This is the blog for the Learning Made Easier podcast entries.
Many students – and many teachers – believe that learning styles (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) are real. But research shows that learning styles are neuromyths – beliefs about how the brain works that, when studied, don’t stand up to scrutiny. Join Adam and Dinur as we dig into the learning-styles myth! Show Notes The Atlantic, […]
Keeping track of student participation is necessary, but often difficult – especially now that we’re in an international pandemic. In this episode, Adam and Dinur discuss different ways to track and give credit for student participation. Show Notes No show notes this episode
What happens when you have trouble, as many of us do, with keeping yourself faithful to the goal you’ve set and following through? In this episode, Dinur and Adam talk about Jen Sincero’s method of setting consequences so you’ll do what you say you’ll do – and how this method might work better than rewards. […]
High school prepares you for a lot of things, but college isn’t one of them! In this episode, Adam and Dinur talk about five main ways college is different from high school. We suggest how high schoolers can prepare, how high school teachers can help their seniors to be more college-ready, and how college teachers […]
You’ve decided on going to graduate school, law school, or medical school. You’ve gotten your letters of recommendation, taken the test(s), and applied. And congrats! You’ve been accepted! What happens now? Join Dinur and Adam as we talk about that! Show Notes No show notes this episode
In this episode, Dinur and Adam interview Professor Tanya Nieri of UC Riverside, about what it’s like teaching at the most diverse campus in the University of California system, and some of her best tools for working with diverse populations. Show Notes No show notes this episode
Academic dishonesty takes many forms these days – so many, in fact, that it’s hard for students to know what’s dishonest and what’s not. It’s also getting harder for teachers to teach students what’s cheating and what’s not, and there are multiple reasons for this. In this episode, Adam and Dinur go over the main […]
Standards-based grading addresses the issues of meaningful grading, student stress and student motivation. But many teachers don’t know where to start. Join Dinur and Adam as we go over the basics of standards-based grading. Show Notes Dan Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Linda Nilson, Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty […]
Teachers, have you ever wondered why “just do it” doesn’t work for most of your students? Students, ever struggle with trying to get work done on your own? In this episode, Adam and Dinur discuss how Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies can help teachers teach and learners learn more effectively! Show Notes Gretchen Rubin, The Four Tendencies
You’ve gotten a prompt for a term paper, or an essay question on an exam. How do you answer the question effectively? Join Dinur and Adam for Dinur’s sports metaphor “Writing as Football,” to learn how to set up, write, and complete these kinds of assignments! Show Notes No Show Notes This Episode
A lot of research has been done on student-athletes – most recently, Dinur’s new book, Sports, Study, or Sleep. In this episode, Adam and Dinur talk about how the perceptions of, and support for, student-athletes has changed over time, and what more needs to be done for this specific student population. Show Notes Dinur’s book, Sports, […]
You’ve thought about this, and have decided that you want to go for a degree after your bachelors’. You’re thinking of grad school for a Masters and/or PhD, a law degree, a medical degree, or a business degree. How do you help your chances of getting into the program you want? Join Dinur and Adam […]
You’re a college student, but primarily have to take night classes, or can only go to classes on specific days, and you’re worried. You work full time but want to keep your grades high, but you’re worried that working full-time is stigmatizing somehow. Join Adam and Dinur as we discuss how teachers perceive students who […]
You’ve assigned a group project, and for weeks, no one reports a problem. But at some point in the middle or late in the term, as the deadline approaches, you start getting bombarded by questions and complaints (and denials) about their peers. Join Dinur and Adam as they talk about how to handle the dreaded […]
Worrying about things going wrong is a common stressor – not just for students, but for teachers. But if we allow that worry to take over our brains, nothing productive happens, right? In this episode, Adam and Dinur describe some tools for short-circuiting that constant worry problem. Show Notes The Spotlight Effect
In this guest episode, Dinur and Adam are talking with Megan O’Connor, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Kaplan Test Prep, about the importance of experiential learning and how college students can actually be prepared for the modern workforce. SHOW NOTES Find Megan on Twitter at @MeganMOConnor
When your institution demands that you hold videoconference classes at the same time as you would have met in person, things can get tricky! Many of the stressors faculty face about videoconferencing fall into three groups: privacy issues, connectivity issues, and engagement. All three of these get worse and impact more students when we have […]
Should students be calling one another out when the discussions get contentious? What are the limits that we should consider? In this episode, by listener request, Adam and Dinur talk about different ways to manage this kind of divisiveness in the classroom. Show Notes No Show Notes This Episode
In this Teaching in Transition episode, Dinur and Adam discuss the inequities we don’t notice when your institution requires synchronous video teaching. Show Notes No Show Notes This Episode
How do you know your students are learning? More to the point, how do they know they are? In this episode, Adam and Dinur discuss the Hattie/Donoughe learning model, which looks at strategies that work best for surface and for deep learning. Show Notes KQED.org, “How Do You Know When A Teaching Strategy Is Most […]