Touchstones’ student-centered discussion courses actively foster student engagement, habits of lifelong learning, reflective thinking, and greater self-awareness. Our curricula are research-based and grounded in best practices.
Touchstones teaches students through interactive practice to work cooperatively, explore what it means to grow intellectually, and chart their roles and responsibilities as individuals and leaders in a civil society. These are the cornerstones of success in school, work, and life.
HIGHER ED PROGRAMS
Our higher ed partners include administrators and educators in public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, graduate and post-doc programs, and schools of education. Touchstones programs are designed to support learning in higher ed by engaging each student individually and as a member of a community. From bridge programs to educational research, Touchstones is here to help you achieve your professional and institutional goals.
Check out what students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas have to say about their Touchstones seminar classes!
PROFFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Touchstones staff is expert in training educators to achieve optimal outcomes in their instructional settings. Our workshops range from introductory experiences to intensive trainings that enhance your pedagogy to foster greater student engagement and growth. We work remotely and in-person, depending on your needs. Bring your teaching and learning skills to the next level with Touchstones!
What are professors saying about Touchstones in higher ed?
What I find particularly valuable about Touchstones is that it helps students see their own opinions not as unalterable statements of identity, but as the products of their reflections, experiences and circumstances. This understanding helps students think critically and thoughtfully, and see disagreement as a means of promoting inquiry and a shared exploration of ideas.
L. Morgan, The Griffin School (High School), Austin TX
No, I am not hallucinating, and I’m certainly not bragging. Like a lot of us, I have mostly agonized over how to lead whole class discussions on readings, to get more than 4 or 5 regulars to carry the conversation, to deal with the student who whispers and the one who doesn’t know how to release a hold on the floor. To get students to probe a text collaboratively. To enable them to claim a place in college discussions.
For me, the solution has been Touchstones’ methods and materials,
M. Bronstein, Professor and Chair, Montgomery College, MD
It is eye opening and so uplifting to hear a student verbalize that he or she now understands how to listen to others’ perspectives. While many of my students may not have had a hard time talking, in doing Touchstones, they have learned how to speak with purpose and to truly listen to others.
T. Miller, Cecil County Public Schools, MD
There is no doubt in my mind that the participants in these discussions carry these memories throughout their lives. They become changed in fundamental ways–the way they see themselves and others, their understanding of the power of texts and the joy of being given the opportunity to struggle to express themselves and discover what they believe. I’ve seen it over and over and I have found Touchstones to be the most powerful and effective means of teaching, oh, almost everything.
J. Davis, University of Pittsburgh, College of Education, Pittsburgh Public Schools (retired)
I love Touchstones because it’s helped my student veterans gain important listening skills and provided them with an opportunity to discuss their experiences with other veterans, military-affiliated students, and civilians. I also love Touchstones for the sense of community and belonging it gives.
N. Slife, Assistant Professor in Residence, Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education, UNLV College of Education
In Touchstones, every student learns and practices discussion skills to listen actively to others and formulate thoughtful responses that advance individual and shared growth and understanding. In each Touchstones class, communication, thinking, and leadership skills are explicitly taught and systematically strengthened over time. With discussion as an engaging and dynamic process to strengthen essential skills, students increasingly chart their own paths as participatory individuals and members in a community of learners.
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