5 vragen aan genomineerde DocentenPrijs: Alexei Karas

Alexei Karas krijgt vijf vragen voorgeschoteld door Ingmar Swart, die kans maakt op de DocentTalent-prijs 2017.

Swart: “Als je alle tijd en geld had, wat zou je dan aan het onderwijs veranderen?”

Karas: “I would reduce class size. That would allow for more student-teacher interaction in- and outside of class. That would allow teachers to know their students better, and to use that knowledge to tailor classroom activities.”

S.: “Op welke onderwijssituatie kijk je met spijt, schaamte of tranen van het lachen terug?”

K.: “Traditional lecturing: a professor talks while students write in their notebooks. There was a time when I thought that was the only way to teach at the university. I am lucky to have learnt alternative ways. I am also happy to see teachers generally move away from (pure) lecturing.”

S.: “In hoeverre kruisbestuiven jouw onderzoek en onderwijs elkaar?

K.: “In my course Econometrics students learn to do empirical research. Many go on to do an individual research project under my supervision. Some students perform projects in the field of my research interest (banks, Russia). That is often a very fruitful collaboration: it has led to new ideas for my own papers as well as some tangible output, such as undergraduate conference presentations and publications in undergraduate research journals.”

S.: “Heb je misschien wat concrete voorbeelden en tips voor het onderwijs?”

K.: “I would really like to see that data and results from empirical research play a more important role in our discussions about teaching and learning. I still feel we too often rely on anecdotes.”

S.: “Wat doe je met een heterogene groep waar een paar uitmuntende en een paar zeer zwakke studenten zitten?”

K.: “You create a situation when weaker students can learn from the stronger ones, while making sure the latter remain challenged. Consider the “Think, pair, share” exercise. When students discuss their answer to a particular question, the stronger student has a chance to explain something, which is a great way to learn; the weaker student is able to benefit from an alternative explanation which is typically different from the explanation the instructor gives.”

Isabella Spaans