Announcements and Current Events
Fall 2025 Reading Circles
10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, led by Eugene Kim (Law)
As educators, we know motivation is central to student success, but our assumptions about what drives university students often differ from what developmental research reveals. This reading circle will explore 10 to 25 – The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation—And Making Your Own Life Easier, a book that draws on neuroscience and developmental psychology to explain what motivates learners during the critical ages of 10 to 25.
Discussions will focus on how these insights translate into higher education, including:
- How the developmental science of motivation challenges our assumptions about what drives college learners
- Strategies you can use in the classroom to align with the developmental science of motivation
- How insights into motivation across the 10–25 age range can inform more effective teaching, advising, and mentoring in higher education
- Practical applications of this research that can ease faculty workload and strengthen student engagement and persistence
This reading circle plans to meet 2-3 times across the semester. All USF faculty members and librarians are eligible to participate.
Teaching What You Don’t Know, led by Shubham Atreja (Computer Science)
This reading circle will explore Teaching What You Don’t Know, a book that examines the realities and challenges of teaching subjects outside your areas of expertise. Backed by cognitive science, the book offers helpful strategies for navigating imposter syndrome, building credibility, and embracing the role of educator as learner. Discussions will focus on:
- Addressing the complexities of teaching areas in which we lack deep familiarity.
- Honoring differing cultural backgrounds, lifestyles, or classroom expectations between instructors and students.
- Focusing on active learning and reframing teaching as stimulating learning rather than showing mastery
This reading circle plans to meet 2-4 times across the semester. All USF faculty members and librarians are eligible to participate.
