Teaching as a profession has largely avoided job loss incurred by technological innovation. Is it only a matter of time before we turn classrooms over to chatbots? Amy and Mike invited educator Blake Jensen to review the current state of tutoring in the age of artificial intelligence. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are Large Language Models, AIs, chatbots, and ChatGPT? What are the AI implications for tutoring and test prep? How good are Large Language Models at tutori...
May 12, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 483
One of the major selling points of the current wave of natural language processing tools driven by AI technology is assistance in composing essays. What, then, are the implications for any admissions process that depends heavily on authentic writing samples? Amy and Mike invited educator Barak Rosenbloom to consider the state of college essays in the age of artificial intelligence. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Can current AI really write as well as humans? What makes the ...
May 09, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 482
Response to stress manifests in a multitude of ways. Unfortunately, most of them are bad! Amy and Mike invited psychologist Ben Bernstein to explain how stress affects test performance. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the scientific relationship between stress and performance? How can stress be defined? What is the 3-legged-stool model for keeping stress at an optimal level? How can stress-reducing tools be integrated while studying and practicing for tests? What are...
May 05, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 481
Standardization has been instrumental in facilitating groundbreaking and life-saving improvements in nearly every industry, process, and infrastructure on the planet. So why is this term a dirty word in education? Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to describe how standardization can benefit education. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Where do we see the power of standardization in everyday life? What lessons can we learn from the success of the intermodal shipping c...
May 02, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 480
Equipping college admissions and financial professionals with the knowledge to facilitate smart choices about higher education with college counselor Julie Spak. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What exactly is the National College Affordability Group (NCAG)? What is the history and mission of NCAG? What kind of professionals join NCAG? When is the NCAG National Conference, and what does that event entail? What should someone curious about NCAG know about it? ABOUT NATIONAL C...
Apr 30, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 479
AC/DC famously established that it’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll, but even they probably had no idea how true that could be even when applying to music schools and programs. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Christine Gangelhoff to clarify admissions considerations for musicians. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are some important things to keep in mind when researching music programs? What are some important factors for determining schoo...
Apr 28, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 478
We all spend the majority of our youth chasing acceptable grades or coping with the ramifications of unacceptable ones. Isn’t it odd that we invest so much objective importance into such subjective measures? Amy and Mike invited professor and author Laura Link to clarify the problem with grades. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. How have grading philosophies and practices evolved in the 21st century? 2. Why has teacher autonomy remained such a central aspect of grading? 3. ...
Apr 25, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 477
The SAT has been through so many changes over nearly a century of assessment, but the current transition to a digital adaptive platform represents an ambitious departure from what test takers are used to. How did the first official international administration of the new test go, and what should students, educators, and administrators know for the future? Amy and Mike invited high schooler Fatema Taskin to share a student perspective on the new digital SAT experience. What are five things you wi...
Apr 21, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 476
Every meaningful challenge can be prepared and practiced for, which tends to mean that challengers vie for the best outcomes. Whether you’re competing against yourself or others, you have to put in the effort. Amy and Mike invited educator Steven Menking to explore the importance of a competitive mindset in testing. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is mindset such a significant factor in test prep success? What is a competitive mindset, and how does it work? Who exactly a...
Apr 18, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 475
Traditionally, the words “academics” and “intelligence” have always evoked a positive, mutually supportive relationship. Then AI improved! Amy and Mike invited writer Derek Newton to explain the escalating arms race between artificial intelligence and academic integrity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How have advances in artificial intelligence changed how students work? How does AI threaten the integrity of assigned homework and papers? What other factors contribute to ac...
Apr 14, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 474
You would presume that the reputation of an institution of higher education would be based on factors like academic rigor and postgraduate success, but that would be naive. Amy and Mike invited educator Christopher Sanderson to explain the meaning of the Flutie effect in admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the Flutie Effect? What sporting events are most likely to trigger the Flutie Effect? How intensely does the Flutie Effect impact admissions chances? Can n...
Apr 11, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 473
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Language and Composition exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Language and Composition exam? How do students score point...
Apr 07, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 472
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Greg Hudson to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP US History exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP US History exam? How do students score points on the AP US History exam? Wha...
Apr 06, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 471
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Kyle Terracciano to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Statistics exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Statistics exam? How important is a calculator on the AP Statistics exa...
Apr 05, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 470
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Garry Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Psychology exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Psychology exam? How is the AP Psychology test scored, and what is a good ...
Apr 04, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 469
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Tim Murphy to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Chemistry exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Chemistry exam? How is the AP Chemistry test scored, and what is a good score?...
