Professors Talk Pedagogy

Teaching Students to Write Garbage with Maura Jortner

Today, our guest is Dr. Maura Jortner, senior lecturer in English at Baylor University. Maura Jortner's research interests include 19th-Century American and English drama. She has published multiple articles in Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film and The Journal of American Drama and Theatre. She is also a creative writer. Her middle grade book, 102 DAYS OF LYING ABOUT LAUREN, was published by Holiday House in 2023. KEEPERS OF THE MARSH will be published by Holiday House in 2025. She teaches two creative writing courses—Writing the YA Novel and Writing the Middle Grade Novel—and both are rooted in intensive, hands-on mentoring. We are delighted to have Dr. Jortner on the show to discuss long- and short-term relationships with students, how to mentor well, and walking with students through the intensive and personal process of creative writing.

https://www.maurajortner.com/

Defining the Relationship with Students with Sarah Varga

Today, our guest is Dr. Sarah Varga, lecturer in the Department of Communication at Baylor University. Sarah holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Texas A&M University, an M.A. in Interpersonal Communication from Baylor University, and a Ph.D. in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a speaker and communication coach who often works with individuals and groups on everything from public speaking to healthy communication in the workplace and at home. At Baylor, she teaches a variety of courses, including Interpersonal Communication, Nonverbal Communication, and Speech for Business and Professional Students. Her research and teaching focus on the role of communication in relationship development. Dr. Varga's work aims to understand how communication fosters meaningful connections and improves well-being. We are delighted to have Dr. Varga on the show to discuss how professors can improve their communication skills, the importance of “Defining the Relationship” with students, and much more.

Teaching as an Act of Humility with Scott Freeman

Today, our guest is Dr. Scott Freeman, lecturer emeritus in biology at the University of Washington. Since the mid-1990s, Dr. Freeman’s focus has been on textbook writing and teaching. He co-authored Evolutionary Analysis and was sole author of Biological Science, each through four editions. He is a recipient of a UW Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Freeman’s research interests center on the impact of active learning strategies and high-structure course designs on student performance in college science courses. Specifically, he investigates whether certain types of course designs have a positive impact on achievement by underrepresented minority and economically disadvantaged students, the impact of course-based undergraduate research experiences, and the support of underprepared, at-risk students in chemistry.

We are delighted to have Dr. Freeman on the show to discuss his work in scholarship of teaching and learning, some of the surprising findings from the research on active learning and what it means to create a high-structured course. Dr. Scott Freeman, thank you so much for joining the show today.

On Being a Scrappy and Creative Teacher with Tracey Jones

Today our guest is Dr. Tracey Jones, clinical assistant professor at Baylor, specializing in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and bilingual education. Dr. Jones’ teaching career spans 25 years and various contexts, including high school ESOL, Spanish, and English, Modern languages at the college level, and English for International Students in Baylor’s Global Gateway Program. Her areas of research interest include second language acquisition, bilingual and dual language education, TESOL methodology, Spanish language teaching methodology, Spanish for Heritage Speakers and community engagement. Her work explores connecting university students to their local communities, specifically in and through the Spanish language.

We are delighted to Dr. Jones on the show to discuss how K12 teaching influences her approach to college teaching, what language acquisition has to say about learning more broadly, the learning benefits of connecting college students to the community, and much more.

Kindness in the Academy with Catherine Denial

Today our guest is Dr. Catherine Denial, Mary Elizabeth Hand Bright and Edwin Winslow Bright Distinguished Professor of American History; and Director of the Bright Institute at Knox College. Dr. Denial’s historical research has focused on nineteenth-century marriage, divorce, pregnancy, childbirth, and infancy among Native and non-Native communities in the land we currently call Minnesota. In addition to her historical scholarship, Catherine is a scholar of teaching. She was Principal Investigator on the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant “Pedagogies, Communities, and Practices of Care in the Academy after COVID-19.” She contributed a chapter to the edited collection Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions and is a contributor to Hybrid Pedagogy. Her book A Pedagogy of Kindness has been making waves since it was published in July of 2024. We are delighted to have Dr. Denial on the show to discuss care in teaching, the intersection of kindness and AI, and much more.

Resources:

Catherine Denial, A Pedagogy of Kindness

https://www.knox.edu/care-in-the-academy

John Malesic, The End of Burnout

Rebecca Pope-Ruark, Unraveling Faculty Burnout

Learning from Students How to Teach

Today, we have a special episode with several guests that was recorded as a live panel discussion here at Baylor. Noah Harvey is the program manager for supplemental instruction at Baylor University. And joining him on a live panel are three fantastic Baylor student supplemental instructors: Melissa Ratcliffe, Emma Franzen, and Shivana Mishra. We’re delighted to have them all on the show to discuss how they help students learn (without giving them the answers), what students struggle with most, and what all instructors can learn from their experiences.

 

Resources:

Supplemental Instruction at Baylor University

Myths about Learning with Ben Schwartz

Today our guest is Dr. Ben Schwartz, Neuroscience Advisor and Lecturer in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Baylor University. Dr. Schwartz earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 2021, following his B.S. from UCLA in 2016. His academic journey has been driven by a profound interest in neural plasticity and its critical roles in learning, memory, development, and recovery from central nervous system damage. At Baylor, Dr. Schwartz teaches Learning and Behavior and Affective Neuroscience, and a graduate seminar on teaching psychology. With this clinical research background, Ben speaks across campus about the biological bases for learning and how this can inform our teaching. We’re delighted to have Dr. Schwartz on the show to discuss common myths about learning and continual improvement in teaching.

Resources:

Pashler et al., “Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence”

Living the Questions with Stephen Sloan

Today, our guest is Dr. Stephen Sloan. Dr. Sloan completed his PhD at Arizona State University, specializing in Post-1945, Public History, and the American West. He began his academic career as the co-director of the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2007, he joined Baylor University as a professor in the Department of History and the Director of the Institute for Oral History. Dr. Sloan is a prominent figure in local history organizations, having served as the president of both the Historic Waco Foundation and the Heart of Texas Regional History Fair. He is the visionary behind Waco History, a website and free mobile app dedicated to local history, and the host of the Waco History Podcast. In the broader community of oral historians, Dr. Sloan serves as the Executive Director of the national Oral History Association and publishes research and guides for oral history. With his Baylor colleague Julie deGraffenried, Stephen edited the monumental primary source reader, The United States in Global Perspective.

In 2022, Stephen was an active learning lab fellow. And this year, Stephen was selected as the Cornelia Marshall Smith professor of the year, which is awarded to a faculty member who makes a superlative contribution to the learning environment at Baylor, including teaching that is judged to be of the highest order of intellectual acumen, and pedagogical effectiveness. We are delighted to have Dr. Sloan on the show to discuss role play and simulations in teaching, incorporating oral history into teaching, and what it means to instill in students the habit of “living the questions.”

Resources:

Baylor Institute for Oral History

The United States in Global Perspective: A Primary Source Reader

Stephen’s Cornelia Marshall Smith Lecture