Education, medical faculty honored for teaching
Four receive Distinguished Teaching Awards for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction.
Post-Baccalaureate Instruction
Since 1995, UNC-Chapel Hill has recognized the importance of post-baccalaureate teaching with the Distinguished Teaching Awards for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction. Each of the four winners receives a one-time stipend of $5,000 and a framed citation.
Raúl Necochea López, UNC School of Medicine
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
Math teacher Magda Pollarolo ruled a room of high school boys. Pepi Patrón at the Universidad Católica in Peru electrified as a philosophy lecturer. Father Francis Murphy at Boston College trusted I could help others in his history classroom. Andrea Tone, my grad school adviser, is still the best writer in the health history business.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
I pick primary historical sources from the history of health, giving students context to situate each, and then ask them how that is similar to or different from what they observe in the present day. More importantly, I care that students come up with ideas about why some things have changed, whereas others haven’t.
Todd Cherner, UNC School of Education
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
I have two! The first is Mrs. Specter, my elementary teacher who patiently taught me to read, though I was grade levels behind. Second is Dr. Ousely who showed me that great teachers care for their students and have passion for their content. I am eternally grateful to both!
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
I deeply believe that if teachers are going to engage their students, they must be their authentic, true selves. To that end, I share the stories of my professional and personal lives with my students, and I listen to theirs! That creates the community we need to thrive.
John Min, UNC School of Medicine
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
A research teacher in medical school, Dr. Francis Klocke, had the gift of making me feel that I was the only conversation that mattered. He encouraged me to strive for excellence in every part of my work, and he helped me recognize my medical education would be a lifetime of learning.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
During my tests of their skills, I encourage students to recognize it’s easy to pass the metrics, but I remind them that the goals of success should be lifelong growth, self-reflection and constant improvement towards excellence. This helps students feel less stressed about evaluations and testing and are more able to receive suggestions and criticisms.
Cheryl Bolick, UNC School of Education
Who is the best teacher you’ve had and why?
A few that stand out are my 11th grade humanities teachers, Ms. Smith and Ms. Pickels. They both had such passion for teaching that they inspired us to want to learn. My doctoral adviser, Peter Martotella, was another great teacher who had an enduring impact on how I think about teaching and learning.
What’s something creative you’ve done to engage your students?
When I am teaching about progressive pedagogies, I frame our work through an experiential lens. Students first read theory and research about a pedagogy. Then, they do activities to experience the pedagogy as a student. After careful reflection, they plan how they might take what they’ve learned and implement it in their internship.
