Two Teachers Talking™

The failure of tech. Why hasn’t tech transformed education? Why do our classrooms remain essentially unchanged from those of the nineteenth century? Why are these the wrong questions to ask? And where are our flying cars? Tony and Charles flail.

Who let the nerds out? Tony and Charles get their tech geek on and talk about the tech that they use (and don’t use) in the classroom. Practical advice and bigger thoughts on the use of tech in learning and teaching. Links to stuff mentioned at https://twoteacherstalking.org.

Teaching without communication…and only with “appropriate" materials, of course. Tony and Charles work hard at not boiling over in their attempt to understand some new impediments to learning and teaching. (Links at twoteacherstalking.org.)

Another academic year is upon us. So, what did we learn from all the mistakes we made last year? Listen as we struggle to make ourselves seem wise in charting our new routes for the upcoming year.And…

Happy anniversary to us! April 21 will mark the end of our third year of Two Teachers Talking. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.

Great Expectations. Raising the bar for our students and ourselves: what can we do, how can we think to help students perform better than their best. Yes, easier said than done, as you’ll hear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_effect

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/09/18/161159263/teachers-expectations-can-influence-how-students-perform

http://www.education.com/reference/article/teachers-expectations-affect-learning/

It's not just the classroom.  The entire physical environment where teaching and learning happen matters and affects the teaching and learning profoundly. Right? Well, we think so, but... Very special guest Prof. Alison Kitzman from Kindai University. https://twoteacherstalking.org

明けましておめでとうございます！A Very Happy New Year to you all.

This month, we address BURNOUT: little ones, big ones, how to tell the difference between a bad day and a sign of something much more serious. Symptoms to look for and ways to deal with the stresses that can lead any of us over the line. No magic, but a solid look at the realities we face as teachers and why burnout is such a prevalent, insidious danger. For those of us winding up the academic year in Japan, some timely help.

Holiday reboot! A do-over for the old farts and a look back at the last year of the Two Teachers Talking podcasts. What did we say, what do we want to take back, what do we stand by. (More interesting than it sounds.) Happy holidays to all!

So, what exactly is Student Centered Learning and what does it really mean for foreign language education in Japanese universities. Forget the trend of the moment; how do we help our students learn as best they can.

How many bad - or good - apples does it take to change the atmosphere or personality of your classroom? What can and can’t a teacher do to use that influence to optimize learning? Sometimes it’s just a matter of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.