Limed: Teaching with a Twist – Episode 10

In this episode of Limed: Teaching with a Twist, host, Matt Wittstein follows-up with Dr. Ben Machado from Season 1, Episode 3 “Place-Based Learning Along the Duwamish.” Matt and Ben have a casual conversation about how Ben’s course went, some of the successes and challenges he faced, and what Ben is hopeful for in the future of their multi-disciplinary project centering the indigenous people of Seattle and the region.

View a transcript of this episode.

This episode was hosted by Matt Wittstein, edited by Jeremiah Timberlake, and produced by Matt Wittstein in collaboration with the Center for Engaged Learning.

About the Guest

Ben Machado has been teaching biology to community college students for the last 15 years in Oregon, California and Washington, where he currently teaches at South Seattle College. He tries to imbue high-impact teaching practices into every part of his curriculum and thinks that helping underserved populations of students experience the joy of learning biology is always the best part of his day. Currently Ben is trying to bring a greater awareness of the area around South Seattle College to his students by focusing some of his lessons on the Duwamish River. More info on this incredible river that has shaped Seattle’s history can be found here: http://www.duwamishalive.org/our-duwamish-river/

Listen to the Original Episode

Place-Based Learning Along the Duwamish

Limed: Teaching with a Twist – Episode 3 Dr. Ben Machado, from South Seattle College, recently received a grant to incorporate place-based learning into his introductory biology classroom. Panelists Kelsey Bitting, Scott Morrison, and Dani Toma-Harrold provide ideas and insight…

Resources Related to This Episode 

• Charlton, Nathan. 2017. “Evaluating the Affective Impact of a Place-Based Learning Course Project in the Geosciences,” Masters Thesis, 2006. Western Michigan University. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/2006/
• Flanagan, Constance, Erin Gallay, Alisa Pykett, and Morgan Smallwood. 2019. “The Environmental Commons in Urban Communities: The Potential of Place-Based Education.” Frontiers in Psychology 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00226 
• Friedman, Samantha, and Scott A. Morrison. 2021. “‘I Just Want to Stay out There All Day’: A Case Study of Two Special Educators and Five Autistic Children Learning Outside at School.” Frontiers in Education 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.668991