– Which teaching program would you like to highlight for your colleagues at the faculty right now?
– One of the teaching programs I am most proud of being involved with is the PSYC2231 Biological Psychology and Genetics course which is for students admitted to the professional program in psychology. The direct practical implications of this course for how we support the mental health of those around us cannot be overstated. My only wish is that it was possible for more people to take it.
– The course includes 10 lectures and 5 seminars and is designed to introduce students to core topics in behavioral and psychiatric genetics, tackling questions like why do some people develop mental illnesses while others do not, what can we predict using DNA alone and how do environments impact human behaviour. Crucially, we also tackle common misperceptions in genetics and arm students with the language to take on controversy in our field with compassion, nuance and facts. A new theory is presented to students in a lecture led by an expert in that topic and then the same topic is discussed in smaller seminar groups where students apply these theories to practical exercises. In the seminars we include role play activities, ask students to read press releases and encourage open debates. We use our latest publications as examples and teach students how to think critically to ensure they learn inclusive and accurate ways of talking about individual differences. As discussion about the utility of genetics for mental health has entered the public sphere, clinical practice and policy, it feels imperative that we are preparing the next generation of mental health professionals to contribute to the discourse.
– Who do you collaborate with?
– On this course I collaborate closely with my research group including group leader Prof. Eivind Ystr?m, and group members Perline Demange, Rosa Cheesman, and Sverre Ofstad. We designed this course based on our expertise, which helps us to bring the content alive for the students. We often share insights based on the cutting edge of our research and collaborate with several other excellent scientists to cover a wide range of topics. We’ve since had Yungpeng Wang join as course leader and are grateful for his contributions.
– The course works because many of us involved are willing to go the extra mile to make sure the students understand. We often meet up after our key lectures, update each other on what topics the students are struggling most with and design extra slides and videos for those who want to take it further. To be able to teach collaboratively with passionate, clever and devoted colleagues is a privilege I don’t take for granted.
– In your opinion, what are the three most important factors for achieving good teaching in this field?
– Acknowledging individual differences in learning. I am fortunate to be trained in a field that acknowledges individual differences in how we learn and what our interests are. For this reason, I don’t have a specific student in mind, I try to provide variety in how I explain concepts because each of them grasps the content at a different pace.
– Nostalgia. I’ve been working in this field for over 10 years but I joined it with no previous background and remember too well what it was like to feel overwhelmed by all the new vocabulary and complex statistics. I try to remind students of this process to show them that they will soon feel more comfortable with the concepts and it's okay if they are lost at first. Often this means giving them a little insight into my academic trajectory. Demystifying what it means to be involved in this area of research could provide the roadmap to the next great thinker in my field. It's okay to bring a bit of yourself into your teaching, in my experience the students relate to it much more and it's a lot more fun teaching them.
– A creative safe space. The best discussions that have come out of my teaching have happened when I’ve managed to make the students feel safe to share their thoughts, questions and ideas. It is so rewarding when you see students who knew nothing about a topic at the beginning of the term, several weeks later, contribute to some of the most nuanced questions you’ve heard in the field. It's also a great chance to correct false ideas in real time. I’ve had students share ideas that were against science but in line with public opinions, but because we had that safe space we could all work through what is facts and what is fiction together. Be curious about the students in front of you and be generous with your knowledge. You were once a student too.
– If you were to give one piece of advice to new teachers at the faculty, what would it be?
– Don’t reinvent the wheel but do revisit and update your slides. So many people have presentations they are happy to share, great teaching advice and a playbook of who to contact when things don’t go quite right. Ask around and don’t be afraid to say you don’t know what you're doing. But at the same time, please continuously update your slides. Research changes, language changes, perspectives change and textbooks typically contribute to perpetuating old narratives. Go through your course materials and if there’s something that isn’t appropriate for the times change it. This is how we ensure we are teaching in a way that honours all the diversity of experiences and identities out there.