Sometimes Dutch is so potent that we can’t see it: the English word ‘teaching’ doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘learning’, the German word ‘lehren’ pertains to teaching while its counterpart ‘lernen’ pertains to learning, but the Dutch word ‘leren’ can be used to mean either learning or teaching. That you might actually learn more from teaching than from being taught is something that teachers know better than anyone. That’s why I feel that each learner deserves to be given the opportunity to teach and to experience the full gamut of what learning is.
Nevertheless, it takes both time and courage to become a learning teacher. When I started teaching, I did my best to completely master the material, to rise above it and to know exactly what the students needed to know. I became a highly effective talking book so that students didn’t have to do their own reading, and even worse than that, didn’t have to think for themselves. I was extremely popular, because average students who listened to me got good grades without trying too hard.
When I gained a little more experience, I also dared to allow students to ask questions during my lectures. For a long time, I thought that I had to answer their questions and I did so obediently. My popularity continued to grow.
Fortunately, there were students who asked questions to which I didn’t know the answers, which forced me to think. I learned from them that you can look at a problem from different perspectives while keeping an open mind. My lectures gave rise to interesting discussions, especially when I admitted to not knowing something. Students came to see me after a lecture to continue the discussion on a topic or returned to a topic at a following opportunity. I had to start studying, and thinking things over, just like the students.
I started to enjoy my teaching duties more and more, I tried to seek out discussions, I set assignments for the students, and I included more questions in exams students had to think on rather than questions they had to learn the answers to by heart. My popularity among the students began to decline. I was forced to start thinking about my teaching strategy.
I realised that I wanted to be more than just a popular talking book. Most students want to be challenged, but I realised that they actually needed to know why they wanted to be challenged. I decided that I would first explain my teaching method to the students and then get down to work. The result helped me to continue along the same path: teaching became even more fun and it taught me more and more. Each group of students produces interesting ideas, difficult questions, and original answers. I realised that the students didn’t need me in order to acquire the knowledge, but they did need me to point them in the right direction and to challenge them. This required more courage, but less time. I didn’t need to flesh out my lectures with dazzling PowerPoint presentations; a few questions would suffice because the students had come prepared. During the lectures we reflected collectively, we looked things up and we learned together. The students even presented me with a prize.
If I’d thought about the dual meaning of the Dutch word for ‘learning’ at a younger age, if I’d been given the opportunity to be able to teach when I was a student, and had preferably been mentored by an experienced teacher, I would have experienced a lot sooner what learning really is. But, as luck would have it, we’re never too old to learn. The ability to learn is something that lasts us an entire lifetime.
You have a part to play
Our society is facing major challenges. Radboud University wants to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal chances for everyone. With ‘Je bent nodig’ (You have a part to play), Radboud University aims to reach people who want to contribute to that goal.
The power to learn is therefore necessary. The power to learn gives you the power to keep developing. To grow independently. To challenge yourself and thereby inspire others. The power to learn feeds your mind.
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Text: Han van Krieken, rector magnificus of the Radboud University. Photo: Sabine van Erp via Pixabay.