Mixed teaching reaches more minds

SCIENCE NEWS FROM KRISTIANIA: Education

Imagine three students in the same classroom, receiving the same lecture. One gets excited by data and statistics; another connects through stories, while the third lights up when discussing future possibilities. They’re all intelligent, but they process information differently, and our education system often only speaks to one of them.

In a study that examined political speeches, conducted in collaboration with Professor Jens Kjeldsen from the University of Bergen, we found underlying patterns that reveal fundamental differences in how humans process information. These differences have important implications for education.

The three tribes in a classroom

Let’s say you’re explaining climate change to three equally intelligent students. 

Future-focused learner lights up when you talk about green technology solutions, innovation ­possibilities, and what could be achieved by 2050. These students don’t just want to understand the problem; they want to envision the solution. They’re motivated by potential and possibilities.

Values-based processor connects most strongly when you frame climate change through moral responsibility, protecting future generations, and Norway’s tradition of environmental stewardship. They filter everything through their principles and cultural frameworks. Facts matter less than meaning; they seek the «what should be» in every lesson.

Students are equally capable. They just speak different cognitive languages

Evidence-based thinker wants the data; CO2 levels, temperature graphs, peer-reviewed studies. They need logical progression, systematic analysis, and concrete proof. Show them the science, and they’ll follow the argument; this is the «what is» of understanding.

Here’s the crucial point; all three students are equally capable. They’re just speaking different cognitive languages.

Vital reminder for Norwegian tradition

These insights are especially relevant to Norway’s consensus-driven culture, which values collaboration and inclusive participation.

Yet standard educational practices – often dominated by systematic, evidence-based teaching – may not engage all learners equally. This approach suits analytical minds but can overlook those who connect more deeply through personal meaning or future-oriented thinking.

The Norwegian tradition of ’dannelse’ (whole-person development) offers a vital reminder: education should address all dimensions of human understanding. Still, in many university lectures, one language prevails: data-driven instruction. When teaching becomes only information delivery, it risks losing its transformative potential.

A more inclusive approach blends multiple ways of thinking within the same learning experience. This mixed method reflects the reality that students process information differently, and meaningful education must speak to all of them.A challenge to Norwegian higher education

A challenge to Norwegian higher education

Norway has an opportunity to lead global ­education reform. While other countries debate access and funding, we could pioneer cognitive inclusion; ensuring our universities speak all the languages of learning.

This isn’t about dumbing down or compromising rigor. A physicist who can only speak to other physicists isn’t fully educated. A philosopher who can’t connect ideas to future possibilities limits their impact. An innovator who ignores evidence courts disaster.  

Text: Magde Mohamed Nour, PhD candidate, School of Health Science, Kristiania University of Applied Sciences.

This text was published at Science Norway 26th April 2026 titled "Norway has an opportunity to lead a global education reform".

References:
Mohamed Nour, M., Kjeldsen, J. E. (2025). Charisma, Ideology, and ­Pragmatism: Unpacking Leadership Rhetoric During COVID-19 in the United States, the ­United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Res Rhetorica. 2025.

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