KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Jennifer Stayton

Higher Ed: Broad Strokes of Learning

Have you ever heard of a “value study” in art? It’s a way to make a quick sketch of whatever you see and then fill it in with shades of gray. It leaves out detail in favor of broader strokes that capture the essence of the subject. Could this also be a way to tackle a new intellectual endeavor? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger translate this art technique to learning. Ed and Jennifer talk about Ed’s summer break (it was only three days long!) and how his art lessons impacted his thinking about education.

This edition of the math puzzler asks you to sort out liars from truth-tellers. It’s trickier than it sounds!

Higher Ed: Conquering Math “Phobia”

“I was told there would be no math!” It’s a line people sometimes say in mock frustration when faced with a situation involving arithmetic.  For some people, the thought of doing addition or subtraction causes their hearts to race and their palms to sweat. Why is that? Why do so many of us fear numbers? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger confront the concept of math phobia and explore ways to conquer it. Ed and Jennifer delve into the reasons why some people are math averse and discuss if it’s really math, or arithmetic, that people don’t like. Whether you love it or can leave it, listen on to hear a celebration of the “nerdiness” of math and to hear Ed issue a heartfelt apology. What for? You’ll only know by checking out this episode.

Higher Ed: Summer Break for the Brain

Once school is over for the summer, many students are tempted to put it as far out of their minds as possible and take a break from the rigors of the academic year.  And they certainly aren’t thinking about the school year ahead. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger talk about striking a healthy balance between letting your brain take a summer vacation and keeping it busy enough to be fresh for the fall. Ed and Jennifer discuss ways students can prepare themselves over the summer for the school year ahead, especially if they are heading to college for the first time. Listen to hear Ed’s one word key to a successful summer.  And find out if you came up with the right solution to the refreshing summer math puzzler involving mango juice.

Higher Ed: Extreme Learning Makeover

A new haircut. Maybe some new clothes. What about gutting a house and rebuilding the whole thing? Those sound like pretty extreme makeovers. What about an extreme learning makeover? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss ways to transform how we teach and learn. Listen on as Ed and Jennifer talk about the ways that education can change lives for the better and help people become their best selves. And be ready for the next math puzzler – and you might want to grab a measuring cup and ladle for this one.

Higher Ed: Deep Rest = Better Learning

Caffeine-fueled all-nighters to finish up that paper or cram for a final exam. For some students, that’s a regular part of their studying routine in higher education. They come to equate intense periods of hard work with more successful achievement and learning. But some research indicates slowing down that work flow might actually be the best recipe for deeper learning. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger have a lively discussion about the benefits of a slower pace. Notice something a little difference about this episode? Ed and Jennifer switch roles, as Ed interviews Jennifer about her insights following a lengthy break from the usually hectic pace of work. Did that break help Jennifer think up the solution to the most recent math puzzler? Listen on to find out.

Higher Ed: Aging and Learning

Remember that early 1990’s television show Doogie Howser, M.D. about a brilliant teenage doctor? Doogie had graduated from college by the age of ten and had become a doctor at 14. Ok, that may be a little extreme, but is it possible that young people could learn that much that early in life? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss some of the commonly held assumptions about age and learning. Most of us associate learning with school. And most of us associate attending school with certain ages and stages of life. Ed and Jennifer discuss the proposition that chronological age is not necessarily related to the ability to learn. What is? Listen on to find out, and to hear this week’s new math puzzler; it’s an especially good one if you happen to be headed to the beach.

 

 

Higher Ed: Creating New Knowledge

What does it take to do heavy duty research and generate new ideas in an academic field? A pile of degrees and years and years spent closed off in a room with noses to the grindstone? Not necessarily! In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore what it takes to create new knowledge and who is actually qualified to do that. They hear from some undergraduate students doing their own original research. Who says research is only for grad students and professors! Ed and Jennifer also discuss what it takes for students and faculty to facilitate original and creative work. Hope you’re feeling creative; the answer to the math puzzler about the deck of cards is revealed.

Higher Ed: How Technology Impacts Learning

With smartphones in the hands of so many people these days, we should be a lot smarter, right? How does technology impact the way we learn? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore the relationship between technology and learning. We’ve come a long way from chalk and erasers. It seems like technology has made it easier to access more information more quickly – think computers. That’s good, right? But can all that hardware, software, and information be more distraction than enrichment? You’ll need to focus to follow the latest math puzzler; and grabbing a deck of cards wouldn’t hurt, either!

