Teaching Statement
Die Absicht, zu belehren und zu nutzen, sollte nicht voranstehen, sondern hinter dem studio placendi maskiert und desto sicherer erreicht werden.
(Johann Peter Hebel, 1806) |
[The intention to instruct and to better should not predominate, but rather be masked behind the studio placendi, and therefore achieved all the more reliably.]
(My translation) |
Priest, poet, and (perhaps most of all) teacher Johann Peter Hebel wrote the lines above as part of a bold intervention. The letter including them, addressed to the committee that was tasked to improve Baden’s Calendar for the Countryside, points out that the quality of the kingdom’s almanac was unlikely to be improved by engaging in a discussion that focuses on cost and revenue. Instead of further reducing the quality, or raising the price, Hebel proposes purposeful measures to increase readership. The pedagogical program Hebel puts forth to that end, together with a number of editorial changes, are implemented after initial resistance and quickly prove to be effective. The calendar becomes a huge success, embraced by readers from all socio-economic backgrounds all across the kingdom and beyond. In fact, The Baden Calendar for the Countryside realizes its potential as the region’s chief source for news, education, and entertainment. For me, however, the anecdote and quote have become a reminder that intellectual and material accessibility are key to impactful teaching; meaning that I want as many students as possible to be in a position to enter my classes, to make use of them as a resource, and to appreciate them.
As a consequence, I design courses that create as little additional costs as possible, so that economic reasons do not become a factor in students’ enrollment choices. I teach intermediate German without a textbook. Instead, I use open online resources to introduce a wide range of topics such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the so-called refugee and immigration crisis, or the uncanny and Romanticism. The students learn and practice grammatical structures and vocabulary with free online services such as the University of Texas’ Grimm Grammar and Quizlet. The same applies to my courses: by focusing on open domain texts, online repositories such as the Gutenberg Project or Perseus Digital Library, and using the resources of local and university libraries, I am able to teach a class on, e.g., Psychoanalysis and the Arts free of additional costs, while providing access to a wide range of texts and media.
For me, the students themselves are the most valuable resource in my classroom. In order for my students to realize and seize this potential, I make them aware that each of them brings unique experiences and views to the table, from which we may all benefit. Active participation is crucial in this context. I foster it through student assignments, which directly affect our content. Student blogs and online posting boards, such as Pinterest, have been very successful tools in this regard. To extend the students’ concrete contributions in the classroom, I create a safe and enjoyable learning environment in which productive discussions become possible. I rely on group work, not only to give each student more time to express ideas or practice spoken German, but for them to get to know each other. Focusing on the assigned materials, I emphasize the importance of close reading and critical thinking over broad background knowledge, and prioritize the ability to communicate content over grammatical accuracy. That way, everyone can participate in the dialogue under the same conditions.
I see it as my responsibility to present topics and materials in such a way that they meet Hebel’s criteria of the studio placendi. i.e. that they “unterhalten und afficieren”—entertain and inspire. I find the key to this pedagogical requirement in very personal teaching style. I let my genuine enthusiasm for the material, for the students’ contributions, and for teaching in general show. I choose humorous examples for abstract concepts, I emphasize positive reinforcement, an engaging tone, and—when and where possible—I try to translate academic jargon into an idiom that is more meaningful to the students. Inside and outside the classroom, I try to be as available as I can be—not only during office hours, but also in the hallway, and at extracurricular departmental events, such as Kaffeestunde or Kabarettabend.
When I hear from former students, who are spending time in Germany, share their enthusiasm for the Language and culture I grew up in; or when I get to read papers that surprise me with a new view on a seemingly familiar topic—e.g. an analysis of Nietzsche’s take on animal nature in light of Disney’s Zootopia—then I feel that my approach to teaching has been successful. Low costs, a safe environment, entertainment and inspiration have helped these students to find their own voices—be it as critical thinkers or as new members to a more cosmopolitan language community. In turn, teaching has become the motor activity of my life and work in the academy. It inspires me to find new fields of research, see seemingly familiar topics in a new light, experiment with new means and styles of communication, and it urges me to reflect and review the way in which I interact not only with students, but with people in general. I believe it makes me a better academic and a better person.
As a consequence, I design courses that create as little additional costs as possible, so that economic reasons do not become a factor in students’ enrollment choices. I teach intermediate German without a textbook. Instead, I use open online resources to introduce a wide range of topics such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the so-called refugee and immigration crisis, or the uncanny and Romanticism. The students learn and practice grammatical structures and vocabulary with free online services such as the University of Texas’ Grimm Grammar and Quizlet. The same applies to my courses: by focusing on open domain texts, online repositories such as the Gutenberg Project or Perseus Digital Library, and using the resources of local and university libraries, I am able to teach a class on, e.g., Psychoanalysis and the Arts free of additional costs, while providing access to a wide range of texts and media.
For me, the students themselves are the most valuable resource in my classroom. In order for my students to realize and seize this potential, I make them aware that each of them brings unique experiences and views to the table, from which we may all benefit. Active participation is crucial in this context. I foster it through student assignments, which directly affect our content. Student blogs and online posting boards, such as Pinterest, have been very successful tools in this regard. To extend the students’ concrete contributions in the classroom, I create a safe and enjoyable learning environment in which productive discussions become possible. I rely on group work, not only to give each student more time to express ideas or practice spoken German, but for them to get to know each other. Focusing on the assigned materials, I emphasize the importance of close reading and critical thinking over broad background knowledge, and prioritize the ability to communicate content over grammatical accuracy. That way, everyone can participate in the dialogue under the same conditions.
I see it as my responsibility to present topics and materials in such a way that they meet Hebel’s criteria of the studio placendi. i.e. that they “unterhalten und afficieren”—entertain and inspire. I find the key to this pedagogical requirement in very personal teaching style. I let my genuine enthusiasm for the material, for the students’ contributions, and for teaching in general show. I choose humorous examples for abstract concepts, I emphasize positive reinforcement, an engaging tone, and—when and where possible—I try to translate academic jargon into an idiom that is more meaningful to the students. Inside and outside the classroom, I try to be as available as I can be—not only during office hours, but also in the hallway, and at extracurricular departmental events, such as Kaffeestunde or Kabarettabend.
When I hear from former students, who are spending time in Germany, share their enthusiasm for the Language and culture I grew up in; or when I get to read papers that surprise me with a new view on a seemingly familiar topic—e.g. an analysis of Nietzsche’s take on animal nature in light of Disney’s Zootopia—then I feel that my approach to teaching has been successful. Low costs, a safe environment, entertainment and inspiration have helped these students to find their own voices—be it as critical thinkers or as new members to a more cosmopolitan language community. In turn, teaching has become the motor activity of my life and work in the academy. It inspires me to find new fields of research, see seemingly familiar topics in a new light, experiment with new means and styles of communication, and it urges me to reflect and review the way in which I interact not only with students, but with people in general. I believe it makes me a better academic and a better person.