Coffee Break Classroom: Brewed for Higher Ed

With Mother’s Day so close, Ben and Amanda invite two very special guests – their mothers! Both Kari and Denise share their wisdom as fellow teachers. It turns out all the fun that Ben and Amanda bring to the classroom didn’t fall that far from the tree.  The team discuss the relationship between teaching and motherhood. That also means there are a couple of stories about raising young Ben and young Amanda. No spoilers here, you will have to listen to find out!

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn with guest stars, Kari Schermerhorn and Denise Brill. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

Let's get physical!

In this week's episode, Ben and Amanda talk about giving learning that special touch. They swap stories about making learning tangible through springs, rocks, dinosaur footprints, globes, and even pool noodles. Learning doesn't just need to be something students hear; it should be something they can experience. Join this episode to talk about the benefits of immersion to learning and the student experience.  

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

Do you know your Top 3 favorite dinosaurs? Amanda and Dr. Jim Lehane do. Luckily for you and Ben, the names are spelled closely to how they sound which makes them searchable. On this episode, Dr. Jim Lehane joins the pod to talk about science communication and using pop culture to spur learning. There are strong feelings about Jurassic Park right of the bat, but they eventually get to the real question – how much geology and paleontology is there in Star Wars? If you want to know, Dino Jim is your guy.This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn with guest star, Dr. Jim Lehane (@dinojim on Instagram). Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

Elks, sound your bugles. In this episode, Ben and Amanda are talking integrated and/or integrative STEM. Debating the difference aside, the duo talks about incorporating cross-disciplinary lessons into their learning environments. From the impact of changes in river systems on wolf populations to the role of air pressure on breathing, learning is never just one thing. So, why do we so often teach it that way? What is the benefit of looking at the bigger picture? And why does it always come back to math? 

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

What impact does a sense of belonging have in the classroom? How do we foster it and what does it look like when we have it? In this episode, Ben and Amanda sit down with their powerhouse of a colleague, Dr. LaToya Manon to discuss her journey into higher education, from teaching K-12 to teaching future teachers. We unpack the role of a teacher, the power of relatedness in student motivation, and how the choices we make draw the boundaries of who belongs. You don’t want to miss this one!

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn with guest start, LaToya Manon. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

Have you ever looked at something that students did in the classroom and went ‘why?’ and followed up on it? Have you ever iterated processes based on feedback and compared the results? You might just be an action researcher!

In this episode, Ben and Amanda talk about action research. Amanda shares her own work action research into success rates for her late start classes in a reprisal of her recent conference talk, while Ben laughs at her for all the encouraging things she says to the AI as it turns data for hundreds of students into shiny charts and graphs.   

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

Don’t skip the intro on this one, folks. Amanda’s story is a wild one and the perfect lead into an episode on informal learning environments.

From their own experiences to working with students, they unpack why they think informal learning is so valuable and what makes a good informal learning experience. Join them in brainstorming ways to create space for learning to happen beyond what is just required in the classroom. Informal learning - it’s practical, personal experience, and just a good time!

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

How can A.I. help us as faculty with designing a course for significant learning? Will Amanda get any help hanging her new TV? Grab your favorite beverage and settle in.

After catching up from the holiday, Amanda and Ben get back to work talking about backward design – course design that starts with what we want students to know at the end. As they discuss how this approach has influenced their courses, they delve into the areas of significant learning and naturally A.I. If we can offload design for foundational knowledge, what does that leave us to do? Ben and Amanda’s answer: The most important part of being an educator.

This episode discusses principles of backward design as written in Designing for Significant Learning by L. Dee Fink and Understanding by Design by G. Wiggins & J McTighe.

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

AI is just the theme of the month it seems. In this episode, Ben and Amanda look at how other instructors think about AI. Ben brings five different posts from the darkness of r/Professors that span dealing with cheaters, fighting AI use in the classroom, and using AI as an instructor to turn the tables on the lazier AI users. Tune in to see what others are saying and get the latest of Amanda’s reaction track.

This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.

New year, new you... as long as you aren't a product of Nano Banana Pro... Ben and Amanda cannot put it off any longer. It’s time to talk about AI in education, so they sit down with David Ghidiu, a community college educator working on the ethical integration of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. This episode unpacks the landscape of AI and discusses how to incorporate it into the classroom in ways that support learning and empower students.This episode is hosted by Amanda Colosimo and Benjamin Schermerhorn, with guest Dave Ghidiu. Music for the opening and closing of the episode was mixed by Clayton Behlok.