Eric Toshalis, alumnus of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School, has published his second book Make Me! Understanding and Engaging Student Resistance in School (Harvard Education Press, 2015).
In the book Dr. Toshalis explores student resistance through a variety of perspectives, drawing on four domains of inquiry: theoretical, psychological, political, and pedagogical, to argue that oppositional behaviors can be not only instructive but also productive. Toshalis says, “The focus of teachers’ efforts should not be about managing adolescents but about learning how to read their behavior and respond to it in develop-mentally productive, culturally responsive, and democratically enriching ways.” Toshalis hopes educators will use this book as a resource to address pervasive classroom challenges in ways that enhance student agency, motivation, engagement, and academic achievement.
Dr. Toshalis coauthored his first book Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators, published by Harvard University Press, in 2006. He has also written peer-reviewed articles for the The Urban Review (2011) and Journal of Curriculum Studies (2010).
Dr. Toshalis is an Assistant Professor and Director of Summer Middle Level/High School M.A.T. Program in the Graduate School of Education and Counseling at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. Toshalis joined Lewis and Clark in 2011 and has taught courses on classroom management and adolescent development.
Dr. Toshalis has received three degrees at UC Santa Barbara. After receiving his B.A. in History, he earned both a single subject credential in Secondary Social Studies from the Gevirtz School’s Teacher Education Program in 1993 and a M.Ed. in 1997. Shortly after, Toshalis received a Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School in 2001 followed by a doctorate degree at Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2007. Before moving to Lewis and Clark, Toshalis worked as Assistant Professor of Secondary Education at CSU Channel Islands from 2007 to 2011. Toshalis has also taught on middle school and high school levels at Goleta Valley Junior High School, Jonata School, and Cambridge-Harvard Summer Academy. He has received the Human Relation Award by Santa Barbara County in 1996, Teacher of the Year by Buellton Union School District in 1997, and the Certificate of Distinction in Teaching by Harvard College in 2002.
“To this day, I am still benefiting from the rigorous preparation and considerable support I received at UCSB, particularly at the Graduate School of Education,” Toshalis states. “Into my third decade of teaching and having served in five different teacher education programs in three different states, I remain a proud graduate of and advocate for the Gevirtz School.”
Dr. Toshalis continues his research focus on factors that promote the academic success and psychosocial flourishing of both students and teachers. To learn more about his work see his website EngagingResistance.com.