The Exam Factory

That's what a teacher is really saying when they show up to class during war. Not just let's learn today, but your future still matters.In this episode of TEXT to TASK: Simplifying Education, Dr. Maryam Sharifian of James Madison University talks about what teaching looks like in a war zone. Originally from Iran, she has conducted research with teachers in active war zones, including Syria and Afghanistan, that raises some important points to ponder.Listen to the full episode — free on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.About the speaker - Dr. Maryam Sharifian is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Executive Director of the Center for Advancement of Research in Education (CARE™) at James Madison University. Her research focuses on education in contexts of crisis, displacement, and adversity, including work with Syrian educators and Afghan refugee children and families. She has led interdisciplinary research and community initiatives supported by more than $14 million in external funding. Her work examines how education and educators can foster learning, resilience, and a sense of belonging for children and families facing challenging circumstances.Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: mailto:[email protected]

In this episode of TEXT TO TASK: Simplifying Education, Dr. Qinghua Chen of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore unpacks what happens when AI enters the classroom. His research shows something surprising: if teachers aren't specific with AI.Listen to the full episode — free on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.About the speaker – Dr Qinghua Chen is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, where he researches generative AI in language and teacher education through a critical applied linguistics lens. He's especially interested in teacher agency, linguistic justice, and what it means to bring a critical eye to AI in the classroom.Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: mailto:[email protected]

Today's learners want flexibility. Working professionals need education that fits into their lives, not the other way around. And with AI and digital tools changing everything, one question matters more than ever: How do we make learning more human, engaging, and effective?To help us answer that, I'm thrilled to welcome Ingrid Hovdar-Stojakovic, Head of Academic Area of Intercultural Communications and Management at Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. She has spent years helping universities rethink teaching through blended learning, digital education, and innovative classroom design. She's also the co-author of two Springer books on blended learning that are helping educators around the world redesign how students learn.Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]

Education is changing quickly. Today, technology is doing much more than bringing lessons online. It is helping students and professionals learn by doing, making mistakes safely, and building real-world skills before they step into a classroom or workplace.In today's episode, I'm excited to welcome Professor Charlott Sellberg from the University of Gothenburg. She is an expert in simulation-based learning and studies how technology can make education more practical, engaging, and effective.Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EktLntMAAAAJ&hl=enLike the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]

If the Indian exams still leak. If the Indian colleges still teach a syllabus from another decade. If society still treats anything outside medicine and engineering as a consolation prize, then "explore other skills" isn't reform. It's a distraction dressed as encouragement.Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]

I'm Gargi Sarkar — a Fulbright Scholar, published author, and international TESOL professor on a mission to transform education globally. This is Text to Task: Simplifying Education — your go-to podcast for making teaching smarter, simpler, and more impactful.This episode explores everything about digital classrooms and how they are reshaping access, language, and learning across borders. In this episode, I’m chatting with Marlon Pontillas (Arl).Assoc. Prof. Marlon S. Pontillas, Ph.D. is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) and a leading voice in online learning, applied linguistics, and educational leadership. His research focuses on translanguaging, Philippine English, teacher–student interaction, and language learning in digital and disrupted learning environments. A published scholar and research mentor, he actively advances inclusive, quality education through research, community engagement, and faculty development.Like the show? Please Subscribe, Review, Download and Share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]

An alien with broken sentences. An astronaut with no Wi-Fi. And three classroom activities that will change how your students learn English — and how they see themselves. Fulbright Fellow Gargi Sarkar shows ESL educators how Project Hail Mary teaches what no textbook can: how to think alone, connect across difference, and break free from the scroll. Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]

Every night in Kota, 150,000 teenagers’ study until they can't think straight — not because they want to, but because a $227 billion coaching industry convinced their parents this is the only way. This episode goes inside the machine — the suicides, the manipulation, the ranking obsession — and asks the one question coaching centers are terrified to answer: at what cost?Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share. Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarFollow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]

Equal education sounds like justice. It isn't. It's the most expensive lie we keep telling our children—and the data proves it's widening the very gaps it promised to close. Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me : https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611/Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]

I spoke to 500 teachers about what makes someone unforgettable. Here are the 7 habits they have mentioned.Like the show? Please subscribe, review, download and share.Want to know more about me and my work go to: https://gargisarkar1611.wixsite.com/gargi-sarkarConnect with me : https://www.linkedin.com/in/gargi-sarkar1611Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gargispeaks/Contact me: [email protected]