Two Teachers Talking™

It’s week three, and the course you so painstakingly crafted over the break is, well, tanking. We talk about what you can do to reboot. Never give up. Full notes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

We talk a little about last month’s podcast, and then it’s WELCOME TO RETIREMENT for Charles. Sayonara lectures, student workshops, expectations, predictions, adjustments - it’s a packed episode, even without an April Fool joke. Full notes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

Japan vs. Mexico. No, not the flop sport where players can’t use their hands. We talk with Prof. Alison Kitzman, now at Arkansas State University, Querétaro, about the differences and similarities in teaching English to students in Japan and in Mexico. There are surprises. And dogs. ASU - Queretaro https://astate.edu.mx/ Kindai University https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindai\_University Full notes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

A discussion on traditional and new forms of cheating, motivations for cheating, how to deal with cheating (with or without institutional support), and a perhaps overly optimistic hope of prevention. Bonus links: - All the Times Students Thought They Got Away With Cheating but Were Very, Very Wrong https://www.weareteachers.com/bad-cheating-stories - 19 Stories From Teachers Who Caught Their Students Cheating In Incredibly Extra Ways https://www.pupperish.com/students-caught-cheating Full notes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

Instead of a look back at 2023, we examine how teaching English in Japan has changed since we stepped off a plane and into a classroom many years ago–and what hasn’t. Happy New Year! 明けましておめでとうございます！ Full notes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

In a pre-holiday frenzy, we tackle three not-so-mini-topics: - Syllabus preparation - Grading preparation - About that winter break Happy holidays, everyone! Full notes and past episodes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

Charles talks with his former student Taishi Watanabe about teaching English, and what it's like returning to school after working. Mentioned: Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? Australian Council for Educational Research Melbourne. Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2015, August 11). The Coddling of the American Mind. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/ Haidt, J. & Lukianoff, G. (2019). The Coddling of the American Mind. Penguin Books. Full notes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

We take a second look at AI and ChatGPT, how they’re changing our teaching worlds, and suggest some ways to ease adaptation. Be sure to take a look at the list of works we used to create the podcast (on website). Appearance on the list is no indication of endorsement, and quality of the items is all over the map. Some educators asked for their ideas exhibit little understanding of what AI and GPT are. We can learn from that, too. My short list: Ferlazzo, Mills and Goodlad, Mollick, Qamar, Shipper. Full notes can be found here: twoteacherstalking.com

Tony and Charles struggle with that question and discuss the best ways to reach our students. It’s not simple. Mentioned, previous episodes:

We discuss the value of mixing it up - using diverse deliveries, approaches, methods, activities, tasks, media, teachers. See also: 154 Desirable Difficulties and 130 Learning Styles.

Charles talks once more with an elementary education major at a university. They talk about her experiences working with a resource teacher, dealing with tech that doesn't work, and an upcoming summer school teaching gig.

While Charles recovers from his bout with COVID, Tony interviews one of his former Osaka University students, Rin Takahashi, in Querétaro, Mexico. What’s she doing there? Taking a year off and traveling around the world.

We can confirm that, yes, there are classes that are just BAD. For most of us those are few and far between, but we’ve all had one - or will.What can you do when it’s your turn? There are things you can do, and there are elements beyond your control. We hash it out.

We look at another teacher movie: Stand and Deliver (Ramón Menendez, 1988). Based on a true story of success at an inner-city Los Angeles high school. Related: - Episode 60 Great Expectations, March 2015 - Episode 118, Great Expectations Revisited, January 2020 - Jaime Escalante Forever https://youtu.be/mX0jKFd0KEk

158. Dead Poets Society This month we are going to make some folks angry. We look at one of the landmark teaching/teacher movies and conclude…well…have a listen. If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumbered here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: If you pardon, we will mend: And, as I am an honest Puck, If we have unearned luck Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, We will make amends ere long; Else the Puck a liar call; So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, And Robin shall restore amends. ― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Well, maybe it's the time of year Or maybe it's the time of man I don't know who l am But you know life is for learning Joni Mitchel, “Woodstock” The days are short, temps are cold, energy is low, tempers may be short…several icons to us older folk already have passed as the new year begins. And if you read the news… Oh, yeah, and that pandemic thing. Lots of us - teachers and students - are DOWN. Let’s just say the word. Depression. As a teacher, you’re more vulnerable than most. How does it hit us and what can we do about it when it does? Links: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/teachers-the-forgotten-frontline-of-the-pandemic/https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/mental-health-teachers-teens-takes-big-covid-19-hithttps://telljp.com/lifeline/https://988lifeline.org/chat/https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp

The sky is falling! Or, so you’d think from the reaction to Open AI’s public release of its ChatGPT "thing.” Tony and Charles try to make sense of what it is and what it isn’t and how it will and won’t change what we do in our teaching and in our students’ learning. It’s our goodbye to 2022 and our hello to 2023. Pedals down. Happy new year! あけましておめでとう！今年もよろしく！ Links: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/what-is-chatgpt/473664/https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/20/opinion/chatgpt-writing-ai.html https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-ai-writing-college-student-essays/672371/http://tony-silva.com/t3/miscfiles/chatgtpoutput.pdf

It’s holiday time for lots of people, and for most of them/us, that means buying gifts…and hopefully receiving, some, as well. Here’s our brainstorm session of gifts for the teacher in your life. As for your favorite podcasters, cash will do nicely.

“OK, let’s make this a little harder,” says Duo the Owl to us every day. We take a look at how some counter-intuitive practices can improve learning by tricking the brain to try harder. No, we’re not neurologists. But we have a podcast. https://youtu.be/CEXzSehu5HM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans\_forgeticahttps://hamre-erik.medium.com/desirable-difficulty-why-you-should-make-learning-more-difficult-on-purpose-c65223046d6b

Charles talks with Nerida Rand to find out how a background in improvisation plays out in the classroom. Nerida was an exchange student in a Japanese high school in the 80’s and has been back in Japan as a teacher since 1997. She teaches in the Graduate School of International Social Sciences at Yokohama National University as well as being adjunct faculty at Keio SFC. When school’s out she’s acting, improvising, and translating plays.