Last month, after the ultimate review of teachers selected from all the schools in WHU through Internet voting, 150 teachers ultimately got the citation for their excellent teaching performance in the 2016-2017 school year.
Guo Lin, an associate professor in the School of Economics and Management, is one of those honorable teachers who have won the prize. Since she took charge of the international education and English programs for foreign students, Guo has taught World Economic and many other courses both to Chinese and international students.
Professor Guo told us it inevitably challenges teachers to impart knowledge to foreign students, and she said, “The students’ education background varies from one to another. For instance, a group of Asian students were required to take some professional courses before entering the university, while others from Africa haven’t even learned about mathematics before. Their varied English competence is also a striking problem.” When compared with Chinese students, Guo Lin said that foreign students are inclined to show great passion about attending to discussion in class. However, domestic students usually tend to come up with more brilliant ideas due to the cultural difference.
“It is the sense of achievement that cheers me up most when I feel tired”, said Prof Guo. From her point of view, a teacher is the one who brings his or her students with something beneficial to their intelligence and characteristics in the whole life. And this is the reason why all the teachers are enthusiastic about teaching. Although teachers like Guo Lin make contributions to each class, the feedbacks from students cannot always be ideal, which may lead to their disappointment. She adds, “In the university, students are faced with so many options and opportunities, which may entail their ignorance of the significance of studying hard. We try our best to help them but sometimes it seems to make no sense.”
When it comes to keeping a balance between teaching and scientific researches, Guo Lin emphasized that fulfilling teaching tasks was what she valued most in her work. Though scientific researches are far more important than teaching achievements for teachers’ assessments in the university, she firmly believes that teachers must unconditionally try their best to teach students. She said, “I seldom kill time by watching TV because I am busy with my work. If you ask me how to strike a balance between scientific researches and teaching, I will tell you——WORK HARD. I love my career so I spare no effort to do it well. Quantities of problems and requirements emerged in China. It means we are in desperate need of innovation and researches. I want to impart knowledge to students so that they can help to develop our beloved country.”
To implement her ideas, Professor Guo modifies her course materials every semester. She spent much time collecting the newest research achievements and adding them into it, and she would adjust her teaching methods according to students’ feedbacks. “Teaching is like a piece of art. I ponder it carefully and endeavor to make my classes appealing”, She said. Besides, Guo applied original teaching methods to her classes. For example, via the Internet, students used their cell phones to hand in assignments so that she could remark and correct their solutions in time. She also told us through the Internet platform, it was convenient for students to propose questions and communicate with each other, by which means they had access to making huge progress. “I have tried many ways to attract students.” Professor Guo said.
“We feel happy and lucky for winning the prize, but without it we will still work hard. It is like a bonus. I could feel that every student’s eyes were shining at the beginning of each term. If they looked at me unhesitatingly at the end of the first class, I knew I made it,” Prof Guo said. Guo Lin is just one of the respectable teachers who are devoted to cultivating students. With their dedication, WHU will undoubtedly develop rapidly and cultivate more students with extraordinary performance.
(Photo from the Internet)
(Edited by Wang Wei, Liu Jiachen and Liu Xiaoli)
