The Club Theory of Teaching and Learning

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minute Or – How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blue Rule I have a colleague (thanks Patrick) who has a “Club Theory” for how we teach a discipline. It involves a metaphorical CLUB with distinct bumps in it. … Continue reading

If you are a teacher, especially in Higher Ed, THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Approximate Reading Time: 5 minutes I’m not going to add anything to this post, as it deserves to stand on its own. I’ll comment in another post. By Margaret Dorsey (I know this is really long, but if you are a professor, or a teacher, or … Continue reading

Worth Sharing: Mieke Bal: Let’s Abolish the Peer-Review System – Media Theory

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutes EXCELLENT article. I have experienced many of these issues myself. As an adjunct and sessional instructor, I am treated as “less than” by a great many in the academy – not based on my work, but rather based almost solely … Continue reading

Maybe people aren’t so much bad as weak.

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutes Hmmm, so people aren’t naturally cruel, or selfish. (So much for Dawkins’ “selfish gene“) I would say that people are, however, easy to manipulate. This supports my theory that MOST people aren’t evil, merely weak. For the most part, they … Continue reading

Worth Sharing: Abusers and Enablers in Faculty Culture

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minute Academe is full of Petruchios looking for their next Kate. Source: Abusers and Enablers in Faculty Culture This article is absolutely bang on. In academia: Abuse is normalized. Abusers destabilize their targets. Abuse thrives because co-workers enable it. It’s easier … Continue reading

Academic mobbing, or how to become campus tormentors | University Affairs

Approximate Reading Time: 2 minutes Yup. If anyone wants to know why I gave up a job I had loved for over 20 years (and was VERY good at); why I gave up my tenure, THIS IS WHY. People I thought were my friends, whom … Continue reading

Worth Sharing: ‘Collaboration’ Creates Mediocrity, Not Excellence, According to Science | Inc.com

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minute Boy, can I relate to this: A recent study published in Applied Psychology has now confirmed that a collaborative work environment can make top performers–the innovators and hard-workers–feel miserable and socially isolated. The problem is that rather than seeing a … Continue reading

Worth Sharing: I have one of the best jobs in academia. Here’s why I’m walking away. – Vox

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minute I also walked away from a tenured position. I did it literally to save my life. In my case it was determined bullying from my department head, which turned into departmental, and then faculty mobbing. The last straw was being … Continue reading