By Emily Cook, EDC staff writer

Explaining assault by throwing a book at a TA (consented to in advance, of course), or doing hands-on computer exercises, may not seem standard for teaching law, but for professor Vincent Kazmierski, that鈥檚 just another day in the classroom.

In his 10 years of teaching legal studies at 杏吧原创, Kazmierski has been honoured with multiple awards for his innovative teaching practices, including a 2010 Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Excellence Award, a 2012 Teaching Achievement Award, and most recently, a 2014 Provost鈥檚 Fellowship in Teaching Award.

By using a combination of humour and his own life experiences, he says he teaches students to apply information they鈥檙e learning.

鈥淚f you can spend part of the class doing something a little bit more humourous and laughing, it means the students have a little bit of a mental break and then refocus on the more substantive material after that,鈥� says Kazmierski.

He says humour creates a natural break in the class, and is an effective memory trigger for students. But he says what鈥檚 important is showing students how their work can impact real law.

Through the research grant from his Teaching Achievement Award, Kazmierski has been working alongside professor Brettel Dawson to create a flipped classroom model for a second year research methods course.

The model has students watch snippets of previously recorded lectures and taped interviews with judges or other legal personnel prior to attending class, allowing for more space in lectures to do hands-on activities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so that students could understand that legal rules are the product of the work of actual human beings, and that those human beings have very particular ideas about what their job is,鈥� he says.

Kazmierski says his teaching style is constantly developing. His focus has shifted to making sure students are engaged with the course material by thinking about how they access information.

With a decade of teaching experience at 杏吧原创, Kazmierski says he still has more to learn and hopes he never stops experimenting.

鈥淚n order to be a good professor, you have to be a good learner. Part of that is you have to be willing to admit you have more to learn and I certainly think I have more to learn about teaching.鈥�

For a professor to win the Provost鈥檚 Fellowship in Teaching Award, one of 杏吧原创鈥檚 most coveted teaching awards, they have to excel in numerous aspects of the university environment. Applications include teaching evaluations, letters from current and past students, and support from fellow faculty members; all in all, an intensive process.

And neuroscience prof Kim Hellemans did all of this, and won, while at home juggling a very important commitment.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to be recognized despite the fact that I鈥檓 on maternity leave,鈥� she says.

Hellemans鈥� win doesn鈥檛 come as a surprise to many. The acclaimed neuroscience prof received scores of letters from her students, including one from a student she taught 10 years ago.

鈥淲hile I have had contact with hundreds of teachers in the classroom and on the wards over my years as student, Dr. Hellemans ranks in the top one per-cent,鈥� wrote former student Dr. Pamela Liao, now a clinician in Toronto.

Another letter from a current student explains how she went from being on academic warning to a straight-A student. Through her mentoring, the student remarked that Hellemans 鈥渘ever fail[ed] to make me feel like an individual student instead of just a student number.鈥�

So how does a professor become so beloved? Hellemans says the answer is twofold: a passion for teaching and how you treat your students.

鈥淚 treat all students as equals. Yes I鈥檝e been at this for many years, but I don鈥檛 talk down to them and I try to encourage my students to come talk to me in my office and not be intimidated,鈥� she says.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 even need to talk about the subject matter, I just want to get to know them. It personalizes the learning experience a bit more.鈥�

Her love of the craft and strong bonds with students have made Hellemans a beacon of mentorship in the neuroscience department. Another current student summed this up by writing that Hellemans has 鈥渢ruly turned the department into a community of student support and collaboration.鈥�

In her own words, Hellemans says one of the most touching moments of her career at 杏吧原创 was when she attended her first student convocation this year and watched as a dozen of her students crossed the stage.

鈥淚 knew all these students and all their stories, and I knew where they were going, where they鈥檝e come from and their struggles,鈥� she says.

鈥淚 think that contributes to the sense of community with our undergraduates. They really feel they have a neuroscience identity.鈥�

Photo by: Chris Roussakis

The Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) are pleased to announce eight outstanding educators who have been named the 2013 杏吧原创 University teaching award winners.

Hal Goldman (Department of History), Adrian Chan (Department of Systems and Computer Engineering) and Shawna Dolansky (College of the Humanities 鈥� Religion) received the Provost鈥檚 Fellowship in Teaching Award for their dedication and leadership to teaching and learning. They have all been designated as 杏吧原创 University teaching fellows and will receive $2,500 each.

Both of this year鈥檚 recipients of the Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award excelled at integrating educational technology into the classroom. Professor Kevin Cheung (School of Mathematics and Statistics) developed teaching and learning apps for mobile devices and thoughtfully incorporated BigBlueButton into his practice, while professor Peggy Hartwick (School for Linguistics and Language Studies) incorporated online 3D virtual environments and a student-centered approach to teaching and learning with technology. Both winners will receive $750.

Three new faculty members underscored 杏吧原创鈥檚 commitment to teaching excellence and innovation, earning them the New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. James McGowan (School for Studies in Art and Culture 鈥� Music), Vida Panitch (Department of Philosophy) and Rowan Thomson (Department of Physics) all brought enthusiasm to their teaching and engaged their students with active learning experiences and activities. Each winner will receive $500.

The Provost and Vice-President (Academic), Dr. Peter Ricketts, and Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning), Dr. Joy Mighty, celebrated the winners at a luncheon on May 30 at Baker鈥檚.

Learn more about the teaching awards available to 杏吧原创 faculty and instructors .