Taking learning out of the classroom

Luigia Brandimarte, who has been at KTH since 2016, is an Associate Professor in Hydraulic Engineering at the Sustainable Development, Environmental Sciences and Engineering department (SEED). Her specific focus area is water engineering, flood risk management and the mutual interaction between fluvial processes and human activities.

A creative and critical thinker
Luigia Brandimarte herself attributes her view on education to the realization that the role of engineers in society has changed compared to what it used to be. “When I studied, an engineer was someone who solves a problem within a specific domain,” she says.

“But nowadays, the problems our future engineers face are more multidisciplinary and interconnected. Engineers can’t just be experts in their field, they need to have the flexibility to work with professionals from other sectors and disciplines”.

She argues that to be creative and flexible in the engineering profession, students need to be creative and flexible in learning. “As a teacher, I think I need to help students go in that direction.”

A top performance
Recently, Luigia Brandimarte came up with a novel idea to help her students look at the concepts of fluid mechanics in a whole new, creative way, based on the concept by teaching we learn, attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca.

Fueled by her passion for modern dance, Luigia Brandimarte devised a pedagogical experiment whereby her engineering students collaborated with students from the Stockholm School of Circus. Half of her group had to teach fluid mechanics concepts to the circus students, who had the task to visualize the concepts in an artistic performance, while the other half of her group had to guess which concepts the performances described.

“It was daunting in the beginning and both sides were a little nervous, but what they achieved was amazing,” she says.

“Above all, it addressed the issue of working in a multidisciplinary environment with a creative approach, out of context –be creative, cross discipline boundaries and take learning out of the classroom.

Winning the KTH's Pedagogical Prize was a “hugely flattering surprise,” Luigia Brandimarte says.

 “It wasn’t just the prize, but the motivation, because it explains exactly what I try to achieve.”

She hasn’t decided yet how she will use the SEK 20,000, though.

“I’m thinking of starting doing research related to pedagogy, so it may be good for me to go to a couple of conferences in engineering education. I haven’t quite made up my mind yet.”

Text: Geoff Mortimore

Prize motivation

Through her passion and engaging teaching, Luigia Brandimarte has inspired students to think critically and creatively. She is a teacher with a unique ability to motivate students to lifelong learning by combining engagement with innovative and effective pedagogical methods. Luigia’s distinguishing strength as a pedagogue is her ability to lay a good foundation for positive learning, across disciplines. Applying the concept of docendo discimus, i.e. by teaching, we learn, her students have been able to access exciting work placements, including in a project with Stockholm University of the Arts.

Luigia Brandimarte inspires her students to do their absolute best. They look forward to her lessons, and to learning more and thinking along new lines.

Tomas Ekholm, Associate Professor of Mathematics, is also awarded the KTH Pedagogical Prize 2022 for his personal ability to create a good atmosphere in the classroom, ensuring a secure, joyful work environment that’s conducive to study.

Interview with Tomas Ekholm

The KTH Pedagogical Prize
The KTH Pedagogical Prize is awarded to teachers at KTH, for outstanding contributions in education at the undergraduate, advanced and postgraduate levels. The prize of SEK 20,000 is awarded annually to one or two recipients, for the purposes of travel for advancement in their field.