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300 episodes
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Inside Education - a podcast for educators interested in teaching Sean Delaney
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- Education
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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An Irish perspective on news and stories from the world of education
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Inside Education 430, Perry Share on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching (4-6-24)
Presented and produced by Seán Delaney.
On this week's podcast my guest is Perry Share, who is Head of Student Success at Atlantic Technological University. Among the topics we discuss are:
The impact of taking a module with Hilary Tovey on rural sociology and a module with Brian Torode and Barbara Bradby on language, discourse and French theory.
Perry’s belief that artificial intelligence is a catalyst that helps us better understand and question contemporary practices around teaching, learning and assessment.
Artificial intelligence forces us to ask questions like "What does it mean to assess students?" "How can we teach in ways that are engaging and productive for students?"
In education, the arts and the humanities, we take text as a representation of what is in students’ heads and tend to make assumptions about the knowledge, understanding or learning held by the student. The foundation is taken out of this when we don’t know where the text comes from.
Problems are outlined with the take-home assignment, oral assessments and standard written exams but the “unsolvable” problems may constitute a productive space for educators.
The likes of ChatGPT can be used effectively in fields where you have knowledge. An area of concern in higher education is in relation to fields where people are just beginning to acquire knowledge and understanding. In addition, artificial intelligence threatens opportunities to learn on internships in professional placements.
Perhaps the role of “learned” knowledge becomes increasingly important for novices in a field whereas in recent years the importance of critical thinking has been lauded.
It is likely that resources will need to shift from activities we currently value to new – yet-to-be-determined – resources at secondary and higher education levels.
What prompt engineering is.
Ethan Mollick’s book Co-Intelligence.
Examples of good and not-so-good prompts.
How Perry is using ChatGPT in his own work: summarising large documents; combining documents; Brainstorming; Outlining a proposed structure of a document or presentation. It has been used for computer programming and other tasks.
Data protection implications may need to be considered in relation to some uses.
In the future it may be used to grade and provide feedback for public exams.
Various kinds of data on the results would be available almost immediately.
Decline in language learning in many countries due to the dominance of English and due to the availability of translation tools.
The days of the academic essay may be numbered.
Simulations may be a future direction of assessment in professional settings but these too are not without complications.
Can we avoid interacting with artificial intelligence?
Impact on equity in education.
If students can teach themselves, where does that leave the teacher? There is a job of imagination for teachers to start thinking about how they will work alongside artificial intelligence.
The impact of artificial intelligence on what (and who) we can trust.
People Perry respects on the topic of artificial intelligence: Anna Mills, a lecturer in academic writing in the United States; Charles Knight who works for Advance HE; Maha Bali at the America University of Cairo on critical artificial intelligence (environmental, commercial and ethical impacts).
The purpose of school.
Daryl Nation
Raewyn Connell’s book The Good University.
Perry's own expanding list of resources on artificial intelligence is available here. -
Inside Education 429, Gene Mehigan on The Master by Bryan MacMahon (4-5-24)
Presented and produced by Seán Delaney.
The format of this podcast differs a bit from the usual one in that I am joined by my colleague in Marino Institute of Education, Dr. Gene Mehigan to discuss a book that influenced him on his journey as a teacher and teacher educator. The Book is The Master by Bryan MacMahon, published by Poolbeg Press in 1992. Among the topics we discuss are the following:
How a book about teaching in Rural Ireland from the 1930s to the 1970s could speak to a teacher in a DEIS band 1 school in Darndale in the 1980s and 1990s.
The consequences of poverty on children in schools.
The “stain” of large classes (and their impact on children with language difficulties in particular).
The importance of reading
How Bryan MacMahon encouraged children to collect words (red notebook) and Gene Mehigan’s variation of it (jar on teacher’s desk).
