Mattias Wiggberg is named Teacher of the year
Mattias Wiggberg, INDEK, has been named Teacher of the year by KTH's students. The secret behind his success? Every hour must challenge, inspire and lead towards the course objectives.
A genuine interest in seeing people develop and understanding how we learn things can be part of the secret when Mattias Wiggberg receives the Teacher of the Year award from the students at KTH. The award will reward innovative and inspiring teaching methods and encourage pedagogical development at KTH. And this year's laureates are noticeably moved by the award.
”It is hugely honoring to receive confirmation from the most important group - the students themselves - for the work in the educational teams I lead. Several of the pedagogical approaches are based on didactic research and I constantly follow up the courses so I know that the students learn a lot. But there are so many talented colleagues here at KTH that I am still taken by the fact that my teaching is top class.”
Mattias Wiggberg does research and teach at the Department of Economics and management at the ITM School. He has worked in almost the entire education system and has been active in Sweden and abroad, both close to students and at a strategic level. The research focuses on what happens when computer science algorithms change society and companies. But what makes a good teacher is a difficult question, according to Mattias, you can be good in so many different ways.
” But my starting point is that everyone wants to learn and develop, where I put my focus - on the student's growing. And we have the conditions here at KTH with talented, driven and reasoning students, so it is grateful to make such an arrangement. I like the courses in the higher grades where the teaching and the subject often have a more reasoning form.
Mattias wants to challenge the students to take advantage of the breadth of their skills and equip them for the challenges they will face in their future areas of work.
”The courses I do are quite demanding, and then it is extra important that they give the right things. An important part of being a good educator is to understand how the material lands, to shorten the feedback loops. You have to understand what is happening, fast! It is a prerequisite for being able to challenge enough and for learning to be effective.”
In fact, Mattias Wiggberg sees himself more as a curator than a teacher. A person who introduces a course creates the right conditions by bringing together relevant material, exciting reading, suitable teaching methods and the right experts from their international network, people who can also get involved in the courses. Subject experts who are both inside and outside the academy.
”My job is to create a good mix, high quality and to get to the common thread. We must present what we want the students to be able to do. Every hour should challenge, inspire and lead towards the course objectives.”
The impact of the digital transformation on society is great and development is rapid. Then it is important to be updated and loaded. For Mattias, it is a constant learning - both for him and the students.
”It gives me energy to work in this way and that it is possible to bring research into the courses. And extra fun that the pedagogical methods work and that the students like them!”
Text: Anna Gullers