Portrait of Janine Berns
Portrait of Janine Berns

The educational passion of Janine Berns

As a counterpart to educational burdens, we invite a Radboud lecturer each month to talk about their educational passion. This month, Janine Berns talks about what energises her in her teaching. Berns is a lecturer ambassador, assistant professor at the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures of the Faculty of Arts and involved in the Bachelor's programme in Romance Languages and Cultures, the Master's programme in Language Variation and Multilingualism, and the Two-Year Educational Master's programme in Language and Culture Studies.

Where do you find your educational drive?

'I always think it’s a nice challenge to make something that is still unknown by students accessible to them, and to present it in such a way that they also clearly get the scientific or social relevance. I want them not to go home thinking they've heard about something 'just for the exam'. For every (new) course I ask myself what I would be interested in and how I would like to see that material being presented. That usually provides a good foundation to build on and further refine during the course, because every group is different. If everything eventually falls into place, I am a satisfied lecturer.'

Which moment has always stayed with you?

'What I always try to achieve in my education is that there is enough room for the serious, substantive side for which we are here on campus, but also that there is an opportunity to laugh together about anecdotes that students would like to share, for example, or that there is room for a chat during the break. That creates a dynamic that, I think, always works very well. I always remember a moment with a student who had been in town just before class because he needed new clothes for a party with his family. That day, he wanted to show me the two pullovers he had scored earlier during the break and he asked me which one I liked the most. A few minutes later we were just talking about French sentence structures again. That variety, that's also the beauty of education.'

Where do you find the inspiration for your education?

'Between all the hustle and bustle during the academic year, I sometimes like to browse the internet or the library's catalogue for half an hour. This way, you are busy with work, but you switch off from the things that 'necessarily have to be done' that day. The advantage of this, I think, is that you always come across things that fit the themes of your education. These are things that you would miss if you have to prepare something in a hurry. Then I put those potentially interesting things together in a folder on my computer. If I have to prepare a (new) lecture, I first scroll through that folder again. And then I usually already have gathered a lot of things that I can use in a series of lectures. From there, I continue to design my education.'

What tips do you have for other lecturers?

'Above all, be yourself.'
 

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