Stages in a reading lesson as outlined by Bryan MacMahon (who noted that they are not rigid and may need modern modification):
Arousal of interest (day before)
Introduction (before lesson begins to heighten interest in the text)
Examination of matter expressed in the text (Comprehension)
Examination of matter implied in the text (Comprehension)
Write difficult words on blackboard (Tier 1, 2 and 3 words today)
Teacher models reading
Children read aloud or silently
Isolate phrases for composition usage
Informed organic chat (in style of everyday conversation)
Dramatisation of the text (Reader’s theatre today)
Committal to rote “not to be scorned on special occasions”
Why a teacher needs to back down in a confrontational situation with a pupil
Characteristics of a good teacher;
Dedication
Sense of humour
Clear penetration in the timbre of the teacher’s speaking voice
A love of learning
Versatility of approach to a lesson
A congenial monotony (that can be departed from)
Occasional informal language
Good blackboard use and being able to sketch
Act in harmony with the traditions and culture of the school area
Bringing the extraordinary into your teaching.
The teacher’s job is to help each child find their special gift.
Bryan MacMahon: “I realised that each child had a gift, and that the ‘leading out’ of that gift was the proper goal of teaching. To me a great teacher was simply a great person teaching.”
Thoughts on a school library, access to books and encouraging children to read.
Trying to entice children to read by tidying books. Buddy reading – to help beginning or reluctant readers but also helping older children consolidate their interest it reading. Helping a teacher narrow down who in a class might have dyslexia
How Brian MacMahon practised an early version of “home-school liaison”
Contemporary resonances – children from Germany fostered by local families during World War II.
How Bryan MacMahon recruited children to look after other children who were vulnerable in some way
Resonances with Johathan Haidt’s book The Coddling of the American Mind (preparing the child for the road and not the road for the child).
How learning tables enthusiastically helped a pupil later excel as an emigrant
“A school is nothing if it is not a place of laughter and song.”
Sources of creativity in education
The importance of a teacher being a philomath. -
Inside Education 428, Hugh Catts on Reading Comprehension and Dyslexia (25 April 2024)
Presented and produced by Seán Delaney.
In this episode I interview Hugh Catts from the Florida State University about reading comprehension, dyslexia and more. People interviewed on previous Inside Education podcasts are mentioned in this episode: Jerome Kagan, Daniel T. Willingham and Tim Shanahan.
Among the topics raised on the podcast are:
How his interest in educational research grew from problems members of his family, including himself, had in learning to read.
The benefits of having knowledge of phonetics and linguistics in studying reading difficulties
His thoughts on whether someone with reading difficulties can teach reading well
How he became interested in comprehension
Why thinking about comprehension as a skill is unhelpful in teaching reading
Comprehension is a complex set of behaviours or cognitive processes that is more like listening. It is the interaction between the reader and the text they’re reading to construct meaning between what is written in the text and what the reader already knows about the topic.
Comprehension needs to be taught within the context of the subject matter we want the reader to understand.
Quote from Daniel Willingham: “Memory is the residue of thought.”
“Comprehension is essentially changing your understanding of the topic based upon the text.”
“The more you learn about a topic, the more interested you are in learning more about the topic because you feel comfortable with it.”
The “simple view of reading” claims that reading comprehension is a two-stage process where you decode/recognise the word and thereby turn print into language; this is followed by turning the meaning of words into the larger meaning of the text. Decoding can be learned over a number of years whereas the language comprehension part is learned over a lifetime. The view has advantages and disadvantages.
We’re missing a good curriculum “in some cases by focusing in early reading on reading rather than focusing on subject matters to where you can gain the knowledge at the same time as you’re gaining knowledge about reading.”
Questions teachers can ask to help develop children’s comprehension. (E.g. what are you thinking about? How does this relate to what you already know? What experiences have you had that are related to this?
Assessing comprehension. It’s not easy to measure!
“You cannot reduce comprehension down to a single score because it’s not a single thing.”
Comprehension should be tested within texts on the subject matter upon which children have been provided with instruction.
Benefits and shortcomings of cloze procedure to test comprehension
Evaluating psychologist Jerome Kagan’s stance on dyslexia.
Comparing the neurological basis of dyslexia with someone who has little musical ability.
There is no consistent brain-based marker for dyslexia.
