Teaching Matters

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...

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 o...

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...

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 promotin...

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,...

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,...

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, w...

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...

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 Tropic...

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 r...

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...

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...

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 dis...

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...

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...

Dr. Stephen Hunt is Director of the School of Communication at Illinois State University in Normal Illinois. For several years, Steve and his colleagues have worked with the American Democracy Project, which is a program of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, to integrate political engagement activities into college curricular and co-curricular experiences. Dr. Hunt discus...

Ulrich Boser is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he examines education issues. He talks with Scott Titsworth about his recently published book, "Learn Better: Mastering the Skills for Success in Life, Business, and School, or, How to Become an Expert in Just About Anything". For more information on the book, visit: http://ulrichboser.com/

As Basic Course Director in the Department of Communication at George Mason University, Melissa Broeckelman-Post is responsible for training and supervising 50-60 instructors who teach 3500-4000 students per year in the required introductory communication skills courses taken by all students, as well as developing curriculum, managing the program, and assessing learning outcomes. Dr. Broeckelman-P...

Dr. Katherine Ziff is an assistant professor in the department of counseling at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, NC. Ziff’s recent book, Art Break: A Creative Guide to Joyful and Productive Classrooms, was published in 2016 by Swallow Press. In this episode, Ziff discusses the use of Art Breaks in elementary school settings as a potential therapeutic intervention that can improve students...

Dr. Angela Hosek directs the basic communication course in Ohio University’s School of Communication Studies in the Scripps College of Communication. Dr. Hosek discusses how group dynamics play a role in the learning process for millennial students, as well as how education approaches must adapt to the ways in which millennial students tend to learn.

Nathan Carpenter and Laeeq Kahn – Nathan Carpenter is the Director of the Social Media Analytics Lab at Illinois State University, and Dr. Laeeq Kahn is director of the Social Media Analytics Research Team Lab at Ohio University. Carpenter and Kahn discuss uses of social media analytics as a new arena for teaching millennial students a wide range of liberal arts issues, ranging from quantitative r...

Dr. Mayhew is a professor of Music in the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University and Conductor of the Ohio University Women’s Ensemble and Ohio University Choral Union. Paul discussed the role of communication and creativity in the classroom.

Ruthi Engelke, a representative of a national organization called Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed, discusses how the theatre of the oppressed philosophy provides a meaningful learning experience for contemporary learners of all ages.

April is a teacher at Athens Middle School who teaches courses related to technology and other STEM areas for 7th and 8th grade students in the Athens City Schools. April has recently integrated coding into her curriculum and discusses effective practices in student-centered teaching, particularly in technology-related subjects.