One week from now, Roosevelt Academy (RA) will launch its second
workshop on teaching excellence. RA invited
Dr. Ellen Sarkisian and Dr. Terry Aladjem, two teaching experts
from Harvard's Derek Bok Center, to guide through a 4-day learning
session. Senior instructors from Dutch university colleges and
universities of applied sciences will be trained in innovative
techniques like microteaching, a method developed and practiced at
the Derek Bok Center and Harvard University.
New RA dean Dr. Barbara Oomen is looking forward to hosting this
event. "I expect it to be as inspiring a course as it was last
year, with lots of room for recent insights on what makes for
student learning, but also for the exchange of experiences between
dedicated teachers," she commented in her interview with ScienceGuide.
Continuous feedback in minimal amounts
Leading up to the workshop, ScienceGuide talked to Dr. Cor
Zonneveld. Zonneveld teaches biology at the Amsterdam University
College and attended last year's practicum. The key thing he learnt
about was the importance of good communication between students and
teachers.
"I know you may think that this sounds pretty obvious, but the
devil is in the details! A key question for me as a teacher is: How
do you efficiently open communication channels? I realized that it
is crucial to continuously engage with my students. This means that
I invite them to give me frequent feedback, even in minimal
amounts," Zonneveld argued.
Teachers as learning facilitators
"I do things very differently now. I ask my students for
feedback on a weekly basis, instead of waiting for them to fill in
some questionnaire at the end of the course. Here at the AUC, I
discussed this with my colleagues as well. Designing your course as
a platform for open learning and communication is challenging, but
a very useful approach."
With an eye towards next year's G20 of teaching excellence in Amsterdam,
Zonneveld says that "we should really emphasize learning. Teachers
are only an instrument to facilitate the learning process. That
means that we really need to be humble and always look for ways to
improve. The goal is to become a better facilitator of student
learning processes."
This week, ScienceGuide will publish a series of articles on
the Roosevelt Academy's workshop on teaching excellence. Follow our
reports on this event via Twitter or www.ScienceGuide.eu.
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