Teaching Matters

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.

Dr. Brittany Peterson is an award-winning teacher in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. Peterson was awarded the title of “Presidential Teacher” from 2017-2020; the Presidential Teacher Award is the highest teaching award given to one Ohio University faculty member each year. Recently, Peterson was also awarded the title of “University Professor,” which is a yearly award bestowed by a student selection committee to a maximum of five faculty each year. In this podcast, Peterson discusses her teaching approaches, how she balances the multiple demands of being a faculty member, and approaches she uses when teaching e-learning courses.

This episode expands on the topic of place-based learning, which was also covered in Episode 103. Whereas the previous interview focused on place-based learning in an urban setting, this episode focuses on a rural-based program, the Teton Science School. The science school offers place-based experiences for students and faculty, and also helps conduct workshops on this topic for faculty. We are joined on the podcast by Josh Kleyman of the Teton Science School, as well as Dr. Scott Seaman, Dean of Ohio University Libraries, Delaney Dixon and Brandan Hogan, both Ohio University Students. Seaman, Dixon, and Hogan are all affiliated with the Ohio Fellows program, which participated in place-based learning at the Teton Science School.

Linda Darling-Hammond led a team of researchers to conduct an international comparative study, Empowered Educators. The study and accompanying series of policy briefs related to teacher recruitment, professional development, appraisal, and other topics was funded and supported by the National Center on Education and the Economy, a Washington DC-based organization led by Marc Tucker, with the help of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. Our discussion focuses on some of the lessons learned from a multi-country comparative study of practices used in high-performing education systems, and their implications for policy and practices in the United States. View the series of policy briefs at: http://ncee.org/empowered-educators/empowered-educators-resources/#PolicyBriefs

Eva Moskowitz is a leading figure in the education reform movement promoting charter schools. Her charter school system, the Success Academy Charter Schools in New York City, has 45 locations and serves nearly 15,000 students. In this episode of Teaching Matters, Moskowitz describes how her schools have created a culture of success despite the many political challenges advanced by charter school opponents. Additional information about Eva’s work as an educational reformer can be found in her memoir, “The Education of Eva Moskowitz,” published by Harper Collins.

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 first program in this series is with Sydney Chaffee, who was selected as the 2017 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year through a program run by 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, Sydney discusses how she uses social justice as an orientation for bringing authentic, culturally-based, and real-world experiences to her classroom. She also discusses her "epiphany" about the purpose of learning in an audio segment recorded by NWEA, who partners with the CCSCO on the National Teacher of the Year Program (segments from other State Teacher of the Year Candidates are posted to teacherpodcasts.org).

Math and Science education poses challenges for teachers as they confront phobias, anxieties and perceived differential abilities among students. Dr. Courtney Koestler, Director of the OHIO Center for Equity in Math and Science in the Patton College of Education at Ohio University, discusses the political dimensions of math and science education as well as the role played by the center in promoting educational equity with improved learning outcomes for students.

Students have a variety of motives for communicating with their instructors over the course of a semester or term. In this episode, Dr. Scott Myers from West Virginia University discusses a recent study he published in the journal, Communication Education, titled, “A longitudinal analysis of students’ motives for communicating with their instructors.” Dr. Myers research observes that, in general, students’ motives surrounding the need for information decreases as a semester progresses, but that their motives for relational communication increases.

Virtual and augmented reality are poised to disrupt media consumption in all areas—entertainment, journalism, and education to name a few. Are you skeptical about this influencing your teaching and learning? If so, think about how smart phones and mobile computing has changed the ways in which we consume information. Virtual and augmented reality is the next evolution of mobile media consumption, and will disrupt our uses of media in the same way that the iPhone did less than a few years ago. Eric Williams, Josh Antonuccio, and John Bowditch are the chief architects of the Immersive Media Initiative at Ohio University. In this episode, you will hear how they teach students in a technology environment that changes rapidly, as well as how uses of AR/VR technology is presenting exciting learning opportunities across a wide array of fields, and at all age levels. This is the first in a multi-show series on VR/AR uses in education settings. You can learn more about the Immersive Media Initiative by visiting http:/

On this episode, Scott Titsworth welcomes two members of the Appalachian Peace & Justice Network, a non-profit organization that empowers and challenges groups and individuals to work for peace and social justice, to talk about how the organization helps to embed social and emotional learning directly into schools in the region. Mara Giglio, director of the Appalachian Peace and Justice Network, where she she provides training on bully and violence prevention, conflict management and peer mediation. Jennifer L. Seifert, Ph.D., directs the Sexual Assault Prevention Program, an affiliate program within the APJN. For more info on the APJN, visit: http://www.apjn.org/

Dr. Craig Davis and Mr. Chuck Borghese teach courses in strategic communication in the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Both Craig and Chuck draw upon years of experience working in the communication industry to integrate real world, problem-based learning into their courses. They emphasize creativity, problem-solving, team-based collaboration, and real-world application. In this episode, Chuck and Craig describe their approaches and how teachers in various settings might use problem-based learning to help students develop transferable skills.

