Judges lecture criminals at the time of sentencing. Bosses lecture employees on the importance of customer service. Mothers lecture small children to clean behind their ears. Many joyous experiences, it seems, occur as lectures. To this list we might add, Biology professors lecture students on the intricacies of molecular carbon bonds. Is it any wonder that Biology Professor Scott Freedman of the University of Washington wants to do away with lecturing in STEM subject area classes? Freedman is the lead author in a recent paper, Active Learning Increases Student Performance in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics. The study is a meta-analysis of 225 studies that report on the scores and failure rates of STEM students in both traditional lecture-based classes and […]

by Joe Avanzato Anxiety, when left unchecked, has the potential to multiply fear to exponential levels. I was certainly nervous in 2008, high school graduation approaching quickly, unsure what to do with my future. Walking into Sarphatie Education’s offices for the first time, I felt even more nervous, as Dr. Trama seemed to be an unstoppable force. At our first meeting, she urged me to stop worrying about the process, explaining that she was helping me now. True to her word, she took the reigns of the application process, calmed my initial nerves, and became a steady, guiding light during a time that can often be confusing for even the most prepared students. One of the more stressful parts of […]