions to predetermined curriculum to “one-size-fits-all” mandatory assessments. The question is, how can you, as a teacher or administrator, ensure that regulations and limitations don’t impede authentic learning? In Innovate Inside the Box, George Couros and Katie Novak provide informed insight on creating purposeful learning opportunities for all students.
-
-
Relatable teaching strategies and stories
- By civicus on 12-18-23
By: George Couros, and others
-
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan
- A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning
- By: Ben Foss
- Narrated by: Ben Foss
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than thirty million people in the United States are dyslexic—a brain-based genetic trait, often labeled as a “learning disability” or “learning difference,” that makes interpreting text and reading difficult. Yet even though children with dyslexia may have trouble reading, they don’t have any problems learning; dyslexia has nothing to do with a lack of intellect.
-
-
First book on dyslexia of its kind
- By Benjamin N. Powers on 08-28-13
By: Ben Foss
-
Limitless Mind
- Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers
- By: Jo Boaler
- Narrated by: Jo Boaler
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revolutionary book, a professor of education at Stanford University and acclaimed math educator who has spent decades studying the impact of beliefs and bias on education, reveals the six keys to unlocking learning potential, based on the latest scientific findings.
-
-
Title does not reflect audience
- By Oliver Nielsen on 05-02-20
By: Jo Boaler
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Teaching What You Don't Know
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-01-15
Authoress needs to follow own advice.
Good useful info. but repetetive and poorly organised. Much of the guidance applies equally to lecturers teaching within their fields. A good edit would turn this into 2 books: A short one dealing with the title and a longer once with best lecture and prep practices.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Teacher
- 03-23-17
Very useful book for university teachers
A lotvof useful examples and advice on improving your teaching, not only limited on teaching outside your competence. The introduction is a bit too long,must survive it,gets interesting when the practical part starts.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- K
- 03-18-14
Story - great. Narrator - meh
Would you consider the audio edition of Teaching What You Don't Know to be better than the print version?
I think this book would be better in print. A number of helpful tips and classroom exercises are given that I'd like to access repeatedly. Not as easy when an audible book.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Teaching What You Don't Know?
The sense that I'm not alone in experiencing feelings of fraudulency and inadequacy as a tertiary educator who is assigned classes outside my area of expertise.
How could the performance have been better?
Yes. I found the book to be witty and edgy. The narrator was almost robotic and the author's wonderful writing style was not communicated as effectively as it could have been.
Any additional comments?
Highly recommended for any tertiary educator!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kgt
- 06-23-15
Excellent and bold!!
Would you listen to Teaching What You Don't Know again? Why?
Yes, very practical and very useful.
What about Rebecca Van Volkinburg’s performance did you like?
Very good performance. Very apt for the book.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes. almost
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rayne Stevens
- 04-12-18
It's our reality
I joined our faculty 10 years ago and have taught 20 new courses. Great book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!