Podcast #1

And so it begins, the Teach Better Podcast. In the first episode, we talk about what these podcasts are going to be like, and give you a free sample of us talking about teaching.

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Show Notes

0:00 Introduction

0:39 Doug’s questions for interviewees

4:26 Rookie mistakes and a tenor’s formula

12:37 Motivation and revealing something about the universe

14:31 Should teaching be entertaining?

17:08 Mnemonics are useful but not enough.

18:39 What do you learn from teaching the same material in different ways to different audiences?

21:35 Why some students prefer video lectures

22:35 Executive functions and metacognition. Is flipping a class equally good for all students?

24:50 Student engagement, notetaking, and the Dual System Theory

27:31 Should we ban laptops in the classroom? Can we demand student engagement?

30:33 What if the lecture were an opportunity for students to learn how they best learn?

32:15 Benjamin Bloom on peer instructions and mastery learning

35:30 Self-paced courses, Specs Grading, mastery without competency, and pass-fail students

44:00 The common factors in psychotherapy, and teaching as a form of helping

46:10 What’s the value-add of going to lecture? Is teaching a commitment device?

47:22 Teaching using the tools of your discipline and persuading students of the value of what you’re offering

50:02 Getting all meta-