On Episode 567 of Teaching in Higher Ed, I welcomed back cognitive neuroscientist and faculty development consultant Dr. Therese Huston for a conversation on how to keep our brains sharp. Drawing from Therese’s latest book, Sharp: 14 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life with Brain Science, she explored neuroscience-based strategies for improving focus, motivation, and productivity—both in and out of the classroom. We discussed common myths around multitasking, how small habits like mindful breathing and listening to motivating music could have a big impact, and why visualizing the steps of a process—rather than just the end result—helps boost productivity. Therese also shared relatable stories from her own life and work and helped us reflect on the unique cognitive challenges faced by educators.

Resources from the episode:

• Sharp: 14 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life with Brain Science, by Therese Huston
• Unlocking Us Podcast: Brené Brown on Anxiety, Calm, and Over-/Under-Functioning
• Classroom Assessment Techniques: Episode 554 with Todd Zakrajsek
• Calm App
• The Live Your Values Deck
• The Healthy Minds App

Episode topics:

• Focus: Myths and What Doesn’t Work
• Classroom Attention and Task Switching
• Strategies for Enhancing Focus in Teaching Contexts
• Motivation: Challenges and Neuroscience-Backed Solutions
• The role of dopamine as the brain’s motivation chemical.
• Science-backed motivation boosters
• Huston’s prior book, "Teaching What You Don’t Know," and its impact on educators.
• Productivity: Visualization Techniques
• The importance and benefits of visualizing the process required to complete tasks.
• Techniques for Sharpening the Brain and Well-being

Discussion questions:

• Therese Huston discusses the hazards of multitasking and contrasts it with task switching. How do you see these concepts play out in your daily work or teaching? What’s a time when multitasking led to mistakes or increased stress for you?
• Motivation can be a challenge for educators and students alike. What techniques do you use to boost your own motivation, and have you tried any of the neuroscience-backed methods Therese shared?
• Both Bonni and Therese touched on the experience of teaching material outside one’s expertise. How have you navigated the discomfort or challenges of teaching what you don’t fully know, and what did you learn from that experience?
• Therese emphasized the benefits of single-tasking, especially during focused work. What strategies help you create single-tasking opportunities in a world that often demands constant context-switching?
• Visualization was explored from two angles: picturing the ‘glorious outcome’ versus visualizing the process. Have you noticed a difference in your productivity or stress when you use one type of visualization over the other?
• Therese shared her daily practices of deep breathing and meditation for mental sharpness and stress reduction. What role does mindfulness play in your life or classroom, and how do you cultivate it?

Related Episodes

On Episode 77 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dr. Therese Huston explored the challenges and opportunities of teaching subjects outside one’s expertise. Drawing from her book Teaching What You Don’t Know, she offered practical strategies to build confidence, address imposter syndrome, and engage students effectively when navigating unfamiliar content or diverse student groups.

Quotable Words

On Episode 77 of Teaching in Higher Ed, Therese Huston shared about Teaching What You Don’t Know:

Teaching is more than just knowing every single detail there is to know; teaching is much more about stimulating learning.

Next Week’s Episode

On the upcoming episode of Teaching in Higher Ed, Tricia Bertram Gallant & David Rettinger share about their book, The Opposite of Cheating: Teaching for Integrity in the Age of AI

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Affiliate income disclosure: Books that are recommended on the podcast link to the Teaching in Higher Ed bookstore on Bookshop.org. All affiliate income gets donated to the LibroMobile Arts Cooperative (LMAC), established in 2016 by Sara Rafael Garcia.”

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