Meet Bas Flipsen: new Director Teaching Academy ad interim

Nieuws - 01 oktober 2018

Dear colleagues,

My name is Bas Flipsen and as of September I am ad interim academic director of the Teaching Academy. I am very honored that Rob Mudde has handed over the baton to me. First of all, I will introduce myself as a father of three children. My children are in the age of 14, 12 and 9. I really love to coach them in their hockey field. I learn a lot from my children. One thing that I truly appreciate is that they express themselves very directly. Becoming a parent changed my way of teaching strongly.

Coming to that point, besides my role as father I’m also a principle teacher in the school of industrial design engineering. Since I am a father, my teaching qualities have been improved; I can empathize better with my students now. I am curious about their interests, ambitions, and passion. I believe every student is willing to explore what they can contribute to our world. If you approach students seriously and with respect, they will respect you as well. I love to work together with my students in a way we create the course together and inspire each other. I also do research with my students for the company Ifixit for which I work once a week. The combination of these two jobs works really good for me.

I am committed to the Teaching Academy/Teaching Lab till the end of January. I’ve already been a TU Delft Education Fellow for two years now and can see the benefits of bringing education developments together under one roof. I’ve been able to meet peers from different faculties and discuss educational developments. However, I also see there is still unclarity or unawares about the Teaching Academy and the Teaching Lab and why it’s here for us teachers. Therefore, my main goal is to clarify the purpose of the Teaching Lab and let you experience the added value.   

Here’s my view, I see the Teaching Lab as a common room, where teachers come together, inspire each other and get inspired by their fellow teachers. Experimenting in education is very important for your personal grow in education development. Teaching Lab is the ultimate environment where you can experiment and learn from each other, and also join inspiring talks and workshops. But do not take it for granted. Be proactive, learn and share. Teaching Lab is not only for consuming, but also for bringing new ideas into the Teaching Lab. It’s yours, make use of it!

At last I would like to attend you on our Education Day on the 8th of November. This day gives a complete overview of our activities in Teaching Lab, such as workshops, teacher talks and inspiration for and by teachers. I hope I will see you there and invite you to always come and share your educational developments with peers in the Teaching Lab. Do not hesitate to contact me and have further discussions! You can always send me an email.

 

Kind regards,

Bas Flipsen