Did you catch the faculty feature on Prof. Michael McCloskey in this week’s Arts & Sciences Weekly e-newsletter? Read up on it here…

KSAS Office of the Dean’s Arts & Sciences Weekly e-newsletter

Faculty Feature: Michael McCloskey, Professor of Cognitive Science

In a few sentences, describe your primary research or scholarship and tell us what is most exciting about your current project.  
I study reading and writing in adults who have suffered brain damage, and children who are struggling to learn these skills. My work explores causes of reading and writing difficulties, how we can help people overcome them, and what the difficulties can tell us about normal reading and writing. Right now I am especially excited by a project looking at why some children who are excellent readers have enormous difficulty learning to spell.  

Share a best practice or tip for successful teaching or mentoring. 
I don’t have any magic formula for teaching success, but I work hard to make my lectures clear and well organized. I also try to make my students feel comfortable about asking questions in or outside of class; and I try to be helpful to students who are going through difficult times (as many of us have been during the pandemic). Teaching via Zoom has worked out better than I expected, but I’m eager to get back to in-person teaching.  

What do you like to do outside work? 
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family, as well as getting out into the woods with my camera for wildlife and nature photography.