2017 Graduate Student Teaching Award Recipients
Please join us in celebrating the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation students' accomplishments. Congratulations to: Amanda Ebert (supervisor: Donna Goodwin), Emily Ainsley (supervisor: Dave Collins), and Kyle Pushkarenko (supervisor: Janice Causgrove Dunn)
Masters student Amanda Ebert was nominated by faculty lecturer Joanna Auger for her work as teacher assistant for KIN 471 - Physical Activity for Individuals with Developmental Impairments where she facilitated weekly labs in the Steadward Centre that had KIN 471 students lead physical activity sessions for children with developmental impairments.
"Having the opportunity to teach and mentor undergraduate students continues to be a highlight of my graduate degree. I am honored to receive this award, and I am very grateful to Dr. Auger for the nomination and her ongoing mentorship and support. This award encourages me to continue trying new ideas, learning from mistakes, and celebrating successes."
"Through my interactions with Amanda and the interactions I have observed between Amanda and the students in KIN 471, it is clear that she has a genuine interest in teaching and learning" says Joanna Auger. "She is deeply committed to helping students expand their instructional skills in the area of adapted physical activity. She provides detailed and constructive feedback that encourages her students to imagine other possibilities when it comes to removing barriers to physical activity for children with impairments. Amanda's success as a teacher is further demonstrated by the rapport that she develops with her students. She does this by communicating in a consistent and positive manner and by serving as an excellent role model in the labs."
Masters student Emily Ainsley was nominated by kinesiology lab coordinator Alex Game for her role as teaching assistant for KIN 100 labs - Human Anatomy.
"Teaching has been one of the most positive experiences of my Masters. I feel truly lucky to have worked with so many dedicated undergraduates and alongside such supportive and helpful graduate students and professors. KIN 100 (Human Anatomy) was a particularly gratifying course to teach given its dense content and challenging laboratory examinations. To see students not only work so hard to prosper in the course, but also to help and support each other along the way while developing a greater appreciation for the complexities of anatomy was truly rewarding. I am particularly appreciative of Alex Game for his continued guidance and support, and for nominating me for this award. My gratitude extends to my supervisors and previous teaching assistants and professors for modelling exemplary teaching standards throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees."
"Emily developed an open, positive learning environment that included a variety of teaching and communication strategies to facilitate students in exploring and finding out the answer instead of just giving it to them. She set up her own series of practice exams and online quizzes to help her students." says Alex Game. "The greatest compliment to Emily is that I received numerous unsolicited positive feedback from Emily's students-more than all the other TA's combined-about how effective she was and how much they enjoyed Emily as an instructor. She made teaching her number one priority and her student's success her number one goal for the term.
PhD candidate Kyle Pushkarenko was nominated by supervisor Dr. Janice Causgrove Dunn for his role as primary instructor for: PAC 137; PERLS 207 - Adapted Physical Activity and Leisure for Diverse Populations; PEDS 207; PEDS 409; and PEDS 471. Kyle was also nominated for his role as teaching assistant for: PERLS 304 - Advanced Sociology of Sport and Leisure; and KIN 471 - Physical Activity for Individuals with Developmental Impairments (2015/2016 academic year).
"I am thrilled to be recognized for the teaching roles I have held within the faculty. In particular, I feel honoured for the recognition within a faculty that has so many exceptional graduate student instructors. I am extremely grateful for the mentorship that I have received here at the University of Alberta. This award adds to my aspiration of continuing my teaching career at the post-secondary level, and encourages me in my pursuit to constantly create new ways of stimulating the critical thought and interests of students in the learning environment."
"For the last four years, through both primary instructor and teaching assistant roles, Kyle has made a significant and positive contribution toward our undergraduate programs and students." says Dr. Janice Causgrove Dunn. "The feedback we receive from students is consistently positive, with the majority of the comments praising Kyle's knowledge of the subject and engaging teaching methods. He was a clear choice for this award."