Teaching Methods & Tools

• Berghs’ approach to learning is dynamic and constantly evolving together with our teachers.
• Our teachers are working industry professionals, and there is a strong tradition of former students returning to Berghs to teach and share their experience with the next generation.
• Applied learning, reflection and feedback are at the heart of how we teach, and we aim to stay at the forefront of education and learning.
• LAB (Learning According to Berghs): All Course Directors complete a pedagogical onboarding as part of their introduction to teaching at Berghs.
• We take a pragmatic approach to theories and models: their value lies in how well they work in practice.
• A course or program at Berghs will often translate directly into new responsibilities at work, new skills or even a new job.
• Assignments, workshops and group cases allow participants to put knowledge into practice and learn from one another’s experiences.
• There are no traditional exams and theory is kept to a minimum. Instead, learning centres around real, case-based challenges, with conversation and collaboration playing a central role.
• We continuously test new tools and methods and have developed a teaching model built around three key principles:

ACTION BASED LEARNING
Action-Based Learning is learning through practice. We learn by doing, not through theory alone. This might, for example, mean working on a real client case. This gives participants an understanding of how knowledge can be applied in practice, while also developing their experience of collaboration and group dynamics. It reflects the principle that adults learn best through active participation. Through practical work, individually or as part of a group, participants strengthen their ability to make informed decisions. We see learning as an iterative process. Participants are encouraged to test, evaluate and improve. Mistakes become opportunities to learn, and reflection completes the learning process.

PERSPECTIVE
Welcoming different perspectives means actively supporting inclusion and diversity. By bringing together a wide range of teachers who each offer their own perspective on a subject, as well as students with different professional backgrounds and experiences, we create the conditions for greater creativity and understanding.

Empathy and respect are important when challenging students’ existing ways of thinking. This encourages critical thinking and creates space for deeper discussions. An inclusive learning environment also helps ensure that each individual feels seen and heard, strengthening both confidence and motivation to participate actively.

ANDRAGOGY
Andragogy refers to learning principles and methods specifically designed for adults, as opposed to pedagogy in the traditional sense of teaching children. It recognises adults’ particular needs, previous experiences and sources of motivation, creating learning experiences that are more relevant and engaging.

You can find Berghs’ AI Policy on this page, under the tab "Berghs AI Policy". We hope it provides useful support when working with your students. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

• AI can support content development, lesson planning and learning design. It can also support participants and students throughout their learning journey. At the same time, bringing AI into the classroom presents significant challenges – and changes the role of the Course Director and teacher.
• New AI tools are transforming not only the communication industry, but also the way we teach. At Berghs, we believe it is important to talk openly about AI: from exploring its potential uses to addressing the ethical questions it raises.
• A growing body of research suggests that the future belongs to those who learn how to work with AI – and this applies just as much to those of us who teach. At the same time, the dynamics of the classroom are changing as students gain access to entirely new tools. We are still exploring and learning how AI can best be incorporated as a tool for learning.

At Berghs, much of the learning takes place through projects, group work and real-world cases. Ideas and concepts are developed step by step. The creative process is iterative and rarely follows a straight line. One of the most important elements throughout that process is continuous feedback. There are many ways to give and work with feedback. Here you can hear from Berghs teachers and students about the different methods and structures they use.

As a Course Director, there are several challenges and considerations around AI to think through: how AI relates to your own professional practice, the subject you are teaching, and how you want students to approach and use AI.

1. Put AI into the context of your industry

When sharing your professional expertise and practice, describe what AI currently looks like within your industry and the role it plays. Where possible, offer more than one perspective.

2. Be clear about your approach to AI

Explain how you intend to teach and what you expect from students. Will you allow the use of AI, or are there situations where you want to limit it? Will you use AI yourself when assessing student submissions? If so, it is important to be transparent about how you use it.

3. Understand the group’s level of AI experience

Find out how familiar the group or class is with AI. One of the major challenges for teachers is the significant variation in students’ previous experience and use of AI. This is particularly important if you plan to incorporate AI into course activities.

Have a plan for supporting participants who have little or no experience using AI. This might include recommending one or more introductory AI courses available online. At the same time, be prepared for the possibility that some members of the group may already be highly experienced AI users.

4. Start the ethical conversation early

Introduce ethical questions around AI from the beginning. Listen to the group and remain open to the questions and perspectives that emerge. You could begin with a dilemma such as: Is it appropriate for the Prime Minister to use AI as a sounding board for ideas? What happens when a politician uses an AI-generated quote attributed to a researcher without fact-checking it – and only acknowledges the mistake afterwards? Is it acceptable for AI to imitate an artist’s expression or reproduce an author’s style? What about companies choosing to be represented by avatars?

Ethical dilemmas often produce very different opinions. The group does not have to agree. The discussion itself is what matters, and as a teacher you can demonstrate that you are open to having it.

Some Important Questions Around AI

• Be transparent and open about your own approach to AI, and expect the same transparency from students.
• If participants submit texts generated by AI and the teacher then uses AI to assess them, there is essentially no active exchange of knowledge. You cannot be sure what the participant has actually learned, and the participant may not fully understand the feedback they receive.
• Test and explore their knowledge through discussion and feedback. Make sure students can talk about their proposals, explain their thinking and demonstrate what they have learned.
• If students use AI for an assignment, ask them to describe their process and interaction with the tool. Make this part of the presentation and analysis of their work.
• Students will also be using different GPTs and AI models, and there can be significant differences between them. One useful classroom exercise is to give several models the same prompt and then compare and discuss their responses. Let the students evaluate the results themselves. This helps develop their critical thinking.

Berghs has an analogue visual countdown timer available for teachers to use during classroom exercises. It can be attached to the whiteboard or placed on a table. It is a simple way of making the remaining time visible and helping everyone in the room keep track during timed exercises and activities. Ask at Reception or contact us by email if you would like to use one.