Teaching Matters

Digital transformation increasingly shapes how students interact with schools and universities. Ardis Kadiu is a computer scientist who is also founder and CEO of Element451, a company specializing in using artificial intelligence, user experience, and digital transformation in colligate admissions. Our discussion provides an excellent overview for understanding what artificial intelligence is, how it is used effectively, and possible warnings about its effects on our privacy.

Dr. Julia Olayanju is a research geneticist who has become a disruptor in the food industry. Her most recent project, FoodNiche-ED, is a platform that empowers teachers to make science education applicable to students, particularly in support of improved health. Dr. Olayanju discusses the FoodNiche-ED platform and various health issues facing students.

For our new season of Teaching Matters, we begin with a discussion of how data sciences can be used by school districts to promote teaching effectiveness and student success. LaToya Blackshear is Director of Planning and Evaluation for Jackson (MS) public schools and Dr. Joy Smithson is Director of the Data Science Research Group for SchoolStatus. They discuss how data science has been implemented in Jackson as well as insights on how the use of data science will progress in educational settings.

The Smithsonian Education program is the largest museum-based education program in the world. Providing students and faculty of all ages with access to content experts and primary source materials, the Smithsonian is a tremendous resource for learning in any content area. Dr. Monique Chism, Undersecretary for Education at the Smithsonian, discusses how the education program can be used to enrich lessons and promote critical thinking about history and other subjects. For more information on the Smithsonian Education program, visit their website : https://www.si.edu/education

As students prepare for state testing in math, finding ways to help students re-engage previously learned material is essential. In this episode we explore a pilot-project in New York where students created short TikTok videos explaining how they used distributive properties to solve problems. Our guest, Elly Blanco-Rowe, is an educational consultant for Teaching Matters, a New York non-profit focused on promoting equitable teaching and learning. Though we share a great name, the Teaching Matters organization is not directly affiliated with this podcast.

Student wellbeing is rapidly emerging as a critical area of concern for educators at all levels. Dr. James Mazza, Professor of Education at the University of Washington, and Anne Brown, President and CEO of the Cook Center for Human Connection, discuss the importance of student wellbeing and describe a new animated series called, “My Life is Worth Living.” The series uses storytelling, with lesson plans, to help educators, families, and community organizations address the crisis of wellbeing confronting many youth and young adults.

This is the second episode in a two-part series exploring how faculty at Excelsior College, based in Albany NY, are using gamified simulations to teach course concepts. Dr. Anna Zendell, who is the Senior Faculty Program Director in Health Sciences, discusses how she has created gamified simulations to teach students about health concepts related to every-day decisions like purchasing groceries.

Dr. Mary Berkery, Faculty Program Director in History and Cornerstones at Excelsior College in Albany, NY, has worked with colleagues to develop and implement three games/simulations to help students grapple with concepts related to historical narratives. Dr. Berkery discusses how the simulations were developed and then integrated into her general education course. Listeners can experience the simulations by following these links: The July Crisis—Be the Kasier : https://kaiser.muzzylane.com/sample/web/6d5faeda-2cd9-42bb-a15e-dbbe5c9749ae The True Cost of War—Be the General : https://kaiser.muzzylane.com/sample/web/874c5626-56ef-4747-b033-d7d656dfbe68 Making the World Safe for Democracy—Be President Wilson : https://kaiser.muzzylane.com/sample/web/774f603d-8d58-42cb-a143-b879b18c5f7b

Generational changes with students, coupled with a more dynamic career landscape, is forcing higher education institutions to shift approaches to advising and mentoring for students. Dr. Jennifer Murphy, Associate Vice Provost for the OHIO Guarantee + initiative, discusses how Ohio University is expanding and strengthening support for students as they enter college and begin preparation for career success and lifelong learning.

As we work through the pandemic, all of us are looking for ways to re-inspire learners. Carmello Piazza has focused his career on using scientific discovery to unlock students' imagination and to help them ground learning in inquiry-based methods. Carmello is the Executive Director and Education Director at the Brooklyn Preschool of Science. To learn more, visit: https://brooklynpreschoolofscience.com/

Teachers aiming to integrate discussions of social issues like racism, power differentials, and other contemporary social issues are also confronted with the realities of the common core. How can classrooms become vibrant places of discussion while still meeting standards for learning outcomes? Elizabeth and Bill James discuss strategies for doing this in their book, “A Sea of Troubles: Pairing Literary and Informational Texts to Address Social Inequality.”

