This is the blog for the Learning Made Easier podcast entries.
We all know a perfectionist who struggles with beliefs like “Only perfect is good enough.” But there is a way to derail those damaging beliefs! Join Adam and Dinur as we talk about the technique of strategic half-assing. Show Notes “How to Set Goals: Die Empty” sketchnote video on YouTube Die Empty: Unleash Your Best […]
Often, our students measure learning not by skills gained or new ways of looking at content, but by the grades earned. We have talked about what grades mean in college and that grades should not define students’ identities, but we know they do. So, as teachers, what can we do to help our students focus […]
Mistakes are one of the cornerstones of how learning happens, but many educators and students are afraid of them. Join Dinur and Adam as we discuss why mistakes are beneficial and how to use them to your advantage. Show Notes Edutopia.org, “The Mistake Imperative—Why We Must Get Over Our Fear of Student Error” Wested.org, “Zone […]
Patchwriting is a form of plagiarism that most students aren’t aware is plagiarism – substituting in words into the sentence structure of a source. It’s like Academic MadLibs. In this episode, Adam and Dinur compare paraphrasing to patchwriting, explain why patchwriting is a form of plagiarism, and go over how to paraphrase instead of patchwrite. […]
It’s way too easy to blame others and ourselves when things go wrong. But there are more healthy ways to handle problems! In this episode, Dinur and Adam talk about what blame is, why we do it, how it interferes with learning and growing, and what to do instead. Show Notes Peg Streep at Psychology […]
We’ve all probably heard the term “inclusive teaching.” But what does it mean, for ourselves and our students? Join Dinur and Adam as we talk about the different aspects of inclusive teaching, and how to bring it into the classroom. Show Notes The Chronicle of Higher Education, “How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive”
In a recent Inside Higher Ed article, survey results showed 9 different reasons why students cheat. Join Adam and Dinur as we go over these reasons, as well as some ways to help students stop cheating. Show Notes Inside Higher Ed, “How Students See Cheating, And How Colleges Can Contain It”
Finding joy in learning used to be easy – when we were in grade school. What happened? Why did learning become drudgery, instead of fun? In this episode, Dinur and Adam talk about why learning used to be fun, why it stopped being fun, and how to bring it back again. Show Notes Bitdegree.com, “Making […]
We’ve all been there – we have a decision to make, and we can’t make it. In this episode, Adam and Dinur talk about the different reasons this can happen, and some ways of moving forward and actually making the decisions we need to make, even if we’re stuck. Show Notes DrivenWoman.com, “11 Ways to […]
The pandemic has traumatized almost everyone. In higher education, however, we are trying to keep going on as if nothing’s wrong. Borrowing from the K-12 practices of trauma-informed teaching, Adam and Dinur talk about how to implement these practices in our own teaching practice – and how it will help both ourselves and our students. […]
For many people, setting boundaries feels automatically mean. How do we get past feeling like setting a boundary makes us a mean person? In this episode, Dinur and Adam talk about what a boundary is, the feelings people often have about them, how to work through those feelings, and how to set and hold to […]
The college lifestyle has been identified as one of the two top criminal victimization lifestyles in the United States (the other one is the criminal lifestyle). If you’re a college student, you’re at risk. Join Adam and Dinur as we discuss some ways to make sure you stay safer on campus. Show Notes Safewise.Com, “9 […]
In this week’s episode, Dinur and Adam talk about the common mistakes first-year students when they don’t have enough self-respect. These mistakes include having too many distractions, not having a support system in place, not getting enough sleep, and not asking for help when it is needed. Show Notes The Self Control App The Cold […]
Last episode, we talked about the academic mistakes first-year students tend to make. Join Dinur and Adam as we discuss the financial mistakes first-year students need to be aware of, so they don’t make them! Show Notes Nerdwallet.com, “Budgeting for College Students” Nerdwallet.com Budget Worksheet Nerdwallet.com, “Financial Needs vs. Wants” Investopedia.com, “What is the 50/30/20 […]
Skipping class? Avoiding the professor? Studying only when you think of it? All of these have been identified as common first-year college student mistakes. Join Adam and Dinur as we discuss four common first-year academic mistakes, and how to avoid and correct for them. Show Notes Affordable Colleges Online, “Common First-Year Mistakes” Quora.com, “Why Don’t […]
You’ve just experienced your first semester (or first year) in college, and it was eye-opening! Now you’re going home, back to the way things were, while you have a new, changing understanding of the world. But how will home be different? Join Dinur and Adam as we talk about going back home after your first […]
In the first few episodes of this series, Dinur and Adam talked about how to deal with difficult people. In this final episode of the series, we’re going to do a deeper dive into how to deal with difficult students, classmates, and professors. Show Notes HerCampus.com, “The 4 Worst Professors You’ll Have in College, and […]
In addition to what we do in interaction with the difficult person, we also need to take note of how we’re interacting with ourselves. If we’re stressed or angry, that could turn us into a difficult person – and we want to avoid that. Join Adam and Dinur as we talk about some internal work […]
Last time, we talked about how to be assertive with professors and classmates. In this episode, join Adam and Dinur as they talk about ways to approach being assertive, as well as how to handle it when the other person is angry, accusatory, or resistant – and finally, how to say no in ways that […]
Being assertive is a necessary skill in today’s world, but too many times, we aren’t taught it. In fact, being assertive is discouraged in many cultures because it’s seen as rude or aggressive. But assertiveness is something students need to learn, if they’re going to manage and control their educational experience. It’s what helps you […]