Life as a university student allowed me to pursue many interests, but finding interest in studying was not always easy. Although we enter university by choice and through hard work, learning can often feel burdensome. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Recall the enthusiasm we once had as children, when we viewed the world with pure curiosity without any pressure. With curiosity as the driving force behind our efforts, the pursuit of learning and discovery becomes an enjoyable and deeply fulfilling journey.

We often misconceive learning as a passive act of absorption rather than a genuine pursuit of essence. In fact, the process of learning a new topic could be very active, and there is a lot to be lost when one misses that opportunity. Everything we learn is a unique journey through time following the footsteps of the greatest thinkers in history. Before simply following the trail that lies ahead, we could take that one chance to pause and ponder, take a close look at the surroundings, and try to retrace their footsteps leading into the unknown.

For me, active learning has always involved curiosity and imagination. I have always been intrigued by the underlying problems that give rise to new concepts, which are often introduced as solutions to such specific challenges. Understanding historical context was a great hook to grasp the importance of the concept I was trying to learn, and gave me a meaningful reason to stay engaged.

Before fully diving into a new concept, I prefer to explore all the possible approaches I could take to solve the problem at hand. The more imaginative you can get, the better. Discussing with peers and exploring diverse perspectives allows one to become a more flexible thinker and, at times, even to discover potential solutions unaided. After giving the problem enough thought, even counterintuitive solutions made more sense, and I could also better appreciate the genius of those who first discovered them.

After learning a new concept, one question I frequently ask myself is this: “If I were a mathematician or a scientist living at that time, would I have been able to come up with it?” For me, true understanding comes when I can follow a concept from its roots to how it emerged into new knowledge, and all the thought process behind it. Explaining this process to a peer is also a powerful way to assess my understanding of the concept and fill in any remaining gaps.

University studies allowed me to discover the pleasure of learning, but unfortunately, the courses themselves have contributed little. Most classes were heavily lecture-based, leaving little opportunity for students to actively engage in the learning process through interactions with their peers and professor. It was unfortunate that everyone was letting their chance to truly figure out what they were learning on their own slip by.

With the advantage of a high faculty-to-student ratio that comes with a small number of students in POSTECH, it is essential to foster a learning environment that emphasizes active participation. While lecture-based classes have their merits, they should be complemented by chances for students to engage in open discussions, raise questions without hesitation, and exchange ideas freely.

Cultivating a more dynamic class culture that values discourse and tolerates errors as part of the learning process is the best way to promote flexible thinking, and that requires commitment from both students and the faculty. Through such an environment, all Postechians could grow into creative thinkers who find joy in both learning and thinking.