Sticky Skills

Recently, UP’s College of Arts & Sciences held its annual book-club reading of a work on pedagogy. This year’s title was Make it Stick: the Science of Successful Learning (P. Brown/H. Roediger/M. McDaniel, 2014), and Jeffrey White led faculty in a discussion. If you were among the participants, did the book’s methods “to learn better…Continue Reading Sticky Skills

Is There Such a Thing as a “Helicopter Professor?”

We’re on the other side of Fall Break, bracing for the tsunami that is the end of the semester, and working really, really hard. Really hard. Some colleagues have said it can feel like they are working harder for their students’ success than the students themselves. This might be a good time to reflect on…Continue Reading Is There Such a Thing as a “Helicopter Professor?”

Students as Bridge Builders: Encouraging Connection Across Courses

tillikum suspension bridge in portland

“That is how innovation happens; chance favors the connected mind” -Steven Johnson What’s the most important thing an undergraduate should be doing at college? The answer, I’ve come to believe, is the simple act of drawing connections between classes. Students walk off with a diploma after taking some forty separate courses. A major forms one…Continue Reading Students as Bridge Builders: Encouraging Connection Across Courses

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

A Brief Tour of Our Campus’s Handbook to Writing

Writing is hard. That’s why improving the writing skills of our students across their four years is a cross-campus shared responsibility. Having UP students in all disciplines do much of their thinking on paper has dividends not only in their written expression but also in developing knowledge in their field. Fortunately, both faculty and students…Continue Reading A Brief Tour of Our Campus’s Handbook to Writing