CoLab Podcast

by Josh Luckens

From the Teaching and Learning Collaborative at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts, join host Josh Luckens as we "dive deep into the art and science of teaching and learning" at Wentworth and beyond. Stay curious with us!

Co-Lab Podcast Credits-

Host & Producer: Josh Luckens

Editor: Sarah Walkowiak

Music: Michael Kobrin, Pixabay

Podcast episodes

  • Season 1

  • Creative Play as Community Building

    Creative Play as Community Building

    Josh Luckens of the Wentworth Institute of Technology, Joan Zaretti of Bryant University and Karen Hopkins of Auburn University discuss their experiences creating playful and play-based programs and activities aimed at engaging learners and building community. They share strategies for cultivating a sense of belonging, purpose, and trust among students and faculty through the joy of play. This episode originally aired on November 17, 2023 on the Centering Centers podcast, which explores the work of Centers for Teaching and Learning like Wentworth’s Teaching and Learning Collaborative, and the vision and insights of educational developers in higher education. It's a production of the POD Network, North America’s largest educational development community, which is dedicated to improving teaching and learning in higher education. This episode is a production of POD’s Digital Resources & Innovation committee and was originally recorded as part of the PODFest series on December 1, 2022. Special thanks to Lindsay Doukopoulos, host of the Centering Centers podcast, for allowing us to share this episode with you all. Additional resources: The Centering Centers Podcast The POD Network POD’s Digital Resources and Innovation Committee   CoLab Podcast Episode 13: Playful Pedagogy with Dr. Lisa Forbes and Dr. David Thomas Professors at Play: Transforming Higher Education Though Play CoLab Remix Editor: Sarah Walkowiak (January, 2023)

  • Co-Creating Learning with Professor Igor Minevich

    Co-Creating Learning with Professor Igor Minevich

    Josh Luckens interviews Dr. Igor Minevich, Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. Minevich explains why the Teaching and Learning Collaborative’s New Faculty Orientation and Instructional Coaching program “changed the way I feel about teaching,” inspiring him to “lead the classroom like a partnership” and “teach from the heart.” He discusses why he shifted away from lecture-based instruction to a “multi-way dialogue” in which his whole class is “co-creating learning.” He offers strategies for getting students “excited about the mystery of how something works…actually discovering things they're learning for themselves, with me guiding.” Minevich shares his belief that “mathematics is really about the discovery of truth, of how the universe works, why things are the way they are. What we're learning in math is actually truth, something deep and profound and beautiful that can be used in all sorts of ways." Minevich shares the joy it brings him to see his whole class actively “engaged in learning together,” taking ownership of their growth as mathematicians. He says that teaching has become “a whole different experience” for him as he steps back and empowers his students to actively make meaning in the classroom. Editors: Sarah Walkowiak and Melanie Mikkelson (November, 2023)

  • Pedagogies of Hope and Solidarity with Dr. Kevin Gannon

    Pedagogies of Hope and Solidarity with Dr. Kevin Gannon

    Josh Luckens interviews Dr. Kevin Gannon, who shares how he finds spaces of possibility to question the status quo in higher education, working alongside his students to build a more just and sustainable future. He discusses ways to stop inequities from reproducing themselves in the classroom, how he has moved from focusing on the product to the process of learning, and why he leads with compassion as an educator, helping students discover their own unique pathways to meaningful and authentic learning. Dr. Gannon posits that the better we can answer the following questions, the better the teaching and learning experiences that we design will be: How do I give students permission to take risks and fall short, knowing that a “failure” isn’t the end of the process, but a necessary step towards learning and mastery? How will I get students connected with one another and myself in relationships built on mutual trust and shared purpose? How can I not take things personally, but instead lead with curiosity and meet my students where they actually are? How is everyone in this teaching and learning space acknowledging and meeting everyone else as fully and authentically human? How do I remain committed to a better future and act every day from that place? Dr. Kevin Gannon is the Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence and Professor of History at Queens University. He is a regular contributor to The Chronicle of Higher Education and is the author of the book Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto. Additional resources: Kevin Gannon's Book: Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto Kevin Gannon's Blog: The Tattooed Professor: History, Teaching, and Technology With A Custom Paint Job Editor: Sarah Walkowiak (August, 2023)

  • 7 Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

    7 Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

    The Teaching & Learning Collaborative’s Josh Luckens and Megan Hamilton Giebert are joined by Wentworth’s Dean of Students Jenn Kosses to discuss the “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education,” a classic study by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson. Our conversation explores how we bring these best practices to life at Wentworth and illuminates the many ways in which Chickering and Gamson's guiding principles can help us find our footing in a changing higher education landscape. The seven principles are: 1) Encourage contact between students and faculty 2) Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students 3) Encourage active learning 4) Give prompt feedback 5) Emphasize time on task 6) Communicate high expectations 7) Respect diverse talents and ways of learning Additional resources: Read more about these principles by checking out this guide from the University of Florida or this resource from the University of Tennessee. Episode Editor: Sarah Walkowiak Sound Engineer: Gabe Sytangco ‘23 (June, 2023)

  • Playful Pedagogy with Dr. Lisa Forbes and Dr. David Thomas

    Playful Pedagogy with Dr. Lisa Forbes and Dr. David Thomas

    Josh Luckens interviews Dr. Lisa Forbes and Dr. David Thomas, the co-founders of Professors at Play, an organization that invites professors to explore the transformative power of play in the higher education classroom. They are the co-editors of the Professors at Play PlayBook, an anthology of playful teaching techniques applicable across the disciplines, sourced from their network of nearly 1,000 professors from across the globe, and available as a free download. They discuss the complex ways that play creates relational safety in the classroom, how play can enliven content and spark more lasting learning, and why playful teaching brings them so much joy as professors. Dr. Lisa Forbes is a Professor of Counseling at the University of Colorado, Denver. Dr. David Thomas is an Architecture Professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, and the Executive Director of Online Programs at the University of Denver. Paraphrasing them: In the serious play of the course, students have to creatively figure out how to write new laws by applying real concepts in imaginary contexts, helping them to learn how to think like lawyers, rather than simply be imparted with information that lawyers should know...and genuinely enjoying the process of learning collaboratively. When we find joy in teaching, our passion is contagious. When we are genuinely curious and playful, when we model authenticity and vulnerability, when we allow ourselves to learn alongside our students in the play of teaching and learning, we not only transform our classrooms, we walk a path of redemption that touches the soul of our institutions. Editors: Sarah Walkowiak, Josh Luckens, Megan Hamilton Giebert, and LaToya Hinton (May, 2023) Additional resources: Professors at Play: Transforming Higher Education Though Play (website) Join the Professors at Play community's global listserv (website with link to join Google group) Professors at Play PlayBook: Real-world techniques from a more playful higher education classroom (book with free download) The Process of Play in Learning in Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study (article by Dr. Lisa Forbes) Playful Teaching Pyramid (infographic)