Higher Ed: The Meaning and Nuance of Numbers

From pre-K and all the way through graduate studies in math, we learn about numbers. But think about it – what is a number, really? What does the concept of  “four” or a “million” of something actually mean? In this week’s episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed,  KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger try to define what numbers really are. Hear some stories about first graders’ take on the meaning of numbers. And it turns out humans aren’t the only species that uses the concept of numbers. Ever heard of the “limit of four?” Listen on to find out what it means, and what is tells us about how humans and other species make meaning and learn.

Higher Ed: How to Understand Deeply and Make Meaning

Remember “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey,” that spoof of affirmations and pithy sayings?  They’re funny for sure, but the idea of understanding something deeply is a serious part of education during school and beyond. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss how to understand something deeply and how that impacts learning. It turns out that deep understanding doesn’t require delving intensely into the topic; consistent baby steps will actually do the trick. So will stepping back and admitting what you don’t know about a subject; that change of perspective can help you explore new territory.

Higher Ed: Learning to “Unlearn”

Learning…. it’s what we all go to school for, right? Well, have you ever thought about what we’re actually doing when we learn? Sometimes, it’s just memorizing names, dates, or facts that we can reproduce on a test. We might ace the test, but have we really learned anything? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss the important role “unlearning” plays in learning. What exactly is “unlearning?” It may seem counter-intuitive to those in higher ed and all lifelong learners: the idea of “unlearning” old habits that don’t really bring meaning and substance to what we learn. Is it ok to toss out some of those old ideas about what it means to learn, and take a new approach? Absolutely!

Higher Ed: Happiness 101?

History, Biology, English, Calculus. Those are some of the more traditional subjects taught in classrooms. But what if happiness were taught in school? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss teaching happiness in school. What would that look like in a classroom? And if it could be taught, should it be taught? Not as a separate subject, but as part of just about all subjects students already study. What does happiness even mean?

Higher Ed: Who’s An “Expert” In Education?

“Takes one to know one.” Remember that phrase? It’s usually tossed around as an insult during an argument. But, could there be a grain of truth in that? What does it mean to be an expert in something? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss what qualifies (and what doesn’t) when it comes to being an expert in education. Just about all of us have been to school of some kind at some point along the way. Does that mean we know what’s best when it comes to education policy and curriculum? Who does know best: trained educators and administrators steeped in the knowledge? Or more detached observers with expertise in other areas?

Higher Ed: Technology, Art, Ethics, and More Converge in 3-D Printing

3-D printing seems like a great deal. Need something? Print it up. Anything from food to clothing to houses can be printed and used. But just because we can print it, should we? And what about people who don’t have access to the technology? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss the convergence of technology, economics, art, ethics, and morality in grappling with the issues raised by what 3-D printing can do. And what about the impact of 3-D printing on education and learning?

 

Higher Ed: Love of Learning

Think back to your early days of school – nursery school and kindergarten, even into first grade. Learning was full of fun and creative discovery. But as time goes by, that fun disappears from the scene, and so can our love of learning. In this Valentine’s episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss how we’ve lost that lovin’ feeling in learning, and how we can get it back.  They’ll also inventory what’s in Ed’s refrigerator. What does this have to do with a love of learning? Listen to find out!

Higher Ed: 175 Years of History in Less Than 10 Minutes

Southwestern University in Georgetown is celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2015. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern’s President Dr. Ed Burger explore the history of Southwestern University on its demisemiseptcentennial. Or as some call it, the quartoseptcentennial. It’s also known as the septaquintaquinquecentennial. As it turns out, Southwestern’s history is very much intertwined with the history of higher ed in Texas.

Higher Ed: The Ins and Outs of Liberal Arts

The phrase “liberal arts” often goes hand in hand with discussions about higher education. But really, what are the liberal arts? Are they liberal? Are they arts? How about none of the above? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore what comprises liberal arts. They not only answer that nagging question, “Liberal arts: singular or plural?”, they also discuss how a liberal arts education is more about the approach to the subjects than the subjects themselves.

Higher Ed: The Art of Creating Questions

The old saying goes something like this: “If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it it, does it make a sound?” A variation on that might go: “If someone asks a question, and no one is around to hear it, what good does it do?” A lot, as it turns out. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger exchange questions and answers about the art and importance of questions to learning. They explore how the act of simply creating a question can change the whole dynamic of learning. But what about the answer, you might ask? Guess what; most of the benefit might actually come without ever even getting answer!

 

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