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In this episode Mike, Mark and Rebecca take to the floor to ask whether the feedback dished out by the judges on Strictly Come Dancing is actually a surprisingly good model for educators. We look at what makes feedback useful in the first place, why a number on its own doesn’t tell you very much,… Continue reading Is the feedback on Strictly a fab-u-lous model for educators?

In this episode (we’ve gone back and counted them, this is number 59 of our pop culture pedagogy mash-ups!) Rebecca and Mark chat with Richard Treves, a fellow Learning Designer and Educator and member of the Playful Learning Association. Richard has a background in the geosciences—geology, maps, and geography. He works at the River Restoration… Continue reading Does Stand By Me put us on the right track for embodied learning?

How can we ensure students are equipped to deal with AI? What are the benefits of incorporating AI awareness into our learning designs? What are the risks? How can we get the floor cleaned more easily without getting swamped? In this episode, Mark and Rebecca talk to Olivia Rowland and Alice Chapman of Arden University… Continue reading Would an AI Learning Design have helped the Sorcerer’s Apprentice?

This episode is one recorded from last year but which seems to have fallen through the cracks. We spoke to John Lean of Manchester Metropolitan University about the niche cultural phenomenon called football. We’re in unfamiliar territory here. John talks about how he approaches his co-curricular work in much the same way that Johan Cruyff… Continue reading What does Total Football tell us about democratic learning?

A few firsts for this episode. This is the first regular episode where Mark took over the lead host role – he’d previously hosted only the on tour episodes before. It’s also the first one recorded specifically so our guest could get started on a book chapter. Dom came to us with his chapter brief… Continue reading An Odyssey through virtual reality

Ever built a LEGO spaceship with Will Ferrell that looked nothing like the instructions?Ever let students take the reins and steer your curriculum off-road?Ever wondered if those two things are basically the same? In this episode, Mike and Mark are joined by Kiu-Sum, host of The Education Burrito podcast, to unpack the surprisingly profound links… Continue reading Why is everything awesome in The LEGO Movie with student co-creation?

🎲 Ever pretended to be a halfling bard in a lesson?🧠 Ever gamified a class and called it “learning design”?✨ Ever desperately tried to make your teaching feel a bit more f***ing awesome? Then you, dear listener, may already be casting spells inside what the cool pedagogues in town call The Magic Circle. You know… Continue reading What is the Magic Circle?

In this episode Mike is joined by Jo Dyer, Director of Learner and Discovery Services at The Open University as we talk about cakes, bakes and how the OU makes (distance learning). Mike’s been working at the OU (The Open University) for over a decade, and has been running this podcast for at least half… Continue reading Is creating distance learning as simple as baking an air-fryer cake? (Ft. Jo Dyer)

In this episode Mike C and Mark C are joined by Associate Professor at Durham, Dr Richard Crossman (author of the Infinite Diversity, Finite Combinations blog) and Senior Learning Designer at The Open University Mark Williams as we talk about that space show with the phasers not the hyperdrive. They call it warp drive and… Continue reading Why is the Kobayashi Maru a no-win for Starfleet assessment?

Hold onto your butts! In this episode Mike is joined by learning designers Paul Astles, Catriona Matthews, and Hayley Johns to answer the sustainably silly question: “What can Jurassic Park teach us about embedding sustainability in course design?” From Dr. Ian Malcolm’s chaos theory quotes to water ripples in the T-Rex scene, the team uses… Continue reading What can Jurassic Park teach us about embedding sustainability in course design?

Fast cars or magic mushrooms would have been a better clickbait title for this. Damn our ethics. In this episode we’re joined by the fab Luke Pearce to talk about linear and nonlinear learning, and which might be best for your teaching needs. To do so we’ll be examining Grand Theft Auto, the much beloved… Continue reading GTA or Mario, which design philosophy makes for a better curriculum? (Ft. Luke Pearce)

In this episode Mike is joined by the OU’s own Tom Olney to discuss their love of detective shows and the seed of all good learning design, Learning Outcomes. You’ll find some of the papers Tom references here:Kennedy, D (2007) Writing and using learning outcomes: a practical guide https://cora.ucc.ie/items/e866d6e9-4fcb-4c00-a80c-478cdf55e7ef Moon, J (2004) Linking levels, learning… Continue reading What can vintage detective shows Columbo and Murder She Wrote tell us about good intended learning outcomes?

We did a live show! And it worked! In May 2024, to celebrate the launch of our book we travelled to Aberystwyth University (Mike’s alma marta) at the invitation of friend of all edu professionals, Mary Jacob. As well as some workshops, some giveaways and a takeover session that we’ll be shortly releasing on our… Continue reading Pedagodzilla Live! Rapid fire panicked panel show in Aberystwyth 2024

In this episode we revisit social constructivism, expand on the ideas around it – and work out how the council of Elrond use it to destroy the One Ring. You’ll be able to hear the clinking of chains in the background as the deep nerds within us are restrained for your listening sanity. An uncut… Continue reading How does the council of Elrond use social constructivism to destroy Sauron’s ring?

In this episode we’re joined by the fab Dr Elliott Spaeth to discuss UDL (universal design for learning), the least played game in the world D&D (Dungeons and Dragons), and how it’s possible to get halfway through an episode before you realise you’ve been asking the wrong questions all along. Also we actually remembered to… Continue reading How can applying UDL principles make you a better dungeon master in D&D?