The difference between someone who has dyslexia and who does not have dyslexia is evident in how much you struggle to read when provided with quality instruction.
How dyslexia and comprehension difficulties could co-occur or could occur independently
Consequences of having dyslexia
The causes of dyslexia are multi-factorial, some relate to risk and some to resilience
The probability that a child might have reading problems can be determined before a child has reading problems.
Dyslexia cannot be diagnosed until the end of first class/beginning of second class.
Intensive, systematic, supportive and scaffolded instruction from an early stage can help students who are at risk of having dyslexia.
Having dyslexia is not a categorical phenomenon – it exists on a continuum.
How he finds time to write.
He likes the work of Daniel T. Willingham, Tim Shanahan, and Natalie Wexler
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Inside Education 427, Etta Hollins on Teacher Education and More (2-4-24)
On this week's podcast I speak to Professor Etta Hollins from the University of Missouri-Kansas City about teacher education and the role of the teacher. Among the topics we discussed are:
Why observation is key to good teaching practice and learning to teach
The need to be observing, documenting and analysing classroom practice from early in a student teacher’s course
How the influence of theorists like Jerome Bruner and John Dewey can be seen in classroom practice
Directed observation – how the subject you're studying narrows your focus of observation
She gives an example of how a student teacher might learn to teach with reference to learning to teach aspects of early literacy. She illustrates her point with reference to the book Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin and Eric Carle.
As the teacher educator, she engages in epistemic practices (practices related to knowledge) with student teachers including focused inquiry (studying something specific that you’re going to be able to observe or apply).
Knowing when it’s time to redesign a teacher education programme.
How to solicit feedback on a teacher education programme’s impact and outcomes. (Do peers trust graduates’ knowledge? How do school leaders evaluate performance of our graduates?)
Using generic versus subject-specific instruments to evaluate student teachers’ teaching.
A student is ready to graduate from their teacher education programme when they can consistently apply academic knowledge to practice and make adjustments as needed for differences among children and get the learning outcomes that are expected for the child’s age, grade and subject matter. How students can progressively demonstrate their development of teacher knowledge throughout their programme.
Why she believes assessing students in particular contexts does not mean that their competence is confined to those contexts: responding to students is a habit of mind that can be transferred to wherever you are teaching.
She draws a parallel between how teachers respond to children in classrooms and how she responds to teacher educators when reviewing teacher education programmes.
Why teachers need not just academic knowledge but to be aware of why they’re teaching. Teachers need a bigger purpose for their work.
How children responded to her as a middle-school history teacher
“Every teacher, whether they do it intentionally or not, influences children’s perception, their relationships, their values and who they become.”
How extreme events such as school shootings can be traced to children being isolated, excluded by their peers in school.
A teacher’s role is to help every child find a place of comfort in the school, learn to build relationships with peers, and help peers become more accepting of difference.
Bank Street in New York is an example of how teachers can help transform schools and communities serving students from socially and economically backgrounds.
Schools founded by John Dewey. At the centre of such schools was the study of children. He conceptualised how learning takes place and he had a conception of diversity. The spirit has been maintained because of a sense of clarity and commitment to John Dewey’s principles.
The Lab school in Chicago was founded by John Dewey and takes children from low-income environments.
Culture influences cognition, values and practices.
She compares how children learn to think with how they learn a language from caregivers.
She gives an example of how student teachers trusted their own experience over theory. She gave them an experience to help them understand difference.
She is inspired by the awesome responsibility of being a professional educator. -
Inside Education 426, Mark Windschitl on Teaching the Science of Climate Change (12-12-22)
Presented and produced by Seán Delaney
On this podcast I spoke to Professor Mark Windschitl from the University of Washington about teaching science and especially the science of climate change. As usual with these podcasts we covered a wide range of topics, including the following:
What core practices are in teacher education (e.g. teachers need to elicit ideas students already have about the topic being taught).
Why, although important, there is much more to teaching than core practices, such as developing respectful and trusting relationships with students.
As teachers gain experience, they add nuance and flexibility to the core practices.
