Three principles that make teaching fun (spoiler: contains bits of Lean)
Just over a year ago I started teaching part-time at TU Delft, in addition to my work at Fabrique. I enjoy it a lot, and on the go I formulated three principles that determine my attitude and approach. I like to share them with everyone who is interested in education (or Lean).
In recent years I have often given guest lectures in various subjects, with lots of fun. That tasted morish. Since February last year I have been teaching in the Strategic Product Design Master at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, the course where I graduated myself (today!) twenty-two years ago with tons of fun. The course that I now coordinate and that we teach about 130 students is called ‘Brand & Product Commercialization’. It is about the design of brands and product introductions.
I started teaching because it seemed like a nice combination with my work as a partner and innovation strategist within Fabrique. And it sure is. It is a different world, with other people, different goals, a different environment and new interactions. But the best part is that as a practical teacher I can bring what I have learned over the past twenty years, and that I also learn new stuff myself.
In conversations with colleagues and students, I discovered and formulated my (until then rather unconscious) principles when it comes to teaching. Here I’ll share them with you.
Principle # 1: The course is a living thing.
I am a designer myself, and always strive to improve a product or a service. And that is no different for education. My question is always; how can we teach students more in less time?
My background in Lean Innovation also shows that we are going through the cycle of Build-Measure-Learn in this course. I think of something, measure what works, and I translate the learning into classes for next week, next block or next year. My ‘improvements.doc’ is a living document, so to say.
Design is an iterative process, so the course design is never finished. Every year is a prototype, and every next year there will be a new release with bugfixes and new features. And new bugs, of course. Inevitably.
And I like to go through that process together with students. Hence my second starting point:
Principle # 2: We make the course together.
To put it bluntly: “We have the knowledge, you have the brains where it needs to end up in. So we’re into this together. “
In Lean Innovation I am used to putting the user at the center of the innovation process. Observation, interviews and co-creation are proven methods to design good products and services.
That is of course no different here. You design a good course together with your students. And then I also have the luck that my students are practically graduate designers. Can you imagine how much design power we have on board!
And in that process and that collaboration I set the frames and guard them. It’s just like bringing up kids: giving a lot of freedom and train them to independence on the basis of clear boundaries that are nonnegotiable. Because students — human after all — sometimes come up with ideas that serve their direct physical short-term interests, but not necessarily the course or beyond; their future.
This requires motivation from students, because otherwise they do the ‘co’ and I do all of the ‘operation’ in ‘cooperation’. That brings us to my third starting point.
Principle # 3: Students are great.
Some teachers can be a bit on the dark side when talking about students. They would be lazy, drink too much and slack wherever they can. If that is your starting point, you’d better do something else. Because why would you put your energy into that?
My starting point is diametrically the other way around: students are great, eager to learn, open and ambitious. And of course there are exceptions, which I also see, and whom I cherish with my situational leadership.
But students are worth it to be taken seriously. They have to save our world, so let’s equip them for that.
How does that work in practice?
That leads to an environment in which we feel that we are together on an exciting adventure. And from these starting points, you could call them design principles, logically also follow the interactions that I have with students. Some examples:
“Are we still learning?”
Is a question that I regularly ask in the break during coffee or just during lecture. In the first lecture I also invite students to raise their hands and give the ELMO signal. The signal used in Scrum that says ‘Enough, Let’s Move On’. If students indicate that they understand and that we can continue, who am I then to keep orating about a certain topic? We want to learn as much as possible together, right?
“What three things can this guest speaker improve on his story for next year?”
Good guest speakers bring valuable practical insights and give a good picture of the context in which our students can work. They were highly appreciated last year. But often they are also eager to learn something themselves. By discussing that with students and giving them feedback, we also make their story better.
“How can we make this exercise even more instructive for your fellow students next year?”
Students often have very good ideas. Together we explore the opportunities, write down the outcomes and take them with us in the evaluations and the design process.
“I missed you in college, why were not you there?”
If we do it together, it helps if we increase the feeling of togetherness. I do this through personal attention, by ensuring that I (re) know my students, by giving signals that everyone has to contribute. Presence brings shared energy, not just bodies.
“I give a 110% if you do”
I do not do this job primarily for the money, I do this for fun. But it’s your party, so you also have to work hard. Let’s rumble, join the orchestra!
“Who knows the answer to this question?”
I can answer questions from students, of course, and that is also tempting because it gives me the chance to show my expertise. But if I don’t, we learn a whole lot more. Then we encourage everyone to think for themselves, and I give others the opportunity to shine. It is often the beginning of an interesting discussion.
“What have we learned?”
Real learning only happens in the reflection. You do not learn anything while falling down the stairs. You will only learn afterwards when you wonder what happened there, and how you could prevent it the next time.
I therefore like to reflect regularly. Sometimes students think reflecting is a bit boring, and might do a bit of eyerolling, just like my teenagers at home. So apply with care!
“Who can think of an argument why this is nonsense?”
Always a good practise. As an exercise, think of counter-arguments, just to explore the matter and discover what it is like on the other side of the truth.
“Thank you for challenging the guest speaker!”
Sticking your neck out in a lectureroom with 128 students can be pretty scary, let alone contradicting an experienced fronteer. But it really helps us all because it makes us think. “Challenge reality” is one of the themes that we use within Fabrique, and that is just as applicable here. This creates new knowledge and new ideas.
“On a scale of 1–10, how confident are you that you end up with the result you have in mind?”
‘Start with the end in mind’, I always quote Stephen Covey. That is one of the best lessons I can teach students — regardless of the content. The road towards the end is after all a design process.
“Let us know what we can improve on the way. If I find new feedback in your reflection afterwards, I will get grumpy. “
If we make the course together you can not keep the improvements for yourself until it’s all over, of course. You have to share that.
“Raise your hand if you have not been speaking until this moment.”
Together means ‘everyone must participate’. I understand that one student is more shy than the other, but that does not dismiss you from participation. In a caring way, I try to get everyone involved.
“Think about how you can make a special contribution to the course.”
Freeriding is too easy. I want students to make an active contribution to our collective energy. Let us laugh, let us think, amaze us, whatever. It’ll make it a better course.
In short:
What started as a nice adventure, in practice is much more than that. It is a design challenge with clear design principles, a great team and more than 130 committed users. What more could you want?
