Celebrating 10 years of professional development book clubs at FGCU
- Laurie D. Babcock
- September 24, 2024
- Faculty and Staff
- Contributors: James Greco, Laurie Babcock | Photos
5 – minute read
While community book clubs might stick to bestsellers and popular fiction, workplace book clubs often venture into less-trodden literary territories. For those faculty and staff who join a book club at Florida Gulf Coast University through the Lucas Center for Faculty Development, books become bridges to deeper understanding and innovation.
“Many of the books we feature are specific to teaching and learning practices, so the book clubs support the mission of the Lucas Center, which is to promote excellence and innovation in teaching and learning at FGCU,” says Bill Reynolds, director of the Lucas Center.
The center started offering book discussion groups in 2014, under the leadership of two former literacy teachers who had long careers in public education before joining FGCU’s College of Education. Linda Serro was creator and founding director of the Lucas Center and a professor emeritus; Jackie Greene is an instructor in the college.
“Our expertise was in teaching reading and writing,” Greene says.
They hoped to provide an opportunity for faculty to explore ideas and enrich learning through casual interaction.
Since its inception a decade ago, the center has invested time and money into 86 book clubs, which have attracted 860 participants. There are typically five books chosen each semester, which often focus on teaching methods, educational theory and other relevant topics. Each book club meets for four or five sessions and is led by a faculty facilitator. Most participants join one club per semester, and each club attracts 10-12 participants.
A sense of community
The diverse academic background of club participants fosters a culture of critical thinking and open-mindedness, where differing viewpoints are not only welcomed but encouraged.
Greene says the book clubs she’s been a part of leave her “filled with the magic of the uniqueness of human thought and reaction to the printed word.” The most memorable group she recalls was in 2018 for “Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity” by Andrew Solomon. “This book was not directly about teaching and learning, but about the power of diversity to unite. Solomon makes his case by reporting on families coping with the impact of their children’s disabilities,” she says.
The center brought the author to campus for a talk on the power of empathy that attracted community members, students and employees.
“As the groups have evolved, we’ve found that they help build a sense of community among participating faculty and staff,” says Reynolds.
Sharing different perspectives
Laura Frost, associate dean and chemistry professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, has participated in and facilitated several book circles. In 2022, she led a yearlong discussion of “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber and David Wengrow. It was outside Frost’s typical wheelhouse.
“I like to lead book clubs that can help us in our classroom with teaching and learning. This one seemed different,” she says.
Written by an anthropologist and an archaeologist examining the recorded history of civilization, the book stretched over 700 pages and required a longer-than-usual commitment, covering two semesters.
“(The authors) were questioning everything that we knew about ancient civilizations and which scholars were leading the accepted narrative and which ones might have been left out,” says Frost.
The book attracted biology, chemistry, mathematics, art, English and communication faculty.
“All the participants had different perspectives based on their disciplines, which led to particularly rich discussions,” says Frost. While it was a topic “outside my comfort zone,” she says she enjoyed learning new content and engaging with a wide swath of the campus community.
Friendships often develop across disciplinary lanes, Greene says, over sharing a common goal of exploring the future of teaching, motivating students and rethinking teaching practices.
“That’s the magic of the Lucas Center. Faculty leave their lane and come to the center, a welcoming and comfortable place to meet.”
