At the end of October, around 45 teachers from across the Faculty of Science gathered for a joint inspiration day at LINXS in Science Village – the first of its kind. The aim was to offer new perspectives on teaching, inspire participants, and encourage colleagues to share their experiences.
"The most important thing for me was that we actually met," says Charlotta Turner, Vice-Dean for first and second cycle education. "That we took a joint initiative and brought together teachers from across the faculty, something we had never done before, to talk about teaching, exchange ideas, and hopefully leave the day with new inspiration."
Trust as a common thread
One concept that ran like a thread through the entire day was trust. The opening speaker, Dr Rachel Forsyth, researcher and Educational Development Officer from the Unit for Educational Services, spoke about how trust influences learning and how it must exist at all levels: between students, between teachers and students, and between colleagues, in order to create a healthy and sustainable teaching environment.
"This became very clear to me during the day as we listened to various examples and personal experiences from teaching," reflects Charlotta Turner. "As teachers, we need to trust that students will take responsibility for their own learning, and students need to feel that teachers are there for them. Building trust at all levels is something we do together."
Pedagogical perspectives: from data analysis to drama
The morning featured short presentations where teachers from the faculty shared their own teaching experiences.
Senior Lecturer and Excellent Teaching Practitioner (ETP) Linda Hartman spoke about fostering effective learning through challenges and the importance of daring to rethink course design to motivate students. Associate Senior Lecturer Hannah Herde demonstrated how she creates engagement in her electronics teaching and how she invites student feedback through so-called ‘exit notes,’ where students write down something that surprised them, what they found difficult, and what they would like more of, all to help her develop as a teacher.
Education coordinator Terese Thoni highlighted the importance of sustainability skills in preparing students for a changing world, while Professor George Attard shared experiences from his home university in England. There, student interest in chemistry tends to decline after the first year, and the department is now actively working to counteract this trend through new teaching methods and initiatives that strengthen engagement and reduce dropouts.
After lunch, Director and Head of Department at Malmö Theatre Academy, Fredrik Haller, took the stage – or rather, the floor. His workshop, "Acting Training for Teachers", was one of many highlights of the day.
"Several sessions were truly thought-provoking, not least Fredrik Haller’s exercises with theatre and acting techniques," says Charlotta Turner. "We invited him to show us how actors work and what techniques we as teachers can actually use. I think many, like me, appreciated the chance to try something completely different and actually play a little. We practised “daring to act naturally” in the moment, even in slightly odd situations. Who would have thought that scientists would run around playing 'Under hökens vingar' or searching for Fredrik’s wallet even though everyone knew exactly where it was?"
The afternoon session with Malin Olbe and Karl Ljung from the Labour Market Council at the Faculty of Science also sparked great interest and discussion as they presented their analysis of how the Faculty’s programmes align with labour market needs and student expectations.
Voices from the day
Several participants said they left with both new ideas and practical tools to bring into their own teaching:
"I learned a lot during the day – for example, about starting by giving students an interesting problem and then breaking it down together, instead of first giving them tools they don’t yet know how to use. It’s more challenging and exciting for them."
"I’m taking a lot away from the acting workshop – especially ideas about time, and how we can build drama and excitement into our teaching."
“It was a very inspiring event, and I hope there will be more joint gatherings for Natfak teachers. We have a lot in common across our subjects, and it’s valuable to share experiences.”
“I learned about initiatives I didn’t even know existed – even within my own department! It really shows the value of meeting in this way.”
“If the university cannot avoid or detect the use of AI, then students should instead be taught how to use AI tools in a conscious, ethical, and critical way. A general course on this should be introduced at the bachelor’s level within the Faculty of Science.”
“If we want to offer an education that truly prepares students for their future careers, the university also needs to engage with industry and the business community. What are they looking for? What skills and knowledge do they need? Can we create internships?”
“I met several nice colleagues I hadn’t met before. It was great to have time set aside for mingling during breaks and lunch. In the daily life of a researcher at LU, it’s important to remember that without teachers there is no university and that excellent researchers can also be excellent teachers. We have that capacity!”
Several participants also emphasised how valuable it was to discuss the future of teaching in relation to AI, sustainability, and the demands of the labour market.
A first step towards something bigger
At the end of the day, Charlotta Turner noted that this was only the beginning:
“We definitely want to do this again. There’s something special about bringing our teachers together, talking about pedagogy, and highlighting the importance of teaching at the faculty.”
The plan is to hold the next inspiration day in two years, but the hope is that the conversation about teaching will continue among colleagues in the meantime.
Special thanks to LINXS Institute of Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science for generously hosting the event.
All images by Cecilia Schubert, Communication Officer at the Faculty of Science.