“Critical thinking breaks down barriers and liberates the
individual from conventional thinking.” To Michael Cairo,
learning is a two-way street. It is not, he says, "about the
professor telling the students what to think. It's about
engaging in a discussion of important issues and learning a
variety of ways to investigate and examine these issues." "I am
a believer in active and experiential learning," adds Cairo,
associate professor of political science. "Effective education
requires engaging the students and giving them a stake in the
learning process." Inside the classroom, Cairo clearly practices
what he preaches. Because he is enthusiastic about learning
himself, he believes his students are likewise enthusiastic
learners. "As a result, I work to maintain a very energetic
classroom," he says. Outside the classroom is no different. In
fact, engaging students in important research topics beyond
classroom walls is what Cairo enjoys most about teaching. "Good
teachers need to be involved in research and nee