Prior to COVID, the U.S. Department of State initiated a program using comics to facilitate English Language instruction by partnering teachers from across the globe. Although COVID caused changes in how that program was executed, lessons learned from the pilot suggest that comics are a great tool for connecting with students. Our guest, Dan Ryder, is a learning Coordinator at Overman Academy, CRCS, in Skowhegan, Maine, and a key consultant on the State Department's program. Dan explains how the program unfolded amidst the pandemic as well as success stories that were observed. To learn more about this program, or to access resources on using comics when teaching, visit the American English “Teaching with Graphic Novels” resource site at https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/teaching-comics-and-graphic-novels

Discussions of STEM topics on this program and in other outlets typically focus on middle, primary, and higher education age-level. Dr. Stephanie Ryan is the author of a children's book titled, Let's Learn about Chemistry, which offers an interactive and engaging solution for helping children in primary grades develop understanding of everyday chemistry concepts. In our discussion, Stephanie explains her approach to teaching with the book and also discusses ways in which parents or educators can extend the chemistry concepts through other applications and activities. You can learn more about Stephanie and her book at her website, http://letslearnaboutscience.com.

Jennifer Degenhardt is a Spanish teacher and author of several student-oriented books that raise cultural awareness while also helping to teach second language skills. A core premise of her books is to use character-developed storytelling to raise empathy and cultural awareness within the context of language learning. Jen discusses these issues as well as her own transition from classroom teacher to author.

In the 2018, Episode 120 of Teaching Matters, we learned about Persistence Plus, a communication platform that uses text messages to give students behavioral nudges toward academic success. Now, 3-years later, we can dive into the successes of this platform and how it has been expanded to address a variety of student needs, including those surrounding the pandemic. We are joined by Dr. Ross O’Hara, Director of Behavioral Science and Education with Persistence Plus, and Marisa Vernon White, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Lorain County Community College, which has been an institutional leader in use of the Persistence Plus technology.

Educational trauma happens for nearly every student (and teacher) in every school. Dr. Lee-Anne Gray is a forensic and clinical psychologist and author of, Educational Trauma: Examples from Testing to the School-to-Prison Pipeline. In this episode she explains how even well-intentioned behaviors can result in trauma for students, teachers, and others in the educational setting. She is a proponent of democratic education principles, design thinking, and empathy to abate such trauma.

Conrad Wolfram is the co-founder and CEO of Wolfram Research Europe and author of The Math(s) Fix: An Educational Blueprint for the AI Age (2020, Wolfram Media, Inc.). Listeners may be familiar with the popular Wolfram Alpha app created by his company. Our discussion in this episode delves into a core problem in math education: We focus far too much on calculation rather than computation. Wolfram outlines ways in which computational thinking skills can be taught and why they are essential to our modern society.

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts the census, which is then used for a variety of purposes including the nature of representation in Congress but also resources provided to schools. The Statistics in Schools program is an initiative to help teachers of all PK-12 (and Adult ESL) levels integrate lessons using census data into lessons ranging from U.S. History to English and, of course, math. Our guests in this program are Victoria Glasier, Director of the Statistics in Schools Program with the U. S. Census Bureau, and Lem Wheeles, a U.S. Government History Teacher at Diamond High School in Anchorage

A growing body of research has documented the problems associated with using conventional student course evaluations as a primary method for demonstrating teaching effectiveness for purposes of promotion and tenure, annual review, and other uses. A group of faculty and administrators at Ohio University have tackled this issue for the past year in order to make recommendations on how practices of documenting teaching effectiveness can be usefully broadened. Ohio University guests on this episode include Kamile Geist from the School of Music, Debora Marinski from the Southern Campus, Katie Hartman from the College of Business, and Mary Wurm-Schaar from the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The KIPP Foundation is a network of over 240 public charter schools that emphasizes college preparedness for the 100,000+ students in its system. Richard Barth, CEO of the KIPP Foundation, discusses the KIPP foundation’s approach as well as information from a recently released foundation report titled, “The Promise of a Choice-Filled Life: Meeting Students’ College and Career Needs, from Classrooms to Congress.” The report carefully documents the opportunities and challenges facing students as they make the transition from college-prep to college. To learn more about the KIPP Foundation, visit their website: https://www.kipp.org/

Over the course of this season of Teaching Matters we have discussed a variety of topics and approaches to STEM education. Dr. John Ewing, President of Math for America (MfA), joins us in this episode to discuss how MfA creates a community for math and STEM educators to professionally develop and attain recognition for their efforts. As a veteran math educator and leader, Ewing also discusses his views on the future of math and STEM education.

