Advancements in astronomy education research: Two decades of progress with undergraduate and adult learners
https://journals.aps.org/prper/abstract/10.1103/jp2p-97jb
#Astronomy#PhysicsEd#STEMeducation#DBER#EdDev#ActiveLearning#Teaching

I've been trying to go back to my blog recently.

I've made some changes and I've decided on a new direction.

Here it is:
https://giuliabrazzale.eu/2025/07/23/a-new-direction/

#blogging #teaching #elt #teacher #education

I've been trying to go back to my blog recently.

I've made some changes and I've decided on a new direction.

Here it is:
https://giuliabrazzale.eu/2025/07/23/a-new-direction/

#blogging #teaching #elt #teacher #education

Strong claim from a recent article on using AI to evaluate teaching: "AI evaluation removes human bias in teaching assessment" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X25000888
Sort of ironically, I asked AI to evaluate this claim. Gemini 2.5: this is an overstatement, but AI may serve as a "complementary component within a comprehensive, multi-method evaluation framework." https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V0PiO97GgCtLrqnhLlfo1PS7U5sD4kLbl04oPM7Z4aY/edit?usp=sharing
ChatGPT 4.1: The claim is "misleading in its absoluteness" https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p_69vnJnxYyGxGrEMD1BYwahbDGzqMJz/view?usp=sharing
#AIEd #EdDev #Teaching

I finished up teaching 2 week neon and STEM class at Urbanglass on Friday. The high schoolers were from all over NYC with varied backgrounds/ schooling and they all made such fun things!
Along with my two TAs (Caroline and MolMol) we taught them not only how to wire and bend neon tubes, but also how to solder (SMT and through hole) and the very basics on programming captive portal ESP32 chips for blinking neon with phones.
We played games, Including making a 30 foot mega straw for fruit punch, competing with three glass an food coloring "rollercoasters" as well as numerous "drop test" contests to test/ build bend/ weld strength.
Overall they learned about planning, pereeverance and some the hard lessons of loss that glass can teach so well when the thing you make breaks.

One student quoted Don Quixote "Without hardships there can be no Adventure!" - couldn't have said it better myself :)

#neon #teaching#STEM #glass #nyc #electronics #highschool #summer #soldering #diy #education

I finished up teaching 2 week neon and STEM class at Urbanglass on Friday. The high schoolers were from all over NYC with varied backgrounds/ schooling and they all made such fun things!
Along with my two TAs (Caroline and MolMol) we taught them not only how to wire and bend neon tubes, but also how to solder (SMT and through hole) and the very basics on programming captive portal ESP32 chips for blinking neon with phones.
We played games, Including making a 30 foot mega straw for fruit punch, competing with three glass an food coloring "rollercoasters" as well as numerous "drop test" contests to test/ build bend/ weld strength.
Overall they learned about planning, pereeverance and some the hard lessons of loss that glass can teach so well when the thing you make breaks.

One student quoted Don Quixote "Without hardships there can be no Adventure!" - couldn't have said it better myself :)

#neon #teaching#STEM #glass #nyc #electronics #highschool #summer #soldering #diy #education

“The Ones that Care Make all the Difference”: Perspectives on Student-Faculty Relationships
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-020-09522-w
"We identified four themes for faculty practices: (1) Creating Pedagogical Space, (2) Being Inclusive and Aware, (3) Being Engaged and Engaging Students, (4) Doing More Than Teaching."
#EdDev#Teaching#HigherEd#EdReseach

Professors at Play https://professorsatplay.org/ has 3 free #ebooks on incorporating games into your 1) #Teaching https://professorsatplay.org/playbook/
2) #OnlineTeaching https://professorsatplay.org/professors-at-play-online-playbook/ and
3) and #AI ideas https://professorsatplay.org/ai-playbook/
#EdDev #EdTech #AIEd

A tough year for my wife. But the outpouring of thanks and gratitude for what she does is so touching.

Teachers everywhere, enjoy your break. 💖

#art
#teaching

A tough year for my wife. But the outpouring of thanks and gratitude for what she does is so touching.

Teachers everywhere, enjoy your break. 💖

#art
#teaching

STEM teachers, did you know that we have film-based lesson plans for STEM classes, too? Many of these lessons can work with showing just scenes of the film or without showing the film at all.

Check out:

Calculating Orbits for Space Travel - Hidden Figures

Chinese Number Rods - Please Vote For Me

Echolocation Class Activity - Whale Rider

Generating Electricity - The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

Goldilocks Planets - One Strange Rock

Rainforest Ecology - River of Gold

(These are just examples, there are many more!)

Like all of our resources, these lesson plans are available free from our library. If you have questions about our materials our would like help finding something for your classroom, we're happy to help.

https://journeysinfilm.org/library/

@stemeducation @education @edutooters

#Education#Stem#StemEducation#Teachers#Teaching#Homeschooling

STEM teachers, did you know that we have film-based lesson plans for STEM classes, too? Many of these lessons can work with showing just scenes of the film or without showing the film at all.

Check out:

Calculating Orbits for Space Travel - Hidden Figures

Chinese Number Rods - Please Vote For Me

Echolocation Class Activity - Whale Rider

Generating Electricity - The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

Goldilocks Planets - One Strange Rock

Rainforest Ecology - River of Gold

(These are just examples, there are many more!)

