Podcast Series _ Episode 1: “We were never really taught how to teach”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6FrYMl8ySw 

In universities around the world, earning a PhD is often seen as the highest proof of expertise. A doctorate demonstrates years of rigorous research, deep subject knowledge, and intellectual discipline. Yet, as highlighted in a recent podcast discussion at University of Management and Technology, there is a hidden gap in higher education: being an expert in a subject does not automatically make someone an effective teacher. This challenge raises important questions about teaching skills for PhD holders, teaching effectiveness, and the future of university education.

The podcast opens with a striking realization shared by Dr. Junaid: “We were never taught how to teach.” This statement captures a problem that exists across academia. Most PhD programs are designed to train researchers, not educators. Scholars learn how to conduct experiments, publish papers, and contribute to knowledge in their fields, but very few receive formal preparation in the science of learning, learning theory, and the broader field of teaching and learning itself. This gap highlights the growing need for faculty development initiatives that prepare academics not only to conduct research but also to teach effectively.

Dr. Noman reflects on his own early teaching experiences, admitting that his student feedback was initially poor, to his surprise. Despite his passion for the subject, students struggled to connect with his teaching. As he described it, “I was living in another space and students were living in another.” This insight reveals an important truth: there is a significant difference between teaching and learning. A teacher may deliver absolutely correct content around a subject, but unless students truly understand and engage with the material, learning does not occur. Ultimately, successful teaching depends on creating a meaningful student learning experience that fosters understanding rather than mere information transfer.

This realization became a turning point. Instead of focusing only on mastering content, Dr. Noman began exploring education research. He studied student misconceptions, instructional interventions, and evidence-based teaching practices. This “second-order reading” of the subject transformed his perspective which meant there’s a marked difference between “knowing your subject” and “knowing how to teach your subject” as Dr. Junaid puts it. Dr. Noman no longer viewed teaching as simply transferring information; instead, he began seeing it as designing experiences that help students learn effectively. His journey reflects the principles of instructional design and the evolving role of the teacher as a ‘learning designer’.

The discussion then introduced the emerging field of Learning Sciences, which combines insights from education, cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience to understand how people learn. The goal is not just to ask what students should learn, but how their minds process, retain, and apply information. This field is becoming increasingly important in modern education because it recognizes that learning is deeply connected to attention, memory, emotion, and experience, which Dr. Junaid takes up as “third-order of reading this whole space.” Learning Sciences draws heavily upon educational psychology for teachers, helping educators understand the cognitive foundations behind effective learning.

One of the most important analogies drawn by Dr. Junaid and Dr. Noman is the analogy of the teacher as a “programmer of minds.” Just as a software engineer must understand computer architecture and instruction set to write effective code, a teacher must understand the “architecture of the human mind knowing the architectural constraints” to create meaningful learning experiences and certain classroom conditions. As Dr. Junaid emphasizes: “It would serve those faculty members really well if all of us would really know the underlying architecture of what goes into the making of learning.” Every classroom contains students with different minds, backgrounds, abilities, motivations, and attention spans. Because of this diversity, a one-size-fits-all teaching style often fails. Effective educators therefore rely on effective teaching strategies that acknowledge learner diversity and improve overall teaching effectiveness.

The conversation also emphasized the growing challenge of attention and learning in the digital age. Today’s students live in an environment filled with constant notifications, endless scrolling, and information overload. As Dr. Noman powerfully notes, “Abundance of information creates poverty of attention.” In this environment, the role of a teacher extends beyond delivering content. Teachers must now compete for attention and create emotionally engaging, purposeful, and interactive learning experiences that strengthen student engagement in classrooms and address the challenges posed by declining student attention span.

Moving forward, the podcast focused on how effective teaching strategies blend both science of learning and art of teaching, as Dr. Noman calls it. This science comes from understanding learning theories and cognitive processes. The art comes from using storytelling, emotion, curiosity, and human connection to inspire students. Facts alone are rarely enough. Students learn best when they are emotionally invested and actively involved in the learning process, which Dr. Junaid elaborates as “Learning is an active experience. Our job as a teacher is to create those experiences inside the classroom.” This balance between science and art remains central to modern teaching and learning practices.

The rise of artificial intelligence, precisely AI in Education, makes these questions even more urgent. Information is now available instantly through AI tools and search engines. In such a world, the value of education no longer lies only in delivering information. Instead, modern-day teachers help students think critically, stay engaged, and transform information into understanding and wisdom. The conversation points toward the growing importance of teaching in the age of artificial intelligence, where educators must adapt their methods while preserving the human dimensions of learning.

The podcast ultimately leaves us with a powerful takeaway: every teacher, regardless of discipline, needs at least a basic understanding of how learning works. Subject expertise matters, but understanding human learning matters just as much. Bridging the gap between teaching and learning may be one of the most important educational challenges of our time and we positively look forward to AI-augmented teaching preparation enabling modern teachers with the required teaching skills. Through a combination of faculty development, instructional design, evidence-based teaching practices, and insights from the science of learning, educators can create richer learning experiences and prepare students for the future. What do you think will be the future of AI in Education? How do you think it will change the way we teach and learn?