Academic Service Learning is a pedagogical approach to problem-based learning that involves maximizing benefits for both learners and local communities in which educational projects are enacted. This episode describes an ongoing (20-year) project in Ecuador involving faculty from multiple disciplines and multiple universities. Dr. Mario Grijalva, Director of Ohio University’s Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute, and Diana Marvel, Director of Ohio University’s Center for Campus and Community Engagement, describe the service learning project in Ecuador, the philosophy behind service learning, and their approaches to emphasize multidisciplinary work by faculty and student participants. To learn more about this program, visit the ITDI website at: https://www.ohio.edu/medicine/itdi/

This program focuses on the link between educational credentials and future earning potential for students. Guests on the program describe an initiative called, Accelerating Opportunity, which is designed to advance the credentials of underprepared students with the objective of increasing their preparedness for careers that could increase their earning potential. Our discussion is centered on a recently released report, titled “New Evidence on Integrated Career Pathways: Final Impact Report for Accelerating Opportunity,” from the Urban Institute. Guests on the program include: Dr. Barbara Endel, Senior Director of Jobs for the Future, who led the Accelerating Opportunity initiative, Monty Sullivan, President of the Louisiana Community & Technical College System in Baton Rouge, LA, and Peggy Heinrich, Interim Vice President of Teaching, Learning, and Student Development at Elgin Community College.

On this episode of Teaching Matters, Scott discusses the problem, the challenge, and the rewards of technology, specifically cell phones, in the classroom with Dave Panzer, Director of Sales at Pocket Points, Inc. and Dr. Jeff Kuznekoff, Assistant Professor of Communication at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Pocket Points is a new app providing a powerful and innovative solution to a modern day challenge for Educator's across America. Pocket Points rewards students for doing the right thing of staying off their cell phones during class time. For more information on the app, visit: https://pocketpoints.com

On this episode of Teaching Matters, host Scott Titsworth talks with Dr. Renee Middleton, Dean of Ohio University's Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services, about how their college prepares new and experienced teachers for the constantly changing landscape of education.

Teaching students to think creatively about problems is a critical step in promoting metacognition, problem-solving, and even productive collaboration. A lifelong puzzle enthusiast, Eric Berlin has created a variety of resources, including puzzle-based mystery novels and free word puzzles, that can be used by teachers, parents, and students to promote creative thinking. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of using puzzles in a variety of settings, both in the classroom and at home. Through a free subscription to his website, www.puzzleyourkids.com, you can receive a weekly free puzzle.

Colleges and universities sometimes have an “arm distance” relationship with their communities. Alternatively, Dr. Jeffrey Partridge, Director of the Heritage Project at Capital Community College in Hartford Connecticut, offers a more productive approach. In a recent essay titled, “Higher Ed Approaches to Empowering Students,” which appeared on the Getting Smart online community, Dr. Partridge discusses the value of Place Based Pedagogy for student learning, community engagement, and empowerment.

In previous times, students who missed class either ignored the transgression, or were forced to address the issue with their teacher during office hours, or during a subsequent class period. Modern communication tools, however, offer new avenues for accounts, excuses, and apologies surrounding absences. In his recent book titled, Dear Professor: A Chronicle of Absences, Filip Noterdaeme presents over 200 emails that he received from students explaining and apologizing for absences. In this podcast, we explore Noterdaeme’s book, and lessons to be learned about the emotional nature of apologies between students and teachers. Noterdaeme’s book holds a 2016 copyright and is available from Punctum Books at: https://punctumbooks.com/titles/dear-professor-a-chronicle-of-absences/

It's back to school with another season of Teaching Matters! New podcasts will be uploaded every week on Tuesday morning. Thank you for all the support thus far! When students enter college, or undergo other similar transitions during their academic careers, they are at greater risk of academic difficulties. This episode features Wendy Merb-Brown, who is the Assistant Dean of University College at Ohio University. Wendy directs a campus wide learning community program for first-year students, which is designed to support students as they transition to a new stage in their academic career.