First lecture in a course that I have taken over and teach for the first time. A very large class, second-year students who are eager to learn and who are also anxious, as the course was taught very rigidly before.
I have discarded slides altogether and develop the material on the whiteboard, as I used to do. So liberating. 10-20 minutes for setting the scene, then I give them a mini case to work through with their neighbours. The students are wonderful. The room buzzes in eager discussions between them; they compare notes, check each others calculations, argue earnestly with each other. Live discovery of fundamental truths, in a shared space. The subject is alive and speaks to us. After the session I release my notes, which put all the micro insights together.
Real teaching, I and Thou, is possible. I am lucky to be a teacher and to have these students. Life is good.
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