Distinguished Teaching Award winner on daring to be oneself

Anne-Christine Norlén had no idea that she was going to receive the award and was completely overwhelmed.

“When my head of department knocked on my door, I was in the middle of a lively seminar discussion about reading promotion practices with my students in Library and Information Science.”

Her first thought was that something had happened which meant that the head of department needed to reach her urgently. But behind the head of department, she caught sight of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Coco Norén and a whole bunch of other people.

“That made me even more confused about what was going on. Then when Coco told me about the award, and I was handed a flower bouquet, I was completely overjoyed.”

She does not know who nominated her, but feels that it’s great that it would have been one or more students.

“As a teacher, you can’t get a better grade than that. I’m afraid that after this interruption, the seminar discussion took off in all kinds of directions. But the students claimed that the confusion was no worse than usual! My wonderful colleagues then brought bubbly and cake to celebrate with me.”

Teaching with a passion for progression

When asked if there are any special pedagogical tricks she might have used that may have contributed to the award, she says that she just thinks teaching is an incredibly fun thing to do.

“Maybe that shines through? I like to engage with the students and their thoughts about the state of things, to try to see each and every one where they happen to be in their thoughts, and work based on their circumstances.”

She stresses how individual each student’s progress is, even if the course learning outcomes are clear on paper. That she is regularly forced to sharpen her own arguments and justify her analytical explanations is something that she sees as very positive.

“Just think that I get paid to hold seminars with all these talented students and reason, theorise and exemplify my own favourite topics and interests all day long. It’s truly amazing, when you come to think about it.”

Find your own teacher identity

Anne-Christine Norlén thinks that the most important thing as a teacher is to dare to be yourself in your academic pursuits and in all your frailty, even if she also admits that this might sound a bit clichéd. Being genuinely curious about people, and also very solutions-oriented, helps a lot. And not least, she stresses, practice makes perfect.

“Some concrete advice for new teachers: find your own identity as a teacher. Don’t try to imitate someone you thought was fun or who came across as theoretically brilliant. Learn from that, but find your own voice. Honesty with oneself always lasts the longest and the students quickly see through a poser.”

She says that she often initiates pedagogical discussions in her workplace and she also leads the educational development work within the teaching faculty.

“It’s part of my role as director of studies, but the most important part of that work is to support and be a sounding board for my colleagues in the moment. Being available is probably a key word here. At the department, we also see teaching as a priority part of our work, which means that we aren’t afraid to try out, change and renew our courses.”

Finally, do you know what you’re going to do with the award money?

“I’m thinking of buying myself an electric bike that will be able to get me up the Carolina hill with ease and elegance in a headwind!”