Tea for Teaching

IDEAS for International Collaboration

In an increasingly globalized and networked economy, it is important to help students develop intercultural competence. In this episode, Josh McKeown and Christina Lee join us to discuss how two institutions are working together on a grant-funded collaborative exchange experience involving STEM students and faculty in the U.S., South Korea, and Taiwan.

Josh is the Associate Provost for International Education and Programs and the Director of the Office of International Education and Programs here at SUNY-Oswego. Christina is the Director of Global Education and International Services at Monroe Community College.

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

Using AI for Project-Based Learning

Students are motivated to learn when they have autonomy and see the purpose in what they are learning. In this episode, Tara Chklovski joins us to discuss a curriculum in which students use AI tools to solve challenging problems in their communities. Tara is the founder and CEO of Technovation, a nonprofit developer of a curriculum used in over 160 countries and reaching over 400,000 students, to prepare young women for careers in technology.

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

Why the Magic Matters

Disney is a common shared cultural experience. In this episode, Jill Peterfeso joins us to discuss how Disney’s pixie dust can hook students and provide opportunities for critical examination in a variety of disciplines. Jill is the Eli Franklin Craven and Minnie Phipps Craven Professor of Religious Studies at Guilford College. She is the author of Womanpriest: Tradition and Transgression in the Contemporary Roman Catholic Church and a co-editor of Why the Magic Matters: Discovering Disney as a Laboratory for Learning.

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

Life Skills in the Liberal Arts

Students engage when they see a connection between what they are learning and their future objectives. In this episode, Angela Bauer joins us to discuss the benefits of integrating life skills into a liberal arts curriculum. Angela is a biologist and the Provost and Executive Vice President at Texas Women’s University. Prior to this, she served in several  leadership positions at High Point University. Angela is also the author of Teaching Life Skills in the Liberal Arts and Sciences: Preparing Students for Success Beyond the Classroom which has recently been released by Taylor and Francis.

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

One Classroom at a Time

Students have varied levels of preparation for traditional types of classes and assessments used in colleges. In this episode, David Gooblar joins us to discuss a variety of instructional strategies that we can adopt to help all students succeed.

David is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Iowa, a regular contributor to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the creator of Pedagogy Unbound, and the author of The Missing Course: Everything They Never Taught You About College Teaching. His most recent book, One Classroom at a Time: How Better Teaching Can Make College More Equitable, was released in August 2025 by Harvard University Press.

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

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Faculty often struggle to reduce equity gaps and to foster a sense of belonging and inclusion in their classes. In this episode, Courtney Plotts joins us to discuss course design strategies to increase transparency and to allow students to express and share their own cultural identities as part of an inclusive class community.

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

Picturing Plattsburgh

Primary sources can often feel irrelevant and difficult to navigate for students. In this episode, Jessamyn Neuhaus joins us to discuss how student-created photographs can provide a personalized learning experience and foster a deeper connection to history and the university archives. 

Jessamyn is the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor in the School of Education at Syracuse University. Prior to this, she served as Director of the SUNY Plattsburgh Center for Teaching Excellence and was also a Professor in the History Department at SUNY Plattsburgh. Jessamyn is the author of Geeky Pedagogy: a Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to be Effective Teachers and the editor of Picture a Professor: Interrupting Biases about Faculty and Increasing Student Learning. See is also the editor of Teaching History: A Journal of Methods. Jessamyn also regularly serves as keynote speaker and workshop facilitator.

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.

More Than Words

Many students use generative AI tools to complete writing assignments. In this episode, John Warner joins us to discuss what may be lost when they do so. John has twenty years of experience teaching college writing at five different institutions and is the author of 8 books encompassing a wide variety of topics including political humor, short stories, and a novel, including Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities. He writes a weekly column on books for the Chicago Tribune and an associated newsletter, The Biblioracle Recommends. John is also a contributing writer to Inside Higher Ed. His most recent book is More than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.

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.