R3 Special Book Release Issue: November 12, 2024
Today marks the debut of my new short book, A Teacher’s Guide to Learning Student Names: Why You Should, Why It’s Hard, How You Can.
I’ve waited a long time for this day to arrive – my latest book is finally here!
There aren’t that many days in an author’s life when you can say that, so I thought it would be fitting to send out a short, special issue of R3 announcing the book’s release. This is the second volume in the Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Ed book series from University of Oklahoma Press, and I’m hoping it hits the mark as far as the goals of the series: books written in an authentic personal voice, grounded in the very best research, addressing issues that educators face day in and day out within their teaching careers. In it, I tried to weave together advice about this one common issue – name learning – that goes beyond random tip-and-trick lists, going deeper into what happens when we learn a name and tapping into these theories for the most effective strategies. I also got to talk about some special considerations that may factor in, including neurodivergence, the effects (not all bad!) of cognitive aging, and how to handle names in large classes.
Why read a whole guide on this one issue? For starters, learning student names is one move that instantly elevates your classroom atmosphere, no matter your discipline, the needs of your students, or teaching style. It is also an area where most of us can use some help. So I tried to make this book as applicable as possible across the board - whether you happen to be a thirty-year classroom veteran, or a teaching assistant just starting out.
With this milestone celebrated, soon I’ll be getting back to the research- and resource-oriented issues that I usually put out in R3, with the caveat that with another manuscript deadline coming up early in the new year and things predictably getting hectic at semester’s end, the issues will possibly be a bit fewer and far between. But don’t worry – R3 will still be going strong in 2025. Sparking more and better learning everywhere we can, while supporting our own growth as educators, is today a matter of urgency. If this newsletter can be a small part of making that happen, it will be my honor to keep writing it. Thanks for reading.
Check out A Teacher’s Guide to Learning Student Names on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and University of Oklahoma Press
Miller, M.D. (2024). A teacher’s guide to learning student names: Why you should, why it’s hard, how you can. University of Oklahoma Press.