Can reading a great book be therapeutic? Every English teacher I know would say yes. Some of us, in fact, prescribe books to our friends who might want help in delicate situations. What’s new here is the idea that neuroscientists – like Fletcher – can identify scientific explanations for … Read More
Month: March 2021
“Some people hold the view that if you are a learned scholar in a field, that should be enough to make you a good teacher.”
We all know this isn’t true. Is there a person alive who hasn’t suffered through a class taught by an expert who was boring? And yet, it seems to me that we are reluctant to acknowledge that “emotion” can support or suppress learning. We focus on covering the material instead … Read More
“We unite in the same dissonance: the need to produce effective writing, yet the failure to attain it by willpower alone.”
Ah, willpower! Nearly everyone jumps to the conclusion that difficulty in writing has one root cause: a lack of willpower. It is easier to fall into the trap of blaming oneself than it is to consider another possibility: things are harder to do when you are out of practice. This … Read More