UT Knoxville faculty who teach classes will have a chance this week to learn how to bring a dash of the performing arts to the classroom.
The new Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center (TENN TLC), an initiative to help faculty improve their classroom techniques, is hosting an interactive lunch presentation Thursday at noon in the University Center Executive Dining Room.
The presentation is titled “Theater Concepts Applied to Teaching,” and will be facilitated by faculty from the Department of Theatre.
“It’s like acting coaching for our faculty,” says David W. Schumann, professor of marketing and logistics and director of the TENN TLC. “Standing in front of a classroom full of students is its own kind of performance, and we want to expose our faculty to certain basic principles of acting that can serve to improve their teaching effectiveness.”
The presentation will deal with topics such as how to personalize a lecture to the audience, and the effective use of body movements and voice to capture the attention of students and engage them.
Lunch is sponsored by the TENN TLC, but registration is required. RSVP by phone to 974-3933 or by e-mail to tenntlc@utk.edu.