Author Archives: Bob Bruner

A week ago, Darden’s teaching faculty gathered for a seminar on “Engaging the Students.” Students come to Darden (and most schools) with the expectation of engaging with the faculty. Such an expectation is possibly higher at Darden because “community” is … Continue reading →

“Well begun is half done,” says the English proverb. The opening day of a course can create a first impression about a teacher and course that can help (or hinder) the rest of the sessions. To what should the new … Continue reading →

“I didn’t leave the Republican Party. I felt that the Party left me.” –Ben Bernanke [1]
Bernanke’s comment came to mind with the serial departures of CEOs from President Trump’s business advisory groups. Robert Iger (CEO of Disney) and Elon … Continue reading →

Earlier this month, Melissa Thomas-Hunt and I convened another session in our faculty series on case teaching.  This was focused on “Getting the Best out of the Quiet Student.”  Here’s a sketch of what we discussed. 
 
At the outset, we … Continue reading →

So much of the art of teaching by the case method involves asking rather than telling.   We teach this way out of a belief and considerable evidence that learning “sticks” when a student makes his or her own sense … Continue reading →

 
“Tell me and I forget; teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn.”
–        Benjamin Franklin
 
The seasoned learner is highly relevant to the work of graduate professional schools generally and business schools in particular, where virtually all of … Continue reading →

In contrast to previous years, I will be brief, forgoing my usual exhortation to read more books in the belief that if you’re reading this blog, you are probably doing a lot of reading anyway. And I’ll dispense with telling … Continue reading →

As I write this concluding post for the fall semester, the present context gives more meaning to our readings about the Great Depression.  Donald Trump’s startling win in the Presidential election, the buoyant estimates for infrastructure spending (maybe $1 trillion) … Continue reading →

An important lesson of the presidency of George H.W. Bush is the importance of an identity to the success of a leader.  An identity refers not only to substance (as in an ideology) but also style (as in how one … Continue reading →

 
“This idea — that government was beholden to the people, that it had no other source of power is still the newest, most unique idea in all the long history of man’s relation to man. This is the issue of … Continue reading →