Can students learn how to learn? That is the question asked by an interesting story today that suggests faculty might want to allow time to employ a metacognition strategy that asks students after they take exams and again when they receive their grades to take a few moments for reflection and to answer such questions as how much they studied, how they studied, and so forth. That topic and others central to the scholarship of teaching and learning will be discussed later this week in San Antonio. The 34th annual Southwest Educational Research Association conference kicks off Wednesday. We will be sharing some of the presentations with you on this very blog. Diane Schillinger is having a wonderful freshman year. But not everything has been going well for Diane. Both her father, a painting contractor and handyman with a high-school diploma, and her mother, a registered nurse with an associate degree, lost their jobs in 2009, and Diane, the youngest of five children, has had trouble finding the $23,000 she needed to pay for her freshman year. This story illustrates the difficulty that many of our very own students may be facing at LU. It also underscores the need for faculty to get to know their students better before making rash decisions on a recent change in attitude towards class. Active teaching means establishing relationships that can lead to a holistic approach to education. Don't forget to register to attend the Lunch+Learn session on plagiarism set for Wednesday, February 9 at noon in 108 Setzer. Visit the Center's website for more information.