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Sylke Meyerhuber
Helmut Reiser
Matthias Scharer Editors

Theme-Centered
Interaction (TCI) in
Higher Education
A Didactic Approach for Sustainable
and Living Learning
Theme-Centered Interaction (TCI) in Higher
Education
Sylke Meyerhuber • Helmut Reiser
Matthias Scharer
Editors

Theme-Centered Interaction
(TCI) in Higher Education
A Didactic Approach for Sustainable and
Living Learning
Editors
Sylke Meyerhuber Helmut Reiser
Researcher at the artec Research Emeritus of the Institut für Sonderpädagogik
Centre for Sustainability Studies University of Hanover
University of Bremen Hanover, Germany
Bremen, Germany

Matthias Scharer
Emeritus of the Institute of Practical
Theology
University of Innsbruck
Innsbruck, Austria

ISBN 978-3-030-01047-8    ISBN 978-3-030-01048-5 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01048-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018968274

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
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This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Greeting Note

We are pleased to present this volume as a further contribution to the concept of

Theme-Centered Interaction (TCI). It is our hope that it will serve to enrich the pres-
ent discussions concerning teaching and learning in the university setting.
Theme-Centered Interaction does not offer swift and easy responses to the press-
ing present and future tasks faced in the working world or matters concerning holis-
tic approaches to education. Rather, it challenges teachers and managers to direct
their attention towards dealing with matters of attitudes, conceptions of human life,
human visions and values. In an ever-changing world, we need people who have
learned to be their own leaders, who can successfully forge new processes. At the
university level of teaching, TCI is capable of supporting the desire to acquire self-­
reliance, to unfold potentials and to initiate living learning. Some find it irritating to
imagine that all teachers are likewise learners, that learners are also managers. But
with this volume, it is our hope that the idea of a sustainable, living, inspirational
didactic will become firmly planted on its reader’s horizon.
Theme-Centered Interaction according to Ruth C. Cohn arose in a context of
psychotherapeutic and educational thought. It was based on a multitude of experi-
ences both with individuals and in groups. Reflection on those experiences enabled
TCI to become an educational concept of its own accord. Whether working with
individuals or groups, whether as part of counselling, in an educational or a teaching
venue, TCI addresses how group processes function and how they are controlled,
how disturbances are dealt with and how living learning processes are initiated – all
based on a unique vision of human life and the development of moral responsibility.
To do so, it is necessary to keep the four factors (I, We, It and Globe) in mind as
much as it is to respect and balance the needs and skills of the involved individuals,
the tasks at hand and the context of the organisation and its environment.
Today, TCI is employed in schools, at universities, in socially oriented fields, in
pastoral work as well as in counselling and organisational development. TCI was
first launched in the United States and came of age in Germany and Switzerland. It
has since grown such that, under the auspices of the Ruth Cohn Institute for TCI-­
international, there are now branches in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary and India. An important part is played by the

v
vi Greeting Note

four international expert groups (supervision, management, school, theology) and

the support programme for young adults. Numerous TCI trainings and seminars are
offered in association with various collaborators, based on the quality standards set
by the Ruth Cohn Institute for TCI-international. There are also special educational
and training formats for coaching and supervision according to TCI as well as inter-
cultural and interdisciplinary learning formats.
The Ruth Cohn Institute for TCI-international thanks the Ruth Cohn Foundation
for the Support of Young Adults, which supported besides others the publication of
this volume. And we thank each and every contributor to this book for their impor-
tant contributions to the further development of the theory of TCI. May the lecturer
in academia benefit from the ideas and understanding TCI is offering them for their
work in seminars and beyond. It is our hope that the Ruth Cohn Institute, in particu-
lar, and scientific research in this field, in general, will be the benefactors of a fruit-
ful discussion and thus will provide an impetus for furthering work with TCI.

