In order to understand the rules I teach, one must understand the real problems and know of the actual reality out there

To film and make small movies are very natural for the younger generation, we can learn a lot from them. Don’t hesitate – go and try things out

Teacher: Lasse Baaner

Lasse is a teacher who wants to do good and meaningful teaching, and he does not hesitate to try different methods. In his teaching, Lasse has to create a bridge between legislation and nature, therefore he chooses to make videos from the reality that illustrates and emphasizes his points from the lectures. These videos are not a simple appendix to the Syllabus, they are a big part of the Syllabus.

What was your motivation?

My motivation was both internal and external;

  1. I had to do something other than lecturing, I was tired of the way I was doing my teaching and I felt that I have said the same over and over again for many years.
  2. I experienced many students who lacked basic knowledge of nature and the build environment. In order to understand the rules I teach, one must understand the real problems and know of the actual reality out there. As many of my students are young, coming directly from high school and have different backgrounds – also some being non-Danish, there is a big difference in how much real life experience they have. Since it is not possible to take on excursion with many students at a time, videos were worth a try.

How did you get started?

I talked about making videos for 3-4 weeks, finally, my daughter’s said; “I think you should just go and make that video”. So I went out and made a recording of a local suburb, which was able to show the students the result of a local spatial plan. To film and make small movies are very natural for the younger generation, we can learn a lot from them. Don’t hesitate – go and try things out.

How did it go?

I made all beginner’s errors – I made too long recordings, resulting in too much editing, I said the wrong things, had bad sound, got rain on the lens etc. It’s a huge job and it takes many hours. Especially if you have not worked with recording before. Your motivation must be to make a better teaching, getting more time with the students and less one way communication in class – not to save time.

What was the outcome for you - and the students?

The students like it. I think it works really well. Especially with the large classes, using videos gives a good common ground for understanding the matter, the legal provisions and the regulatory framework. Video is a good way to intertwine the classeoom and the world outside

How much time did you spend on it?

It still takes me days to make a good 10 minutes video that gives a common ground for understanding the law I teach. Lecture videos are going to be my next step, and my goal is to reduce it to one day per 7-10 minutes lecture video that includes sequences or scenes from the natural or build environment. Right now I am not there, but I am also not very quick at learning new programs and new routines.