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Award Recognizes Excellence in Part-time Teaching
"If you reduce anxiety so that people can be in the mind frame to learn, they can learn anything," says Wendy Kelly, who teaches psychology statistics and psychometrics. A Trent graduate, Ms. Kelly has been teaching psychology courses in Peterborough and Oshawa since 1996 and is also a full-time learning disability consultant with Trent's Disability Services Office. Her passion, she says, is to empower her students to be able to do mathematics. At the beginning of her courses, she has her students write down their perceptions of mathematics and statistics. Those pieces of paper are then crumpled up and collected in a garbage can. "I want to take the mystique out of the math and in particular dispell the myths about girls and math," she says. "It's all about getting the students to be enthusiastic, confident and excited. The first thing I do is level the playing field for the students." A lifelong resident of Peterborough and Lindsay, Ms. Kelly is married and a mother of two. In addition to working toward the completion of her doctoral dissertation at the University of Toronto, Ms. Kelly can proudly lay claim to a long teaching history in the community. She worked for several years as a part-time instructor at Sir Sandford Fleming College, and later as a full-time teaching assistant at Trent. Wendy's skill, dedication and professionalism were noted by her many admiring students. "She is the reason why I am graduating with an honours degree in Psychology", cites one student. This is the third time the award has been presented and previous winners are Jill Smith is 2001 and Jim Cosgrave in 2002. Any Trent part-time faculty member can be nominated by his or her colleagues, by students, or support staff to receive the award. The award committee is composed of faculty, student, and staff representatives. In February, nomination forms will be distributed throughout the University for the upcoming competition. Posted November 26, 2003 |
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The
key to teaching is to reduce a student's anxiety, says Wendy
Kelly, the recipient of the CUPE 3908-1 Teaching Award, presented at
the union's
Annual General Meeting earlier this month. The award recognizes a part-time
teacher's outstanding contributions and deep commitments to teaching
and learning at Trent University.