Research, mastering technology and an international vision are some of the necessary skills of a good teacher

Four experts of Universidad CEU San Pablo share some ideas on how should today’s teachers be and the skills they should have. Professor of Financial Economy and Delegate of Rector for Digital Transformation, Ricardo Palomo, declares that the figure of the teacher is the result of the combination of knowledge and the skills to transmit it. “For a class to work, it needs ingredients such as methodology, pedagogy and empathy”, highlights.   

In this sense, consequence of the pandemics, the professor declares that “technology is an almost infinite channel for innovation and has turned into the new essential ingredient of teaching, into the tool that allows unfolding those methodological and pedagogical skills”; although it explains “it is not the goal but rather the means to favour a better transmission of knowledge”.

Also internationalization has a crucial role in actual teaching due to the interconnection to a global world as mentioned by Vice-Rector of Internationalization, Ainhoa Uribe, who also declares that “Universities must be international and being a teacher involves being open to the world in the broadest sense”. This involves “integrating foreign students, fostering team work between national and international students and encouraging all of them to travel to third countries”.   

Highlighting the importance of research, Professor of Analytic Chemistry and Director of the International PhD School CEINDO CEU, Coral Barbas, declares that “teaching and research are not opposite concepts but rather complementary”. As recalled by Barbas, the University has a dual social duty; to transmit knowledge but also to create it.

To complete the duty of teachers “we have to transmit students their huge potential as society transforming agents and the importance of acquiring knowledge that can help them improve the world  around them”, as explained by the Sub-Director of Organization and Academic Resources of the Higher Polytechnic School, Covadonga Lorenzo, who is responsible for the digital production laboratory of CEU USP where they try to “create collaborative work spaces with learning dynamics fostering innovative projects and ideas with a potential positive impact on our society”.

For students to achieve this training, Lorenzo outstands the importance to develop projects focused on solving social needs such as international cooperation programs, collaborative activities with a social impact, projects of teaching innovation to encourage the inclusion of people with different skills and collaboration with NGOs and foundations.