The Noyce Teaching Fellowship Program in the Patton College of Education at Ohio University provides interested students with the opportunity to earn a tuition-free Master’s Degree and certification to teach in a STEM field. Drs. Allyson Hallman-Thrasher and Danielle Dani, both faculty in the Department of Teacher Education, and Laura Diaco, a Noyce Scholar in the program, discuss how they enact STEM training for teachers and why such training is necessary to meet the needs of future students. You can find out more about the Noyce Teaching Fellowship program at: https://www.ohio.edu/education/teacher-ed/masters/noyce

The topic of esports has recently gained significant traction in higher education as more and more universities have opted to field varsity and club-sport teams. Some universities have even planned for new academic programs to surround esport teams. Jeffrey Kuhn, an instructional designer in the Office of Instructional Innovation at Ohio University, is also a member of the Game Research and Immersive Design Lab at Ohio University. As one of the principal leaders in the University’s esports initiative, Jeff talks about the scope, scale, and benefits of esports on college campuses. His discussion highlights the interdisciplinary potential of curriculum and research surrounding esports, and its potential as a contemporary, student-focused academic program.

The rise of smart and mobile technology has opened many doors for students and teachers. Although we use our devices to share pictures of pets and to argue on social media, we also have access to information unimaginable even a few years ago. Therein lies the problem: mobile smart technology provides powerful opportunities for learning and for distraction. Abraham Flanigan is an Assistant Professor at George Southern University in the College of Education. In this episode, Abraham discusses the topic of digital distraction, including rather specific ways that technology can help and hinder learning.

Tracey A. Benson is the co—author, with Sarah Fiarman, of a recently published book titled “Unconscious Bias in Schools: A Developmental Approach to Exploring Race and Racism.” In this discussion, Tracey, who is an Assistant Professor of Education Leadership at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, discusses how we can have productive and potentially transformative conversations about unconscious bias in our schools, classrooms, and potentially broader culture. Benson and Fiarman’s book is refreshing in how it recognizes the lived experience of unconscious bias, but also provides practical ways in which schools and individuals can talk about that topic and seek to make positive change.

As teachers we rarely have the opportunity to switch roles in the classroom and become students again. Dr. Laura Harrison did just that, rerunning to a classroom as a student interested in obtaining certification to teach English as a foreign language. In Harrison’s book, “Teaching Struggling Students: Lessons Learned from Both Sides of the Classroom,” she reflects on her experiences. Our discussion explores the peaks and valleys of her emotions as she experienced the classroom as a student, including times when she was challenged. Our discussion also examines essential lessons learned that will be important for faculty teaching current generations of students.

The second of a two-part series on augmented and virtual reality, this episode features faculty and students who work on the production of AR/VR content. Our discussion focuses on how content creation for AR/VR applications provide high-impact problem-solving opportunities for students with a diverse array of interests. Lessons learned from the Immersive Media Initiative at Ohio University can spur ideas for other educators wanting to use contemporary technology as a learning opportunity. Guest for this episode include John Bowditch, professor in the School of Emerging Communication Technology at Ohio University, as well as two students, Alyssa Stahl and Mitchell Cook.

The first of a two-part series on augmented and virtual reality, this episode how ideas behind effective simulations start. Dr. Patti McSteen, Associate Dean of Students at Ohio University and Detective Rick Sargent of the Ohio University Police Department brought an idea to the Immersive Media Initiative team at OU. That idea was turned into a training simulation making use of what John Bowditch, Director of OU’s Gaming Research and Immersive Design Lab, and his colleagues refer to as “Preality.” This episode tells the less visible story of how technology can facilitate high-impact learning opportunities when people from multiple fields and disciplines work collaboratively during the creation process.

Digital Pioneers Academy is a Washington DC charter school for 7th and 8th grade students focusing on computer science. The school, which is located in the Hillcrest neighborhood of the District, serves a student population that is entirely black and Latino. Mashea Ahston is the founder, CEO, and principal of Digital Pioneers Academy and discusses how she and her faculty enact their philosophy of success with students. To learn more about Digital Pioneers Academy, visit their website: https://www.digitalpioneersacademy.org/

Educational institutions at all levels establish concrete objectives related to diversity. In discussions about diverse educational environments, inclusion is mentioned less, but is critically important. Our discussion today with Dr. Michael Arrington from Sam Houston State University and Dr. Marlene De La Cruz-Guzmon from Ohio University explores the need for inclusive educational environments as well as inclusion strategies for teachers, schools, and institutions.

As student matriculate from high school to college, they face both opportunity and challenge. Dr. Varun Soni, Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California, recently published an op-ed in the LA Times titled, “There’s a loneliness crisis on college campuses.” We discuss his essay to learn more about this phenomenon and what teachers, students, and institutions can do to try and mitigate its prevalence.

Teaching Matters is not just a great name for a podcast, its also a great name for an organization devoted to teacher development. Today’s guest is Lynette Guastaferro, the CEO of the non-profit organization, Teaching Matters, based in New York City. We will learn from Guastaferro how the organization uses micro-credentialing to empower teachers with best practices, innovative thought, and leadership skills that have far-reaching positive impact in their schools.