President of the Ruth Cohn Institute for TCI-international Andrea Schmid

Berlin, Germany
January 30, 2018
Preface

Which learning experiences are you thinking back to as the most positive? If I were
asked to put my finger on it, I first would name situations where I was able to feel
enriched on the humane level by the person who taught me something. Second, I
would point out situations in which I could try and experience and achieve some-
thing by myself. Third, I would remember being creative in a unique way or discov-
ering something utterly unexpected – what a joy! When one or more of these criteria
meet, the accompanying feelings I would call curiosity, feeling energised, touched,
happy, content and satisfied. In conclusion, it is mainly three things leading to great
learning experiences: positive humane encounter with others, productivity by doing
things by oneself, and productivity of one’s mind. Ideally, all three aspects come
together.
Institutions of higher education – be it a university, a polytechnic, a college,
etc. – are places of learning by definition. But what is learning? I would say, it is a
process of and between human beings, never only cognitively but also emotionally
and interactively. Learning in groups always includes certain dynamics – within
each person and within the group. Of course, as a lecturer, one could try to suppress
group effects and stoically emphasise on a given topic. We have all experienced
such situations sometimes as pupils or teachers, right? And I guess (if the reader
nods, thinking of themselves as the participant or the speaker) such situations do not
stir the happiest of memories or feelings! Something was amiss. Shared experiences
in groups are not something that can be avoided or should be suppressed while
learning. On the contrary, they are part of the living organism of sociality and, in
this capacity, part of the human life – more precisely: of humane life! Therefore,
university (etc.) lessons should, from my point of view, offer not mere content but
‘lessons of life’ in light of a content, providing adequate models of how an expert in
a specific field can act as a ‘good, humane person’ and how learning situations can
create vivid, enlightening, satisfying experiences.
“I listen and forget. I see and remember. I do and understand”, Cicero is believed
to have stated. I quote this phrase at the beginning of my university seminars in
order to explain to students not used to interactive didactic why it is imperative to
me as their lecturer to involve them during the term in discussion, problem-solving

vii
viii Preface

in small groups, self-reflection and other forms of encounter for a more-than-­

cognitive and only thereby memorable learning experience. Students cannot lean
back in such lessons; they must ‘do’ things all the time – being involved personally,
with other group members and with the subject matter at hand – in order to ‘under-
stand’. Participants are challenged to open up, to become visible as a person, to act
successfully or to err, which is at first demanding and then becomes a deliberating
joy. For the lecturer, this means to withdraw from the role of a person who mainly
explains things. Instead, they must create tasks which invite students to explore
aspects of a topic by themselves. A university lecturer who thus opens up his/her
content to students, letting them make it their own, finding importance in it, letting
them question it? Yes. Late Ruth C. Cohn, founder of the Theme-Centered Interaction
(TCI) approach for ‘living learning’ experiences in groups, would hopefully agree
and probably then involve all parties in the idea of ‘be you own chairperson’1! For a
scholar in higher education, it might be difficult to refrain from sticking mainly to
topic-related facts and instead ask themselves how their students can be involved in
finding out personally what one could tell them in a fraction of the time – but with-
out sustainable learning effects, referring to the above quote! The what is clear to
the academic expert, but too often, the how remains a mystery.
The authors of this book agree in their view of learning/lecturing in academia; it
should allow for unlocking potentials slumbering in groups of students and their
lecturers. This goal leads to specific demands for the teaching situation. A conscious
and empathic group leading by reflected attitude and process design does not neces-
sarily remain a black box to colleagues outside of pedagogy and psychology.
Knowledge from these fields can be transferred into all contexts.
TCI is the ‘art of leading oneself and others’ in a humane and fruitful way in all
work groups. While group dynamic in all its colours is a given (one cannot avoid or
suppress but steer it), the ability of a group leader in recognising, addressing and
positively shaping this sort of underlying group process will broadly differ. Some
lecturers in higher education might be experts in the field of group dynamic (like
some psychologists or pedagogues) and therefore have more ideas and less insecu-
rity of how to create a vivid and beneficial learning atmosphere. Some might have
good contact within their groups due to their natural social skills – not being sure
why their approach works and in search for a clue if it does not. However, others
though lack these kind of skills, knowledge and training, shying away from every-
thing beside their content while teaching, feeling insecure and anxious of students
expressing themselves. Especially if emotions come into play, insecurity rises for
many lecturers. They might think: “Who knows what then happens? The group
might escalate or take over, making it impossible for me to continue with my

1
Theme-Centered Interaction as an approach of working in/as/with a group will be introduced in
the first chapters of the book and referred to in all further chapters. A glossary at the end of the
volume supports a reader new to TCI further in their grasp of main ideas and concepts of and
around the approach. Please note that the spelling as Theme-Centered Interaction is used as a
standardised term throughout the book, while some of the text use British English and others
American English (due to the options of writer and copy editor at hand).
Preface ix

c­ ontent!” Where does this peculiar fear (loss of control, a group that is disruptive or
turned against their leader) come from? Own thoughts and feelings are part of any
learning process, but how to include them constructively? Psychology understands
human beings as deeply interdependent, as aiming for both autonomy and acknowl-
edgement. Each individual has to handle this dichotomy, trying as a person and in a
given role and situation to balance out these equally important human needs. If a
scholar in academia wishes to empathise the humane side within their teaching-­
learning-­setting, fundamental truths of humanity become apparent. Ruth C. Cohn as
the inventor or discoverer of TCI expresses this accordingly for the attitude towards
groups she works with in the first of three axioms as one of the baselines of her
approach:
Human beings are psychobiological entities and a part of the universe. They are equally
autonomous and interdependent. The autonomy of individuals is all the much larger; the
greater they are aware of their interdependence with all and everything. (Farau and Cohn
1984, p. 357)

