Nominees

Teacher Award

Category Description

Teacher Award

This prize is for teachers who go the extra mile and deserve some time in the spotlight! Just nominate a teacher who you think deserves to win an award! The list of nominees will also be used as input for the VU Central Teaching awards.

Nominees Teacher Award (Talent):

Brooke Slawinski

What is your mission?

My mission as a teacher is twofold. First, I aim to nurture curiosity about and excitement for psychological science in my students. Second, I also aim to facilitate the development of skills that extend beyond the classroom, including critical thinking, collaboration, giving and receiving constructive criticism, and communicating knowledge.

How do you approach this within the online and physical educational environment?

I particularly enjoy using collaborative, case-based approaches in the classroom, so that students acquire a deeper understanding of the principles and procedures of clinical and research activities. For example, alternating between disclosing case information and fostering discussion, which allows students to learn to develop, test, and evaluate differential diagnostic hypotheses.

Bruno Sauce

What is your mission?

I believe a university education should be open-ended and inspirational. My mission is to create environments where students can dive deeper into topics of their own choices (going beyond the standard curriculum) and can feel the real passions/motives of us researchers and academics (understanding why some questions matter so much).

How do you approach this within the online and physical educational environment?

I design tasks to connect different fields, I run student debates to foster critical thinking and nuance, I provide extra-curricular material online (videos, websites, knowledge clips), I create an intellectual safe space for exploring ideas, and I’m always willing to expand on conversations – including pages-long email threads with my students!

Denise van der Mee

What is your mission?

My teaching mission is to spark a joy for learning in as much student as I can. I focus on the development of the self-confidence of students regarding their own learning capabilities, in a safe environment with room for autonomy of the students on their own learning process.

How do you approach this within the online and physical educational environment?

In my teaching an individualized approach is central. By letting my students do most of their work in groups and making class discussion minimal, I can adjust my level of teaching to the needs of individual students. I also believe this way of teaching lowers the threshold to ask questions.

Gabrielle Kleygrewe

What is your mission?

I have achieved my goal as a teacher if: I am able to provide a safe space for students to learn, think, and be vulnerable about psychology and with themselves; and I challenge at least one student to think critically about moving beyond psychological theory and into practice.

How do you approach this within the online and physical educational environment?

No question is a bad question, encouraging critical discussions, speaking about my personal experiences, encouragement of listening to each other's opinions without judgement. Using case (and life!) examples to apply students' knowledge to 'real world' situations.

Saskia van der Weck

What is your mission?

My mission is to inspire students by bringing to life scientific knowledge with practical examples and work experience. I hope I can share my curiosity and eagerness to learn so that they will feel invited to gain knowledge.

How do you approach this within the educational environment?

To be honest I am not the best online teacher. I try to provide a positive and welcoming environment where all students feel safe enough to share and expand their knowledge and experience. I am open about my own gaps in knowledge and learn from and with the students.

Sjoerd Bruijn

What is your mission?

My mission as a scientist is to better understand how humans move. However, the amount of research I can do is limited. By teaching, I hope to inspire and teach a new generation to join me in my mission, so that together, we can better understand human movement, and treat those with problems with this.

How do you approach this within the educational environment?

First and foremost, I think it is important to inspire students to be interested in a topic; with interest comes questions, and true learning happens along the path to answering the questions. It is only logical that the tools to do so (lectures, videos, practicals) change with time, as the world is changing, and I try my best to find the tools that best suit the need, be they online or offline.

Nominees: Teacher Award (Experienced):

Ilja Cornelisz

What is your mission?

If you take away the numbers, statistics is simply about using your senses to better understand this –very strange- world surrounding us all. With the ongoing developments in big-data, artificial intelligence and data-driven decision throughout society, I find it important that every students develops a basic understanding of using statistical tools and to do so in an enjoyable way.

How do you approach this within the online and physical educational environment?

I try to create a safe learning environment with ample materials for students to practice at their own pace in their own preferred way. During lectures, I try to make the seemingly complex world of statistics accessible to everyone. Along the way, students engage in short surveys and quizzes to check their own progress and we develop a unique Spotify Statistics playlist to further support their learning, study and exam preparation.

Jacek Buczny

What is your mission?

To do my best in facilitating the learning process of data analysis techniques that my students need to resolve academic problems. To help my students learn how to transform statistical computations into knowledge. And, if the time is right, to show them the beauty of the world of data analysis.

How do you approach this within the educational environment?

I ensure my students that they can rely on me. I do my best to help them develop internal motivation to study methods/statistics for their projects. Notably, I try to be available whenever they need me and help them by sharing examples, video clips, and the like.

Josh Tybur

What is your mission?

To better understand the world, scientists must navigate a number of complex concepts. This navigation can be especially challenging in psychology, given that we naturally have (sometimes inaccurate) intuitions about the causes and consequences of behavior. My mission is to help students overcome intuitions where necessary and master challenging concepts.

How do you approach this within the online and physical educational environment?

I use three E’s: (1) Examples, which form the foundation for explaining complex topics; (2) Enthusiasm, which is infectious and increases students’ own excitement from the material; and (3) Empathy, which helps me understand where students are coming from, what they find difficult, and how I can better teach them.

Paul van Lange

What is your mission?

I am deeply committed to sharing knowledge and teaching academic skills, especially reasoning skills that help students to analyze phenomena, develop insights, and offer science-based recommendations for broader societal issues. Knowledge comes alive through reasoning. I love to inspire students to see new connections that matter -- scientifically and societally.

How do you approach this within the educational environment?

I teach reasoning skills by inviting students to write about novel, well-argued propositions that illuminate intricate phenomena. I invite former students who interview me about “bigger questions” creating an lively interview to illustrate the beauty of psychology and how its insights can fruitfully be used to understand broader societal issues.