Play in Your Classroom

  As instructors, at some point we were taught to “put away childish things.”  But if this included play, then we’re missing out on a powerful resource for the classroom. The latest book by the popular science writer Steven Johnson demonstrates the productivity of play. As Johnson mentioned at a recent visit to Powell’s, his…Continue Reading Play in Your Classroom

Making thinking visible through questions

Two young women sit at a table and look intently at a document. It is clear they are working together.

Before we initiated tutor training in our programs in the Learning Commons, it was common for peer assistants to do more explaining and less asking. Nowadays, questions increasingly play a major role in our peer assistance sessions. While our trained peer assistants may know by heart that the role of the tutor is to facilitate…Continue Reading Making thinking visible through questions

It’s About Time

Welcome to the fifth week of the semester. By this time, students are dealing with the reality of just how much they have to do for their courses. Those who successfully navigate their busy course loads will likely have developed approaches to managing their time and learning. In the Learning Commons, we’re training our peer…Continue Reading It’s About Time

Flipping the classroom

A desk with a computer, notepad and coffee cup

Nothing seems to polarize my students more than their opinion of ‘flipped classrooms’, in which course content is consumed primarily outside the classroom, with instructional time devoted to application or mastery of the material. Though the term is often used loosely, a flipped classroom should have four key components (via Brame, 2013): Exposure to the…Continue Reading Flipping the classroom