Beryl Levinger * Monterey Institute of International Studies

*STUDENT GUIDE 2005* Life's Lessons

Dr. Beryl Levinger is an expert in how to strengthen civil society in troubled areas. She’s the author of a study that examines how health and nutrition influence school performance and has influenced the education reforms of several developing countries. She has received several awards, including two special citations from the Peace Corps.

But in her day-to-day life, she is a teacher.

Amy Sands, dean of the Graduate School of Policy Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, says Levinger “is one of the most extraordinary professors I know.”

Levinger, a Distinguished Professor of Nonprofit Management at MIIS, is in high demand within her field. But she is not resting on her laurels; she says she continues to build on her unique educational philosophies as a professor. She says her classes are designed to be “metacognitive”—involving “thinking about thinking.” And she says she always brings to them five values: participation, empowerment, teamwork, sustainability and equity. The inclusion of these values, she says, helps her students learn how to “turn idealism into realism and make the world a better place.”

To provide a hands-on experience, Levinger involves her students in her profession—which involves providing technical assistance to developing countries and their governments.

“When I started teaching at MIIS, I was encouraged to remain fully involved in my profession outside of my classes,” Levinger says.

Last year, four of Levinger’s students did research for a report on mothers in third-world countries for the nonprofit group Save the Children. A New York Times editorial followed the report and cited the MIIS students’ research.

“There is nothing more rewarding for the students,” Levinger says.   

After living six years in Columbia and four years in Honduras, Levinger brings empathy and experience to her classes. “Had I not lived there, I wouldn’t be able to teach what I teach,” she says.

At the end of all Levinger’s classes she asks her students a question: “What are the big ideas?” Answering that question means “unbinding” new material and transferring it to other areas of familiarity. Levinger believes this is how real learning occurs.

“I help them apply what they already know to new stuff,” she says.

She calls her method of teaching “the cognitive apprenticeship model.” This begins in a classroom with a solid support system and guidance to lead students through new principles. As time passes, the guidance and support are gradually reduced and the students begin to reflect on new ideas through conversations with each other in small group situations.

“It is only when you enter deep dialogue discussions that learning is able to take place,” Levinger says.

The “big ideas” of all Levinger’s classes are posted online so students can look at them and see new patterns develop throughout each semester.

Despite a résumé that contains nearly four decades of prestigious titles, awards, and publications, she says her classroom tactics and philosophies and their effects on her students’ professional futures are her biggest accomplishments.

“I always enjoy getting letters from past students that are out in the world and making a difference,” she says. *