Post from a Scientist: “Learning Teaching”

Learning teaching is also a learning process. If you are a young scientist, many things that the “old guys” do on a regular basis are a first for you. This time was a first not to talk directly about my own work but to stand in front of a very diverse group of people and try to teach them about a complicated topic in a short time.

 My experience is that learning how things are derived is the only way to truly understand the topic to a satisfying level. This however, takes a lot of time, and oftentimes you just want to give a quick overview. In this case, it is important to stick to the big picture and not to get lost in every single detail. This might leave some inaccuracies, and since you know the topic you might be bothered about those inaccuracies, but no one else will feel that way. They are maybe even new to the topic and are happy when they understand the bigger picture. The idea is to create interest, and not confusion by overwhelming them.

 Another thing is, things that are clear to you might not be as clear to others. Different branches in science have different languages. I have felt that already a few times while on this ship, and discovered that it is important to react to that.

 What unites these two ideas is that clarity is crucial.

 -Tobias Wolf

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