Teaching Matters

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/