What ambitious science teaching is: willingness to constantly improve one’s practice, to take risks to improve their practice and to base changes on students’ response to their teaching.
The need for a teacher pursuing ambitious science teaching to understand topics (e.g. the greenhouse effect) in great depth, with flexibility, and connected to children’s everyday lives.
The biggest ideas in biology that can be taught in a second-level school setting (e.g. how ecosystems function in the world).
Trees extend their roots out to other trees and can cause chemical changes in other trees.
Selecting candidates for teaching science and engaging in ambitious science teaching
How the impact of testing in schools shapes the curriculum.
The importance of academically productive discourse in the classroom about science ideas. Productive talk in a classroom is a process of sense-making and meaning making.
The need for teachers to have models of ambitious science teaching that is relevant to the setting in which they teach.
How to teach children the science of climate change without elevating eco-anxiety.
Why solutions need to be threaded into the teaching of climate change
The importance of understanding the greenhouse effect and why understanding that is not enough (the need to know about ecosystems, the oceans, the cryosphere – the frozen parts of the earth, and tipping points)
The scale of climate change phenomena
The idea of “carbon footprint” was introduced by a petroleum company (BP)
What schools can do to mitigate the effects of climate change (e.g. making Prom night – the Debs – greener)
Plastics pollution is different to climate change but both are connected in many students’ minds
Students being exposed to sceptical points of view in some areas. Although such perspectives need to be managed carefully, sceptical views might not be as big a problem as we would expect. It may help to focus on the science of the greenhouse effect.
The challenge of beef production as part of the climate change discussion
The difficulty of conveying the scale of climate change
Finding and evaluating climate change data – the challenge of media literacy. Among the known reputable outlets he identifies are: NASA, NOAA, WHO, and the UN.
The importance of having a reason when sharing data about climate change.
Assessing students’ knowledge of climate change
How he became interested in education research
How he conducts his research to find out how novice teachers become “well-started beginners”
Helping novice teachers use agency to move beyond reproducing someone else’s teaching
How he finds time to write – bringing a notebook with him when going out for a stroll and doing 14 versions of an article before it’s ready for publication
Who research in education is for and how does it influence practice in education? Is it through instructional coaches? School leaders?
Having children do well-structured work in small groups (that is equitable and rigorous) in class, at least part of the time, is hugely beneficial for their learning.
Productive academic discourse in science is difficult to find in classrooms in the Unites States.
Another research question is why technology failed to deliver for education during COVID
Why schools and the communities around them should have porous boundarie -
Inside Education 425, Social Emotional Learning with Sara Rimm-Kaufman (5-6-22)
Presented and produced by Seán Delaney.
On this podcast I discussed social and emotional learning with Professor Sara Rimm-Kaufman from the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development.
Among the topics discussed were:
What social and emotional learning is
The implicit and explicit process of learning social and emotional skills
How children can learn empathy
Her book for teachers: SEL from the Start
From listening to respectful communication to respecting others’ perspectives
Where social emotional learning fits in the regular school curriculum
What service learning is and examples of it in practice
Three possible categories of service learning solutions: Educate others, change a policy or take direct action.
The relationship between service learning and project-based learning
How Sara Rimm-Kaufman and her colleagues (including Tracy Harkins and Eileen Merritt) developed Connect Science, a scheme that uses the service learning approach to combine social emotional learning and academic content
Applying service learning in different curriculum subject areas
The notion of “fidelity of implementation” in education research (and an “intent to treat” analysis)
The theme that characterises her research interests: the centrality of social emotional learning (e.g. for racial equity) and the widespread practices in school that have never been studied but would benefit from research into their effectiveness or lack of effectiveness
The source of her research interests
Her early research on primates and working with Professor Jerry Kagan to subsequently working in schools with children in first grade.
Why she likes conducting research in schools, despite the challenges such research brings
Relational trust – what it is and why it is important among the adults in a school
Who has responsibility for building relational trust among the adult community in a school?
Building relational trust with and among children in a school
The relation between a teacher’s beliefs and their practice – a bidirectional process.
She loves the work of Dan Willingham, a former guest on this podcast.