Slowing down to see more
During my time at Harvard, I have heard many conversations about learning. Most recently, I listened to professors at the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching symposium swap ideas on methods to foster student growth in the classroom. Some professors told stories, others listened and asked questions and commented. How should courses be designed to captivate students? What makes students consume themselves in learning? How do we spark curiosity and passion in an age when all the information in the world is right at the student’s fingertips? I am excited that conversations about learning are happening at Harvard, but to answer these questions we need to acknowledge that there are different types of learners. For many students, myself included, just as much learning happens outside of academic buildings as it does in lecture halls and seminar rooms. I spent many hours in my past three and a half years at Harvard volunteering...