I am not Robert Langdon!
As a university professor, teaching is about 40% of my job, and it’s an important one that I take seriously and enjoy. But what does it mean to be a university professor when it comes to teaching? Most people, myself included, conjure up images of a professor that you see in movies, like Tom Hanks as professor Robert Langdon in the 2006 film, “The Davinci Code.” He stands in front of the class discussing symbolism with the students who are enthralled by his tales and wisdom, hanging on every word so they don’t miss a thing. But that simply isn’t accurate, especially the part where all the students are hanging on every word – at least not in my case! Perhaps if I were a millionaire movie star it would be different (?), but I digress. The following is a glimpse into my teaching philosophy, my big picture thoughts on what it means to teach at the university – in real life, not in the movies.
So what is teaching at the university level?
That is a tough question to answer. One definition I saw online for teaching was, “to show or explain to (someone) how to do something.” Now I don’t think this is entirely wrong, nor do I totally agree with it. In fact, I prefer not to think of myself as a teacher at all! Why not you may ask? Because I view my role more as a learning facilitator, not a teacher. Ok, so now you are thinking, ‘he is just playing with terminology here, they’re the same thing.’ I disagree. I believe that a university education is more than just professors and students, teaching and learning. It is about helping others develop the skills to think critically, independently, and to engage in self-directed learning. Although I have taught a considerable amount, it has been my experience that I learn from the students just as they learn from me. It is a reciprocal relationship – I help them understand the course concepts and they in return help me to think of the material from a different point of view which enables me to become a better instructor and mentor. My goal is therefore not to feed students information, but to try and foster critical thinking. I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t always easy or straightforward and I certainly don’t always succeed, but I try. I want the students to WANT to learn, to enjoy it, not just sit in class and try and get an “A” in the course so they can move on to the next thing (which in HKR is typically a desire to be a Medical Doctor, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Recreation therapist/specialist or Physical Education teacher). This is a tall task and it isn’t easy – in fact I’m still learning how to best motivate students and have learned that just because I love the material doesn’t mean that everyone does! That was a tough one for me to digest because I am pretty passionate about what I do. I’ve learned not to take it personal when students don’t like my class and/or the course material. Regardless of whether or not they love the material, I want them to appreciate it for what it is. I often say that if one or two of my lectures or big picture concepts from my courses somehow make into their consciousness as they progress in their respective profession(s), than I have succeeded as a professor.
A word on admirable students
The young people in my classes are intelligent – in fact, sometimes I think about how many of these students are far more intelligent than I am, seriously. Being a professor doesn’t mean that you are necessarily more intelligent than anyone else, it just means that you have more education, mainly focused on a central topic – neurophysiology in my case. And let me tell you, intelligence and level of education are not the same thing! I know plenty of people that don’t have PhDs that I consider more intelligent than I am. Maybe I’ll blog about that in the future, so back to the students. Whether they admit it or not, the vast majority of students that I encounter at the university level like to be challenged! Here’s one recent example, though I’ve got plenty.
Just this week I had a first-year student in my office and we chatted about the transition from high school to university, let’s call him Bob. Bob had a difficult transition, new province, new city, new friends, new school (much more challenging than high school), new everything. As a result, Bob has seen his grades slip quite a bit through the first part of the semester and Bob was a high school honours student! This isn’t uncommon for first year students. In addition to the increased difficulty of university courses and a substantial increase in workload, many students are also transitioning from living with their parents to living on their own – a whole new set of challenges that I also went through, so I feel their pain! But one thing the student said to me stood out. Even though Bob’s grades have slipped and his stress levels are high, he said he actually enjoys the challenge of the university courses! Imagine that. Bob actually enjoys the challenge! His marks have gone down and he isn’t sulking (he met with me for advice, not to beg and plead to have his grade changed), he is using this as motivation to improve himself. Talk about inspirational, Robert Langdon be damned! It isn’t always the professor that inspires with words of wisdom, I just got inspired by a first-year undergraduate student who is half my age! The point is that I deal with some amazing people, and they just so happen to be students. Though students may not realize it they can have a major impact on how I approach my working life and sometimes, like this student, my life in general.
These types of students are the ones that inspire me the most – like I said, I learn from the students just as they learn from me and I’m not just talking about in the classroom.
Keep on learning
As I continue on my journey of being a university professor I will continue to learn and work on how best to engage students and feed their curiosity. This is a difficult task and I may never have a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching – and that’s a good thing. I mean, how boring would it be if everyone were the same? As the saying goes, “variety is the spice of life” and in my mind that also means diversity. But perhaps like Robert Langdon, I too will find the Holy Grail, at least as it relates to teaching and then every student will hang on my every word!
That’s it for now. As always, I invite you back again soon so we can learn together.
Until next time…
Kevin
About everything academic: research, teaching and administration 