What’s the who-gives-a-damn-principle and why should you learn it?
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Transcript
Professor Donald Saari is a mathematics professor at the
Speaker:University of California, Irvine.
Speaker:In the fantastic book “What the best college teachers do”, he's counted
Speaker:among the best teachers in the world.
Speaker:One thing that's remarkable about him is the who gives a damn principle that
Speaker:he has established in his lectures.
Speaker:In the first lecture of a semester, he explains what he means by that.
Speaker:The who gives a damn principle allows his students to interrupt him at any point
Speaker:in time, no matter what he's currently doing or saying to ask the question: ”Who
Speaker:gives a damn?” He will then immediately interrupt what he's currently doing to
Speaker:give an elaborate answer to that question and explain why this specific detail is
Speaker:of the utmost importance to first, today's lecture and second, the overall education
Speaker:of the students as a mathematician.
Speaker:So, for every detail that made it into his lecture, Professor Saari knows exactly
Speaker:why it's in there and why it matters.
Speaker:He's able to do this because he has thought deeply about the
Speaker:struggles of a mathematician and how the concepts help his students
Speaker:to become a better mathematician.
Speaker:He doesn't just speak about the things he cares about.
Speaker:He focuses entirely on the things that his students need.
Speaker:Could you do the same for your comunication?