Two Teachers Talking™

We all have more things to do than time to do them. We talk about trying to manage all the things we need to, want to, or are expected to do. Spoiler: no magic app will solve all your task management problems. Also, apologies for the poor audio quality; not up to our usual standards, but TIME MANAGEMENT issues didn’t allow a re-recording.

From time to time one needs to step back and take account of what you do and don’t have control over. When you realize the things that are bugging you most are things beyond your control, what do you do?

Mentioned:

Text Expander https://textexpander.com

The Flintstones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flintstones

Previous Episodes https://twoteacherstalking.org:

- 12, 13 Interviewing and Hiring

- 51, 52 School Culture

- 53 Failure by Design

Motivation. No, not yours. The students’. How do you motivate students–or should you have to? Peering into the opacity of the student mind.

Mentioned:

You Are Not So SmartPodcast (YANSS), Episodes 52, 53, 55 https://youarenotsosmart.com

Two Teachers Talking:

Episode 67 Japanese Exceptionalism

Episode 53: Failure by Design

Episode 51 and 52: School Culture

Internet Content by Language http://tony-silva.com/eslefl/whyenglish.html

Us and Them, Silva http://tony-silva.com/usandthem/usandthem.html

Geography of Thought, Nesbitt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geography_of_Thought

We’re all pretty much obligated or resigned to shooting for the middle with our classes. How do you accommodate the student whose abilities far outstrip his/her peers? How about the one who just believes his/her do?

Mentioned in the podcast:

Tony Buzan and Mind-Mapping .

So, you landed a teaching job. Sit down, kid, let us tell ya couple things. We dig deep for ideas, tips, shortcuts, and insights that might have helped us in our early teaching years. (Give us a break…that was a long time ago.) Here’s your chance to learn from our many, many mistakes.

After a short discussion about the start of the new academic year, Tony and Charles continue their discussion on study abroad. This month, they look at the challenges students might face when living and studying abroad…and when returning to Japan.

Mentioned:

Paris Syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome

Us and Them http://tony-silva.com/usandthem/usandthem.html

Three Study Abroad Programs http://tony-silva.com/files/3StdyAbrdPrgs1998.pdf

Dicussion of the direct and indirect benefits of living and studying abroad along with some brainstorming on preparation strategies and tips. Next month we’ll talk about potential problems and downsides along with the challenges of re-entry.

Mentioned:

Choosing the right tool for the job–not always as simple as it sounds. We talk about tool essentials, the process of adding tools that best help us finish the job, and the danger of being seduced by new technologies. Oh, and fetishes.

Description - Happy new year! 明けましておめでとう! With the new year beginning and the academic year ending, Tony and Charles discuss the task of making and scoring final exams, as well as whether or not there’s a place for the final exam in today’s educational world. See the "Final Exam Checklist" at https://twoteacherstalking.org .

Winding up the year with a return to the podcast premise: two teachers sitting around talking shop. A look back at 2018, a look ahead, and the eternal question: Where are the answers?

Mentioned in the podcast: Citation Machine citationmachine.net