Perry Binder's Innovative College Teaching Books

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Reignite Your Career Passion and Motivation to Succeed in 2023

My new book, Classroom LIGHTBULBS, aims to energize college professors and curious teachers seeking a fresh perspective on teaching. I believe that the quotes to begin each chapter have a thought-provoking appeal to people in any profession.

The LIGHTBULBS acronym highlights ten universal qualities of an effective teacher. Each letter of the LIGHTBULBS is supported with my unique perspectives on student engagement, compassion, and justice, as told through humorous, serious, and relatable stories from the classroom and life experiences. These anecdotes serve as an easy way for instructors to remember to apply the acronym and get fired up to teach before walking into class.

I hope that many of these quotes get YOU fired up to reignite your career passion and motivation to succeed in 2023. The first letter of each bolded sentence forms the LIGHTBULBS acronym:

Listen to all learners

Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right. --Jane Goodall

Inspire students with real world discussions

It is impossible to unsign a contract, so do all your thinking before you sign. --Warren Buffett

It hurts a lot when … you don’t even understand what you’re reading in your contract. --Mary J. Blige

Give hope to everyone

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. --Helen Keller

Help students engage through exaggeration and humor

Seven years of college down the drain. --Bluto (John Belushi), Animal House movie

Teach to your strengths

I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. --Leonardo da Vinci

Be available at all times, whether in person or electronically

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. --Maya Angelo

Understand that students may lack your life experience or knowledge

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. --Albert Einstein

Let your passion rub off on students

The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. --Rev. Martin Luther King

Be willing to walk in your students’ shoes

No matter how many times you are knocked down, in the end the swinging of your own blows will exhaust them. --Erin Brockovich (the person, not the movie)

It ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. --Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa movie, not the person)

Stay within yourself?

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

When you’re finished changing, you’re finished. --Benjamin Franklin

I’ll conclude with these career and success quotes from other chapters in Classroom LIGHTBULBS:

We create our future, by well improving present opportunities: however few and small they are. --Lewis Latimer, inventor of a long-lasting light bulb filament

You don’t get better if you win all the time. You look at yourself more when you lose. --Jeremy Lin, professional basketball player

© 2023 Perry Binder, J.D. is an award-winning professor at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, and the author of Classroom LIGHTBULBS for College Professors (Amazon #1 New Release in Pedagogy, Jan.2023) and 99 Motivators for College Success (2012).

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The Magic of Collective Laughter

“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.” --Robin Williams

Let’s face it, we all lose focus on days when unexpected professional or personal issues pop up. For the occasional times when the LIGHTBULBS acronym doesn’t refocus me or light my fire when heading to class, I have a backup measure when I arrive at the classroom.

The power of humor: Icebreakers to start every class

I begin each session with a segment called “What’s New in the Law News?” In the spirit of “less is truly more,” all you need is a headline to spark a collective imagination. I print out the first page of articles and display the headlines on the doc cam with accompanying crazy photos:

Man being fired brings emotional support clown to meeting

Teen taking train selfie kicked in head by conductor

Woman fakes her own death to get out of bad online date

Man stabbed at haunted house by friend who thought knife was a prop

Rattlesnake, uranium, whiskey found at traffic stop

Cop pulls over driver for speeding with 8,000-pound potato

After I go through my items, I try to spur discussion by asking everyone:

“What did you find new in the law news?”

I usually get a mix of funny, twisted, and serious items, providing entertaining dialogue and a segue to our lesson.

Many of you likely have an icebreaker or novel technique to start class. If you do, take notice of whether it gets you laughing and excited to dive into whatever you are teaching. If not, look for ways to tweak it. Lean on the magic of collective laughter to help get through a challenging day. In this regard, re-read Chapter 9: Help students stay engaged through exaggeration and humor.

To me, education at all levels is a two-way street. You get to impart knowledge to, instill hope in, and foster dreams for mostly eager students. In turn, they can elevate your mood and inspire your growth as an instructor and person.

Excerpt: Classroom LIGHTBULBS for College Professors

For me, #COVID changed #HigherEd In-Person #Teaching forever

For in-person courses, I now flip all of my classes with podcasts instead of returning to a lecture format; live stream every session from my laptop; and administer open-note exams.

Excerpt: Classroom LIGHTBULBS book