2024 Distinguished Teaching Award goes to teacher with strong compass

You were informed in May 2024 that you had been chosen for the award. Were you surprised?

“I had no idea about it at all. I don’t know who nominated me either, but it has been explained to me that the students’ votes carry the most weight when the award recipient is chosen. That feels like a real honour.”

It is therefore students and staff who can nominate teachers who have made outstanding contributions to student learning in one or more specific nomination categories. Each year, five Distinguished Teaching Awards worth SEK 20,000 each are presented.

Lindqvist received the award due to the way in which he stimulates the creativity and critical perspectives of students by lectures and seminars which cannot fail to engage the students. He also participates actively in the development of teaching and learning at the department. Janne’s teaching is always distinguished by a clear scholarly basis, stringent demands, well-reflected structure and great accessibility. He is a teacher with an excellent teaching and learning compass.

What are your teaching tricks?

“An award winner ought perhaps to have a clear idea of methods and tricks. In actual fact, I don't believe in pre-prepared ‘methodologies’. The subjects I work on – literature and rhetoric – deal with one of the most important aspects of what it is to be human: how language affects us and how it has amused and teased us throughout history, perhaps even made us who we are.”

Lindqvist endeavours to get students to share his enthusiasm for these subjects. If their interested is piqued, they learn a lot by themselves, he believes.

“But there are three points that I think are important, and that is to listen to students, respect them and not expect students to have all the facts, terms or concepts in their heads,” he says.

In Lindqvist’s experience, if students find something incomprehensible, it is often because the teacher does not have a clear understanding of the issue, which may be due to several different factors. If it is due to an error in the overall scientific understanding, students can actually contribute to the development of knowledge.

“In reality, I see very little of the University serving a place for the free pursuit of knowledge where students and teachers meet and work together towards a goal,” he says. “The University needs to truly engage students. We investigate together, me and the students.”

Do you also contribute to the development of your colleagues’ teaching?

“We have a good collegial dialogue at the department. We are quite different personalities with different ideas about academia and teaching. I learn a lot from my colleagues and try to contribute to everyone’s development as best I can,” explains Lindqvist.

Lindqvist is happy to share some concrete advice on teaching. If something is difficult, it is important to be honest with students about what the teacher understands and does not understand.

“We gain nothing by chasing prestige. If something is difficult, it is better that students know that it is difficult for you too.

Finally, what will you do with the prize sum?

“Ooh! Maybe I can splash out on a trip to celebrate the award? Is that allowed?”

Ulrika Hurtig