Understanding the brain's tendencies to avoid excessive thinking is crucial for educators. We need to leverage this knowledge to help foster a love for problem-solving and critical thinking among our students. Listen in as Dr. Colin Roche explo

Preparing Engaging Presentations

Sep 2nd, 2023 29m 31s

It is a fact that effective and engaging presentations are the result of proper preparation. They don't happen by accident or chance. So whether you are a culinary educator, business professional, or anyone else just looking to improve your pre

Naked & Natural Presenting

Aug 27th, 2023 15m 56s

We all know the struggle of enduring a monotonous presentation that leaves us counting down the seconds until it's over. But fear not, because in this episode we will be talking about some of the various ways that we can all become a more capti

Active Learning Facilitation

Jul 2nd, 2023 20m 32s

Active learning is an instructional approach that encourages students to actively participate in their own learning process. In this episode, Dr. Colin Roche focuses in on how to facilitate an effective experiential active learning activity, in

Introduction to Active Learning

Jul 1st, 2023 10m 44s

Active learning is an instructional approach that encourages students to actively participate in their own learning process. In this episode, Dr. Colin Roche explains why this is important and shares some of the techniques he has used to engage

Accepting Personal Responsibility

Dec 6th, 2022 24m 57s

Personal responsibility is the ability to respond wisely at each fork in the road with choices that move you closer to your desired outcomes and experiences. In other words, personal “response-ability” is the foundation for creating success!In

Effective Class Discussions

Sep 11th, 2022 55m 16s

Whether you are a new teacher / faulty member or a teaching veteran, if you are looking for advice on how to hold a better class discussion, then this episode is for you! Effective class discussions, much like effective lectures, are the result

Conducting an Effective Demonstration

Jul 25th, 2022 43m 45s

While there are a number of instructional strategies and methods that can be used to help our students achieve cognitive objectives, such as lectures, discussions, and case studies, the demonstration method is the primary method by which learne

Becoming An Effective Teacher

Mar 5th, 2022 47m 19s

A teacher's effectiveness is determined in large part by their subject matter competency, professional competency, and personal competency. Inadequacy in any one of these areas will have an adverse impact on student learning.In this episode, Dr

Presenting Naked

Dec 2nd, 2021 39m 3s

The ability to stand and deliver a powerful presentation that engages the whole minds of our audience is more important today than ever before, partly because of the fantastic reach that out talks can have!In this episode, Dr. Colin Roche share

Podcasts in the Classroom

Oct 12th, 2021 30m 18s

Podcasting has been around for many years but has recently gained new interest and popularity due to new topics and celebrity hosts, as well as easier access to mobile technology apps that let you easily download and listen to podcasts “on the

Improving Teaching Through Practice

Sep 14th, 2021 41m 22s

Teaching is a cognitive skill just like any other, so how can we increase the space in our working memory, our factual subject knowledge, and our procedural knowledge? Well, listeners to this podcast have heard me say many times, it is virtuall

Practice Testing for Students

Aug 30th, 2021 20m 30s

A recent survey of undergraduate students revealed that 84% studied by rereading their notes or textbook. Despite its popularity, rereading has inconsistent effects on student learning. In addition, rereading does not always enhance students’ u

Upset Students Can't Learn

Jun 11th, 2021 33m 56s

Almost every student becomes angry at some point in school. After all, anger is a normal human emotion. And it is not a problem if a student becomes angry, as long as he or she expresses their feelings appropriately. However, it is a problem if

Long-Term Memory

May 14th, 2021 57m 25s

Neuroscience researchers have shown that when you learn something new, there is a physical change in your brain. You have approximately 86 billion brain cells and when you learn something new, some of your brain cells establish connections with

Working Memory

Feb 17th, 2021 39m 20s

Memory is what enables us to learn by experience, therefore memory is essential to survival. And in this episode, we specifically focus on "working" memory, the term most scientists prefer over "short-term" memory. We first discuss working memo

Memory and Learning

Dec 23rd, 2020 34m 13s

The brain's programming promotes survival of the animal and the species. This programming has guided mammalian development and adaptations for survival in the unpredictable and perilous environments in which most mammals live. And memory is wha

Writing Your Teaching Philosophy

Oct 22nd, 2020 37m 59s

A teaching philosophy (also known as an educational philosophy, a teaching statement, a philosophy of education, a philosophy of teaching, etc.) is a self-reflective statement of your beliefs about teaching and learning. In addition to general

Exercise for the Brain

Sep 8th, 2020 40m 24s

We know that exercise is great for our bodies, but what about for our brains? Does going for a run, hitting the gym, or lifting some weights really affect the health or strength of our brains? The answer is yes according to current research! Ex

How the Brain Works

Jul 13th, 2020 1h 3m

Learning is a complicated process. Several thousand years ago, the primary job of the human brain was to figure out how to find food, avoid getting eaten by a predator, and to find a mate. Today, in addition to those three basic functions, our

Percentage Grades and the use of Zeros

Jun 6th, 2020 1h 4m

Percentage grading systems that attempt to identify 100 distinct levels of performance distort the precision, objectivity and reliability of grades. And when averaging on a 100-point scale, the use of zeros is particularly damaging to a student

Grade Confusion

May 9th, 2020 30m 17s

When most students come into our classrooms, they bring with them an unhealthy attitude toward grading, which has often been instilled in them by parents and past teachers. It is an attitude based on the flawed assumption that grades are suppos

Formative vs. Summative Assessment

Apr 13th, 2020 33m 28s

Most aspects of grading and reporting have been around forever and reflect traditions that have been a part of our education system since the early 1900's. Though these traditions are entrenched in our education culture and part of everyone's s

Top Ten Tips For Remote Learning

Mar 29th, 2020 8m 5s

Today's episode is titled "Top Ten Tips for Remote Learning" and is basically the same message that Dr. Colin Roche sent out all of his students this week to help them adjust to online learning.He shares it here in the podcast in case you think

Chef Educator Podcast Trailer

Mar 21st, 2020 1m 33s

Listen to this short trailer to find out what the Chef Educator podcast is all about! Hosted by Dr. Professor Chef Colin Roche, the show is available for free in any app that supports podcasts (iTunes, Spotify, etc.) or through this link: www.c