Where do you find your educational drive?
'My educational passion stems from a genuine interest in the topics covered in the lecture, combined with the opportunity to teach students something new and take them into discussions about free will, neuroscience, emotions, personal identity, neurodiversity and so on! To look for hidden assumptions, vague concepts, good arguments and groundbreaking insights.'
Which moment has always stayed with you?
'The moment when a student I had taught in various courses and who had struggled with psychological problems all this time graduated with distinction. I was very proud that despite all the setbacks, she was there and was proud to receive her master's degree. I saw that she also became a teacher a few years later, so I sincerely hope that she can pass on this experience to her students.'
What do you hope your students take away from your education?
'I hope to give students critical mass, in the sense that they gain enough confidence in themselves and their reflective abilities to sink their teeth into new perspectives, ideas and theories. But I also hope that they become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses and that they can increase their emotional and mental resilience. '
What have you learned from your students?
'My students have taught me that it is good to be vulnerable as a teacher in the educational situation. It is tempting, especially as a novice teacher, to link your authority to the fact that you simply know more than the students who come to your lecture. But in the end, you never stop learning and my experience is that the interaction with students in the lecture hall becomes much richer if you, as a teacher, also adopt a learning attitude and share from your own experiences of uncertainty.'
What is something that you still want to try in your education?
'I have been researching neurodiversity for several years now and I think it would be very interesting to be able to design education in such a way that the latest insights in this field can be included. The TLC currently has a Special Interest Group on this theme. On October 29, the second meeting of this SIG will take place from 1:00-2:00 pm and everyone (students and staff) with an interest in how we can do justice to neurodiversity at Radboud University is welcome!'