Join us at events throughout the year to discuss the art and practice of communication, and the transformative nature of effective communication.  Visit the Center's website to see previous event's on this topic.

Organizing a Digital Writing Group: Tue, Nov 4, 12-1pm
John Rosenberg (GS, History) discusses the benefits and challenges of organizing a successful writing group in the era of Dropbox and Skype.

CRLT Players (7 into 15) + 1 Performance: Wed Nov 19, 4-5:30pm, at Salomon Center 101
Come join us for a high-energy performance that unveils the different ways we engage with and experience Brown. Through vivid sketches, re-visit your own experiences through the eyes of others and engage in transformative conversations. As a nationally renowned touring theatre company housed in the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning & Teaching, the Players use a variety of performance modes and facilitation strategies to spark dialogue, promote inclusivity, and effect positive change. Follow-up discussion sessions and forums will be scheduled across campus by various groups, centers and offices. Please RSVP here if you would like to attend.

Welcome Jessica Brodsky '14, the new Digital and Online Learning Designer.  
At the Sheridan Center, Jessica works with faculty, students, and staff on digital and online projects to enrich teaching and learning at Brown. She is also part of an interdisciplinary research team studying visualizations in science education.
Learn more about Jessica on our website.

Visit our website to see more news from the Center.

Click the event title for more information or to register.

• Fundamentals: Grading Strategies, Mon, Nov 10, 12-1pm, at the Center for Information Technology, room 219.
• Fundamentals: Designing Grading Rubrics, Thurs, Nov 13, 12-1, at the Science Library, 3rd flood Science Center, room 315.
• Sheridan Teaching Seminar: How Students Learn, Mon, Dec 1, 5:30-7pm, at Salomon 001.
• Fundamentals: Supporting Student Study Habits, Thurs, Dec 4, 12-1pm, at the Sheridan Center.
• Fundamentals: Interactive Classrooms, Tues, Dec 9, 12-1pm, at the Sheridan Center.

Contemplative Exercises for the Classroom
The following is excerpted from a Sheridan Center workshop led by Hal Roth (Religious Studies) & Tori Smith (Hispanic Studies).  Practices of contemplation are adopted by some faculty to improve student focus and academic performance.  Below are two exercises that can be used at the beginning of any class to focus students attention. Learn more about Contemplative Pedagogy.

Practice #1: “Coiling and Uncoiling” (Ancient Chinese Daoism)

1. Begin by sitting upright in your chair; eyes closed; hands on your knees or in the hand circle position; head upright; breathing through your nose if possible.
2. Take 3 deep and relaxing breaths. Gradually settle into your breathing.
3. Bring your attention to your abdomen. Note the Upper Abdominal Breathing Muscles in the Diaphragm area
4. Note the lower abdominal muscles in the area 3 finger widths below your navel.
5. Imagine…not just as an idea, but as a real bodily feeling….that connecting these two areas is a coiled spring.
6. As the spring expands, you inhale; as the spring contracts, you exhale.
7. Repeat this focusing on the expansion and contraction of your upper and lower abdominals until the bell rings.

Practice #2: “Bamboo Breathing”   (Modern Japanese Zen)

1. Begin by sitting upright in your chair; eyes closed; hands resting in your lap in the hand circle position; head upright; breathing through your nose if possible.
2. Take 3 deep and relaxing breaths. Gradually settle into your breathing.
3. Bring your attention to your abdomen. Note the lower abdominal muscles in the area 3 finger widths below your navel.
4. Paying careful attention to these muscles, take three normal breaths.
5. On the fourth breath exhale in stages, like the nodes of a bamboo tree. Your breath will be controlled and released in these stages. You can 3 or 4 of 5 stages, the exact number is not important.
6. On the last of these stages, breathe out completely and quickly relax and let your lungs fill up again with air.
7. Repeat this controlled breathing practice until the bell rings.