This is a book for scholars lecturing in the field of higher education; be it at a

university, a polytechnic, a college or similar, according to their country and the
educational system they are located in. The international authors of this book invite
their readers to think from the standpoint: “What do my students need in order to
learn the best they could?” instead of “How do I explain my content the best I could?”
Learning in the best possible way addresses more than a subject matter alone, as
mentioned before. It acknowledges the need for human encounter as part of the
learning process, not only with the lecturer or facilitator but also between fellow
students. If structures do not serve the social situation, trust between even the most
willing people will decrease – “an experience also true in higher education and there-
fore reason for further consideration and didactical advancement”, as Arndt (2013,
p. 61) puts it. Since not everyone teaching in academia received a didactical training,
this book provides scientifically based answers by introducing the reader to the atti-
tude, theory and methods of TCI by Ruth C. Cohn and its uses for academia lectur(er)
s. It is an approach based in humanism, group theory, psychoanalysis, pedagogy and
other areas of knowledge about the psychological needs of human beings learning in
groups. Overall, it maps out a holistic way of lecturing and learning.
Different readers are addressed by this book:
–– Some might already be experts in TCI themselves. Such colleagues probably
received training at a Ruth Cohn Institute (RCI2), mainly in Europe or India.
Probably they are already applying their knowledge to their lectures and might
find new ideas in this book of doing just that.
–– Others already possess certain knowledge in the field of group dynamic and
group facilitation from other backgrounds. They might use these insights in their
teaching already but find it somewhat limited and unstructured. With TCI, they
ought to find an integrating, systematic approach and fresh ideas, broadening
their repertoire.

2
See www.ruth-cohn-institute.org
x Preface

–– Some will know about TCI foremost from books. Perhaps they already put to
good practice what they understood so far and are supported by the content of
this book to deepen their approach. Or the interested TCI reader might not yet
explicitly apply their3 group understanding. They are encouraged by examples
and theoretical background to transfer new-found ideas into their lectures.
–– And others still might be entirely new to TCI and the idea of thinking in terms of
human needs, group dynamic and group facilitation while having their upcoming
seminars in mind. They are also encouraged to broaden their ability of leading
oneself and others fruitfully in a group process by first steps with TCI.
As editors and authors, we offer something to all these addressees and are sure
they benefit from TCI in whatever field of study they may teach. We think of the
book as a fruit basket with offerings for different interests, TCI knowledge levels
and tastes. Consequently, our ‘basket’ contains texts from authors who are either
TCI-trained and TCI-licensed, very TCI-affine, or positvely TCI-interested. Most of
them write from their soul experiences with TCI in higher education, some compare
ideas offered by TCI to other approaches, some transfer experiences from other
educational contexts to the context of academia or discuss its merits from a more
theoretical perspective. Accordingly, this is not one consistent textbook but a reader,
a compendium of offers from different angles on TCI in higher education.
In part I, the reader finds in-depth introductions into TCI from theoretical, practi-
cal, and methodical angles. Adding to each other, these texts offer an understanding
of where the approach comes from and why it is of the utmost interest for postmod-
ern higher education. Here, also first examples of how TCI can be used in support
of academic seminars are given, as well as some insights on the effects for lecturers
and students.
The first contribution on ‘Theme-Centered Interaction for Educating Future
Leaders’ by Sylke Meyerhuber (Bremen, Germany) discusses the university as a
venue for appropriating skills that enable students as leaders-to-be to act socially
sustainably in organisations: The author introduces Theme-Centered Interaction
(TCI) as an applied social psychology approach for university teachers. She argues
that young academics are society’s leadership personnel of the future. In such roles,
they will have a great impact on the wellbeing of others. How do they learn to act in
a socially sustainable manner? University is not only a place for learning the con-
tents of a chosen field of study. Additionally, the author points out an obligation to
enable students to fulfil their future functions in areas of society with respect to
social skills and consciousness. It is discussed in the text how resonant relationship
experiences can be ensured during lectures. ‘Resonance in class’ as a concept by
Sociologist H. Rosa is introduced, and its psychological implications are discussed
in more detail with respect to specific approaches from therapy theory and industrial
psychology. In more detail, cornerstones of the approach of TCI by Ruth C. Cohn

3
In modern English, language is to be gendered: where he/she could be set, a plural form (they) is
used instead. The University of Bremen, where the author is working, encourages gender-equality
language in academia by policy.
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