Like all of our resources, these lesson plans are available free from our library. If you have questions about our materials our would like help finding something for your classroom, we're happy to help.

https://journeysinfilm.org/library/

@stemeducation @education @edutooters

#Education#Stem#StemEducation#Teachers#Teaching#Homeschooling

Testing out a #DeepResearch tool on the topic of: Research-Based #Teaching Techniques for Improving Student Retention in Online Courses
https://www.opendeepresearch.dev/chat/OSVutEomBXzjwqpga5oNA
Here are also links to NotebookLM summaries and a podcast version:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/108hIAj_SRPKv68PANTc_J41vh-3Q8WMlttfjao7aj4k/edit?usp=drivesdk
Not a bad job although it's a bit short and doesn't provide specific examples and is a bit out of date (flipgrid no longer exists). Doesn't mention most of the techniques I list here: https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/3168265
#AIEd#EdDev#EdTech#OnlineTeaching

A serious question for the community. I am trying to figure out a way to structure grading in my class so that slacker students turn in work that is easier to grade than hard-working students.

My current class is very writing heavy. (Short essays, a multi-step scaffolded larger essay.) In the past, the amount of work I have had to do to grade and provide feedback has been positively correlated with the amount of work that students did. (Because slacker students wrote obviously terrible essays.) I am happy to do the more work if it is going to help the student more. (That's the "deal".) But, now, with #AI, I'm finding that the amount of work I have to do is unrelated or even negatively correlated, which means I'm both (a) spending a lot more time on grading and (b) wasting a lot of that time on students who just don't care.

Importantly, I can't "not grade". (1) I don't think the U would allow me to do that. (2) Lots of students, even the really good ones want the grade for their GPA, ungraded classes are seen as less important. (3) There are always a subset (5-10%?) of students who need the grade to get the feedback that they are not performing up to their abilities --- where they are trying really hard, but are missing something, or they want to do well, but don't know how to study, or they don't know how to engage with a class. Every year, there are a few diamonds in the rough who fail the first exam, come to office hours, and learn. (Those make teaching worthwhile.) In my experience, the fear of a bad grade is critical to that resetting.

Note that this is not about students getting grades they don't deserve. As far as I can tell, the grades in the end are highly correlated with student quality (defined as a combination of attention in class, hard work, and ability) as observed from class participation and in-person discussions. Moreover, as of last semester ChatGPT gets a C- in the class. (Although I don't know what the pay-for-them AIs would get.) My concern is 100% about the amount of work that I have to do. If a student turns in AI and doesn't learn, that's their loss, not mine. They are adults and I do not need to loco parentis them.

#AI #teaching

PS. This question arose after thinking about a thought experiment by
@SylviaFysica

A serious question for the community. I am trying to figure out a way to structure grading in my class so that slacker students turn in work that is easier to grade than hard-working students.

My current class is very writing heavy. (Short essays, a multi-step scaffolded larger essay.) In the past, the amount of work I have had to do to grade and provide feedback has been positively correlated with the amount of work that students did. (Because slacker students wrote obviously terrible essays.) I am happy to do the more work if it is going to help the student more. (That's the "deal".) But, now, with #AI, I'm finding that the amount of work I have to do is unrelated or even negatively correlated, which means I'm both (a) spending a lot more time on grading and (b) wasting a lot of that time on students who just don't care.

Importantly, I can't "not grade". (1) I don't think the U would allow me to do that. (2) Lots of students, even the really good ones want the grade for their GPA, ungraded classes are seen as less important. (3) There are always a subset (5-10%?) of students who need the grade to get the feedback that they are not performing up to their abilities --- where they are trying really hard, but are missing something, or they want to do well, but don't know how to study, or they don't know how to engage with a class. Every year, there are a few diamonds in the rough who fail the first exam, come to office hours, and learn. (Those make teaching worthwhile.) In my experience, the fear of a bad grade is critical to that resetting.

Note that this is not about students getting grades they don't deserve. As far as I can tell, the grades in the end are highly correlated with student quality (defined as a combination of attention in class, hard work, and ability) as observed from class participation and in-person discussions. Moreover, as of last semester ChatGPT gets a C- in the class. (Although I don't know what the pay-for-them AIs would get.) My concern is 100% about the amount of work that I have to do. If a student turns in AI and doesn't learn, that's their loss, not mine. They are adults and I do not need to loco parentis them.

#AI #teaching

PS. This question arose after thinking about a thought experiment by
@SylviaFysica

Saw my high school technology teacher at the charity shop today. I’ve changed a bunch over the years but he recognized me after I told him my name!

I let him know all the impact his class had on me and all the people I’ve helped and reached out to over the years as a result of his class.

I really hope that made his day!

#teaching #school #technology

Saw my high school technology teacher at the charity shop today. I’ve changed a bunch over the years but he recognized me after I told him my name!

I let him know all the impact his class had on me and all the people I’ve helped and reached out to over the years as a result of his class.

I really hope that made his day!

#teaching #school #technology

I talked to @404mediaco about generative AI's impact on teaching. Apparently I wasn't alone... not by a long shot. @jasonkoebler got a ton of responses about this topic and ran many of them here:

https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/

While it's distressing to read all of them, it's good to see I'm not alone.

#generativeAI#higherEducation #teaching#academicChatter