5/9/2014
Mary Poppins was right -- a spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down. Rebecca Shuman, author of a recent article in 'Slate', suggests that faculty can learn from physicians about the importance of a good 'bedside', or in the classroom, 'deskside' manner. Shuman suggests that the positive health outcomes from improved physician/patient social interactions found in 13 recent clinical trials are applicable to teacher/student relationships.
Faculty can learn how to effectively connect with their students to engage them in the challenging and difficult work in their courses. Making eye contact, mingling during class, and welcoming students at office hours can shift the dynamic from anonymous adversaries to shared enterprise.