Marc Jacobsen, Centre for Arctic Security Studies
Abstract
Advancing academic ability and creating a constructive class culture via communication
This poster explains my endeavour to gain a better understanding of the professional backgrounds and academic abilities of cadets in a semester course at the Royal Danish Military Academy. By employing a hermeneutic approach, I, the teacher, challenged my own preconceptions and sought a better understanding of the cadets’ varied backgrounds and needs in order to refine my approach and cultivate a constructive class culture. The study unfolds in three turns: The first phase involved a comprehensive class dialogue, aimed at fostering trust and honesty and providing initial impressions of the cadets and their relations. Through this, insights into a more diverse group of cadets emerged, challenging the initial assumptions about the class composition. The second phase employed a quantitative method through an anonymous, electronic questionnaire which revealed varying levels of understanding among the cadets. On that basis, I introduced additional support materials to bridge knowledge gaps. The third phase consisted of dialogic interviews with two cadets, where we merged perspectives and shaped a collective understanding of how the class could prepare best for the exam. This resulted in an examination role play and in exercises tailored the monologue that each exam would begin with. Student feedback regarding this approach to teaching underline the significance of tailored support mechanisms and leveraging diverse academic strengths to create a more constructive class culture. I suggest that such an approach fostering is particularly important to the Danish Defence which currently aims at enhancing recruitment and retention.