Apr 03, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 468
A powerful digital classroom designed specifically for remote, in-person, or blended learning with ed tech developer Ayush Agarwal What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Pencil Spaces? How does Pencil Spaces work? Who currently uses Pencil Spaces? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about Pencil Spaces know about it? ABOUT PENCIL SPACES Pencil Spaces is designed by education experts from Stanford and a team of world-class...
Apr 02, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 467
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Shannon Bergeron, the Founder of Core College Consulting, based in Austin, Texas. Shannon is a highly experienced and compassionate counselor, skilled in helping students understand their own strengths and goals in order to develop a balanced and realistic college list. Her whole child college counseling™ approach focuses on synthesizing a holistic view of the self for t...
Mar 31, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 466
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Chris Bell, a professional with a long history of helping students. Chris knows the college and university landscape and has a Masters of Science in Student Affairs in Higher Education where he was trained as a counselor. He served in college and university settings for more than 25 years and has had positions at the University of Colorado, Colorado College, Regis Univer...
Mar 30, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 465
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Admissions Untangled owner Gerene Keesler utilizes three decades of experience in the university profession including work in Admissions, Residential Life, and Career Services. Gerene recently obtained her certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego (March, 2021) and holds a Masters Degree in Counseling. As a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Associati...
Mar 29, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 464
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Mike Hammer, a college admissions counselor with over 30 years experience in higher ed. Mike landed at Cornell University following stints in retail, non-profit, and IT consulting. Mike spent six years in Arts & Sciences where he was responsible for the undergrad admissions system, learning all the ins and outs of the admissions process and participating as an admiss...
Mar 28, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 463
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Jessica Chermak is an Independent College Counselor with over a decade of experience in academia and helping students navigate the college admissions process. She also spent four years conducting research at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Behavioral Science, and the prior two years working as an Operations Research Analyst for the US Army at the TRADOC Anal...
Mar 27, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 462
Students tend to see exams as a means to evaluate learning, but expert educators recognize assessments as instrumental elements of the teaching process. Amy and Mike invited researcher Ayanna Thomas to explain how tests aid memory. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How can completing practice tests be a strategy for learning? What does “testing to criterion” entail? How does stress impair memory? How does taking regular practice tests aid students with their stress, especially...
Mar 24, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 461
So much of the college admissions conversation seems to assume perfect grades and test scores along with ultra-selective ambitions. What about the other 99% of the applicant pool? Amy and Mike invited college advisors Katie Garrett and Melanie Talesnick to discuss college advising for B students. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does it mean to be a regular kid in college admissions? Why are college rankings not the final word in academic fit? How do you create a college...
Mar 21, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 460
Everything you need to teach your class in one place with ed tech developer Cameron Stoker What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Speechcloud? How does Speechcloud work? Who currently uses Speechcloud? What kinds of outcomes do users experience? What should someone curious about Speechcloud know about it? ABOUT SPEECHCLOUD Speechcloud is a classroom management software that helps professors create the best in-person learning experience for students, while p...
Mar 19, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 459
The educational system in the United States bears a stark similarity to our political and economic structures, marked by both astonishing successes and painful failures. Amy and Mike invited professor Ashley Berner to examine pluralistic models and explore assumptions about public education. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the current framework for public education in America? How does US public education compare to models in other democracies? Can education be moral...
Mar 17, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 458
Teens–like people at every other stage of human development–need to feel confidence, satisfaction, and respect for themselves. Alas, that isn’t always easy. Amy and Mike invited life coach Nellie Harden to share insights into cultivating teen self-esteem. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the biggest needs teens have today? What kinds of self esteems are there? What makes cultivating self esteem so important? Do boys and girls cultivate self-esteem differently? What i...
Mar 14, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 457
When students have choices on how to access instructional material, they often engage and learn at a higher level. Anyone who runs closed captions or subtitles no matter what they’re watching knows exactly why! Amy and Mike invited educator Ginger Dewey to explain the uses and advancements in text-to-speech learning tools. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What is text-to-speech technology? 2. What makes seeing and hearing text at the same time so powerful? 3. How can stude...
Mar 10, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 456
Success in getting into a school does not guarantee success in staying there, and persistence should be an active concern for students, parents, and institutions alike. Amy and Mike invited college consultant Beth Howland to explore what to do when a student struggles in college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. How can you tell when a student who struggles at college needs help? 2. What can be done when a student struggles academically? 3. What can be done when a student ...
Mar 07, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 455
While only one of the two exams includes a dedicated science section, both the SAT and ACT find ways to challenge science literacy. Amy and Mike invited educator Elizabeth Breau to share insights into reading science passages on the SAT and ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Do students need to be science experts to do well on science passages on the SAT and ACT? What kinds of science topics are usually included in SAT & ACT passages? How can test takers make sense of ...
Mar 03, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 454
