by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center As we welcome new faculty and students to campus, the Reinert Center is gearing up for its focus this year on Thinking Critically, Thinking Creatively. This theme will inform some of our regular programs, including workshops in our Certificate Program, our annual Winter Institute, and our Teaching with Technology… Continue reading Thinking Critically, Thinking Creatively: Considerations of a Theme
Category: From the Director
Looking Back: Reaction or Response?
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center At the beginning of this academic year, I wrote about the importance of moving from reaction to response when teaching in a time of crisis. That blog post, offered at the start of a new semester, recommended reflection as a means of helping students to avoid “reactive monologue” and… Continue reading Looking Back: Reaction or Response?
Seeking “the Gray”: Further Thoughts on Teaching in a Time of Crisis
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center In a blog post earlier this semester, I offered some thoughts on the important distinction between reaction and response when teaching in times of crisis. Since then, the need for response (versus reaction) has only grown stronger. We’ve had continuing protests (on campus, in the St. Louis region, and… Continue reading Seeking “the Gray”: Further Thoughts on Teaching in a Time of Crisis
Empowering Students to Use Sources Responsibly: One Small, Powerful Book for Students
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center Let me begin with a confessional tale: When I was first assigned Gordon Harvey’s Writing with Sources, I was a young graduate student, preparing to teach an undergraduate course. The book seemed straightforward enough, and there were many things in it I already knew (e.g., the literal definition of… Continue reading Empowering Students to Use Sources Responsibly: One Small, Powerful Book for Students
Teaching in a Time of Crisis: Moving from Reaction to Response
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center Even before the events of last week landed Ferguson (and, by extension, St. Louis), Missouri, on the national stage, I had been thinking about the distinction between reaction and response. The two words are fairly similar in meaning; some may argue that they are roughly the same thing. But… Continue reading Teaching in a Time of Crisis: Moving from Reaction to Response
End with the Beginning in Mind
by Debra Lohe, Director, Reinert Center It’s time. You’re wrapping up another academic year. Saying goodbye to graduating students. Feeling relieved that the day-to-day demands of the spring term are winding down. Looking ahead to the slower pace of summer, to the research you can finally get back to. You aren’t really thinking about next… Continue reading End with the Beginning in Mind
Beyond the Semester’s End
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center Another semester is coming to a close. You have stacks of exams and papers to grade, final grades to calculate. You have holiday shopping to finish, pending travel plans and family obligations. You’re tired, and cold …. maybe you have a cold. At this point in the academic year,… Continue reading Beyond the Semester’s End
Teaching at a Jesuit Institution: Thoughts for Those New to SLU
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center Four years ago this week, I came to SLU from what some might call a highly secular institution. At that time, I had no personal experience with Jesuit institutions, no real sense of what the educational mission of the Jesuits entailed. I did not know the long tradition of… Continue reading Teaching at a Jesuit Institution: Thoughts for Those New to SLU
From Intuition to Intention
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center This week, with move-in underway, most of the campus is focused on the arrival of new undergraduates. It's easy to do that: they're fresh and new and starting a journey that will take them to unexpected places. For us here in the Reinert Center, though, we're thinking more about… Continue reading From Intuition to Intention
What is Transformational Teaching, and How Do I Do It?
by Debie Lohe, Director, CTTL Here in the Reinert Center, we talk a lot about teaching that transforms – that is, teaching that changes people, altering fundamentally the way learners understand themselves and others, the way they engage in and contribute to their larger world. But transformation is a tall order (especially for those of… Continue reading What is Transformational Teaching, and How Do I Do It?
The Notebook 