Excellence in teaching and learning is increasingly tied to the need for assessment. As both students and methods of instruction change, faculty are called upon to assess learning in ways that are increasingly nuanced so that meaningful improvements can be made across programs and within specific courses. Dr. Terri Givens, an education consultant and former provost, argued in a recent Inside Higher Ed essay that doctoral students should receive more training in this area. We discuss this idea and the general importance of assessment with Dr. Givens in this episode.

Learning to play a musical instrument presents a number of winding paths for students. Besides needing to learn concepts related to music theory, students must also integrate their conceptual understanding with development of fine motor skills. Often overlooked is the affective dimension of learning. How can music educators keep students motivated to practice so that they can move their musical expertise forward? The Tonara app provides a learning management system for teachers and students that integrates gamification approaches to tackle that problem. In this podcast, Ron Regev, Chief Music Officer for Tonara, describes how the app facilitates teaching and learning for a new generation of students oriented toward mobile, interactive technology.

In this podcast, I explore the big picture of the Healthy Living Imitative from the perspective of it being a catalytic learning environment. In particular, we learn about three specific characteristics of the imitative that, in my opinion, serve as catalysts for learning that have positive effects for researchers, faculty, students, and community members.

In addition to the project-based work surrounding the fight against Chagas disease, students and faculty engaged in service learning project. In this episode, participants described two of the project. Following their explanations, I reflect on the important role of reflexivity in these types of learning situations.

The October 27 Primary School serves approximately 40 students who live in the three villages serving as the primary focal point of the Healthy Living Initiative. In this episode, I provide a description of the school and introduce you, though the translation skills of my colleague Lori Lammert, to two of the teachers at the school. After meeting the teachers and learning more about the school, I reflect on the importance of “giving back” to the community as we engage in our planned work of fighting Chagas disease.

This episode is the first in a series of podcasts about my summer trip to Ecuador to participate in a place based/problem based learning project. This Episode focuses on the core part of the project—the search for Chucuro (or “Kissing Bugs”)—within homes constructed of adobe located in three small Southern Ecuadorian villages. In the podcast you meet various people involved in the bug search and I then reflect on my own experiences as a learner in that setting. The project, called the Healthy Living Initiative, was organized by the Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute at Ohio University.

Teaching Matters is starting its third season! This short podcast provides an overview of some of the topics we are booking for the season. It also highlights two special series of Teaching Matters podcasts. One of the special series explores an international trip by students and faculty who engaged in place based/problem based learning, and the other highlights several Ohio K-12 teachers who are innovating communication education projects into their classes.

In an effort to improve assessment practices, a collaboration between 19 different organizations representing educational researchers, educational policy reform advocates, private sector interests, and others, recently released “The Ten Principles for Building a High Quality System of Assessment.” (http://deeperlearning4all.org/10-principles-building-high-quality-system-assessments) A primary objective of the Ten Principles is to improve the ecological validity of assessment practices by bringing equity to the development of students’ academic, career, and civic aptitudes. Guests on the program include workforce Expert, Gail Norris, who is the U.S. Lead for Industry Learning Services at Siemens; Dr. Rebecca Wolfe, who is an education policy advocate and Associate Vice President of JFF’s Students at the Center initiative; and, Dr. David Conley, Founder of Ed Imagine and researcher focused on college and career readiness, student ownership of learning, and systems of assessment.

Teaching Matters is excited to announce a special series of podcasts with award-winning teachers who will share their personal stories about teaching excellence. The second program in this series is with Jitka Nelson, who was selected as the 2017 Indiana Teacher of the Year through a program of the Council of Chief State School Officials (CCSCO), which is the oldest and most prestigious national honors program focusing on teaching excellence. In this podcast, Jitka discusses the importance of student voice in an audio segment recorded by NWEA, the not-for-profit assessment solutions provider, who partners with the CCSCO on the National Teacher of the Year Program (segments from the other State Teacher of the Year Candidates are posted to teacherpodcasts.org).

A constant challenge facing educators is to determine the best ways in which to motivate students to succeed. A recent collaboration between JFF, Persistence Plus, and several community colleges explored the use of “behavioral nudges,” or short personalized messages, to promote student success. Barbara Endel, Senior Director at Jobs for the Future, Jill Frankfort, Co-Founder and President of Persistence Plus, and Aaron Weiss, an Instructor at Lorain Community College in Ohio discuss the use of behavioral nudges as well as results of a large research trial showing a 10% gain in academic success when STEM students receive such messages.

Dr. Lynn Gangone is President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, a national advocacy group based on Washington, D.C. The AACTE advocates at both national and state levels in support of high-quality teacher preparation. The organization represents over 800 postsecondary institutions with teacher education programs. Dr. Gangone explains core tenets of the AACTE approach and delves into specific issues like school gun violence, promoting women leaders in the field, and challenges facing today’s teachers.