Balancing High Expectations and Flexibility: Supporting Student and Faculty Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge
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Balancing High Expectations and Flexibility: Supporting Student and Faculty Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge
Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence, Simmons University
December 13, 2023 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
Co sponsored by DoingWell at MIT
Join us for the final talk of the semester, with the option to attend a viewing in the Wellbeing Lab located in the newly renovated Student Center.
When you ask people to tell a story about their favorite teacher in their educational journey, they nearly always describe an instructor or coach who was warm, funny, empathetic… but challenged them to rise to high expectations of effort and success. We know from motivation research that the best goals are specific and difficult, as setting a low bar for oneself can be enervating rather than energizing.
How can we create classrooms that encourage students to set challenging goals for themselves, that mobilize energy and stimulate creativity while also being compassionate about the many difficulties our students face to adjust to their learning needs? In this interactive talk, Sarah Rose Cavanagh will present some research and food for thought based on her most recent book on creating learning environments of compassionate challenge, ending with practical tips for teaching self-determined seekers of knowledge.
About the Speaker
Sarah Rose Cavanagh is the Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence at Simmons University, and is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Psychology Department. Before joining Simmons, she was an Associate Professor of psychology and neuroscience (tenured) at Assumption University, and served in the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence as Associate Director for Grants and Research. Sarah’s research considers the interplay of emotions, motivation, learning, and quality of life. Her most recent research project, funded by the National Science Foundation, convenes a network of scholars to develop teaching practices aimed at greater effectiveness and equity in undergraduate biology education. She is author of four books, including The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion (2016) and Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge (2023). She gives keynote addresses and workshops at a variety of colleges and regional conferences, blogs for Psychology Today, and writes essays for venues like Literary Hub and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She’s also on BlueSky too much, at @SaRoseCav.