Tea for Teaching

A Summer to Learn

Imagine exploring alternative teaching methods in a classroom focused on learning and not grades. In this episode, Russell Marcus joins us to discuss how this occurs in a two-week philosophy summer program. He is the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College. Russell specializes in the philosophy of mathematics and the pedagogy of philosophy. He is a Past-President of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers. Since 2018, Russell has been running a philosophy summer camp at Hamilton College designed to help faculty develop more effective teaching practices while also benefiting students.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Covering or Teaching

New faculty often begin their teaching careers by emulating the teaching methods that they have observed, but these practices are often not consistent with evidence on how students learn. In this episode, Chris Hakala joins us to discuss the role that educational developers can play in shifting faculty focus from presenting to teaching.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Making Technology Fashionable

Technological change affects all aspects of our lives and our instructional practices must evolve to prepare students for their futures. In this episode, Loy Gross joins us to discuss strategies that she uses to prepare students for an industry that is evolving with digital tools. Loy is an online learning specialist and an adjunct technology instructor at SUNY Genesee Community College.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Multicampus AI Initiative

Faculty are faced with the need to adjust instructional strategies in response to AI. In this episode,  Racheal Fest and Stephanie Pritchard join us to discuss a professional development initiative for faculty involving six campuses.

Racheal is a Pedagogy Specialist at the Faculty Center for Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship at the State University of New York at Oneonta. She also teaches writing courses in the English Department. Stephanie is the Coordinator of the Writing Center, the Coordinator of Writing and Ethical Practice, and an instructor for classes in poetry and English composition here at SUNY Oswego. Racheal is the Principal Investigator and Stephanie is one of the campus coordinators on a SUNY multi-campus grant focused on faculty development related to AI.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Designing and Facilitating Workshops

In higher ed, like in most fields, learning continues after employment. In this episode, Tolu Noah joins us to discuss strategies to design and facilitate effective workshops and professional development. Tolu is an educational developer with 16 years of teaching experience in higher ed and K-12. She received the 2019 Teaching Excellence Faculty Award at Azusa Pacific University and was named by EdTech Magazine as one of the 30 Higher Ed IT Influencers to Follow in 2023. Tolu’s work has been published in EDUCAUSE Review, Edutopia, and Faculty Focus. She is the author of Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality: A Guide to Crafting Engaging Professional Learning Experiences in Higher Education, published by Routledge, Taylor and Francis

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Critical Teaching Behaviors

Student feedback is important to improving teaching, but may not be aligned with evidence-based teaching practices. In this episode, Lauren Barbeau and Claudia Cornejo Happel join us to discuss a midterm student feedback instrument focused on critical teaching behaviors, an AI-assisted tool for analysing the feedback, and strategies for debriefing with students. 

Lauren is the Assistant Director for Learning and Technology Initiatives at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Claudia is the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Lauren and Claudia are the authors of Critical Teaching Behaviors: Defining, Documenting, and Discussing Good Teaching as well as a whole series of other resources related to this book.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

Throughout human history, we have relied on technology to make our work easier. In this episode, Michelle Miller joins us to discuss how to foster students’ critical thinking skills in the age of AI.

Michelle is a Professor of Psychological Sciences and President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University.  She is the author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology, Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World and A Teacher’s Guide to Learning Students’ Names: Why You Should, Why It’s Hard, How You Can. Michelle is also a frequent contributor of articles on teaching and learning in higher education to a variety of publications including The Chronicle of Higher Ed.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

CURE for Engagement

Authentic learning experiences help to create intrinsic motivation for students. In this episode, Julia Koeppe, Bonnie Hall, Paul Craig, and Rebecca Roberts join us to discuss BASIL, a course-based undergraduate research experience in Chemistry that has been implemented in many institutions.

Julia is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department here at SUNY-Oswego. Bonnie is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Chemistry & Physics Department at Grand View University. Paul is a Professor in the School of Chemistry and Material Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Rebecca is a Professor in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program in the Department of Biology at Ursinus College.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Civic Pedagogies

Class discussions of public policy issues can be challenging in our politically polarized environment. In this episode, Lauren C. Bell, Allison Rank, and Carah Ong Whaley join us to discuss a new resource that suggests a variety of strategies that encourage students to address their differences and to engage productively in civic engagement projects.  

Allison is an Associate Professor of American Politics and chair of the Department of Politics here at SUNY-Oswego. Lauren is the inaugural James L. Miller Professor of Political Science and Associate Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs at Randolf-Macon College. Carah is the Vice President of Election Protection at Issue One and is a co-chair of the American Political Science Association’s Civic Engagement section and a member of the APSA’s Civic Engagement Committee. Allison, Lauren, and Carah are editors of Civic Pedagogies: Teaching Civic Engagement in an Era of Divisive Politics, which was recently released by Springer.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Dance and Math

Students in math classes often treat math as a set of rules or procedures to be memorized, and do not see it as a creative and powerful way of modeling reality. In this episode, Manuela Manetta and Lori Teague join us to discuss how they have combined dance with math instruction to help students develop a deeper connection to mathematical concepts while also building human connection with their peers.

Manuela is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Emory University. She is the recipient of a 2023 Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award. Lori is a choreographer and Associate Professor of Dance and Movement Studies at Emory University. They are co-developers of the initiative Mathematics through Movement, and they have taught different types of courses integrating movement into mathematics instruction at Emory.

A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.