In College of Education, Last Fridays Are Right Time to Write
By David Simpson
The last Friday of each month, the Darden College of Education & Professional Studies shifts gears. Breakfast is served. A speaker gives a motivational talk about research. Faculty retire to their offices to write.
After that comes lunch, followed by more writing.
It's Last Friday Faculty Writing Day — part solitary reflection, part social gathering. Each one starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. To help faculty as they write all day, the Educational Research Lab provides breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack.
The last Last Friday of the semester will take place March 29 in the research lab, 2346 Education Building. The morning talk will focus on practicing presentations for the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting, scheduled for April 5-9 in Toronto, but participants could practice for any scholarly conference. The Center for Faculty Development will help with the event, and research faculty will offer insight on presentations.
Past topics have included getting motivated to write, becoming obsessed with writing, writing research questions and choosing research designs, said Courtney Jane O. Belmonte, a graduate research/teaching assistant for the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership. She helps run the research lab.
The series began in Fall 2018 through the influence of Associate Dean Gail Dickinson.
Last Fridays are supported by the dean's office and are co-sponsored by the Educational Research Lab and the College of Education's Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
