In February three International Relations professors, Kent Kille, Jeff Lantis and Matt Krain will be receiving the International Studies Association Deborah Gerner Innovative Teaching award in New Orleans. The award is fairly new but Krain stated, ìItís the highest teaching award the association can bestow.† It is an honor to be receiving this award.”
The trio has been working together for a number of years and were runners-up for the award last year. ìYou always think, ëWow, that would be really coolí ó but never actually imagine winning” said Krain.† The three professors met at Wooster, collaborating on different ideas for innovative teaching styles for their International Relations classes. Kille stated,† ìThe three of us cover different particular areas of International Relations in terms of upper level courses, but we share a passion for teaching in interesting and engaging ways.† This led us to meet and compare ideas for bolstering our individual courses, which then encouraged us to develop joint projects and publications on active learning as well.”
After months of collaboration and discussion, Kille, Lantis and Krain decided that since they were all working with simulations, they should write an article† and put together a workshop to present their ideas to the International Studies teaching world.† Krain said, ìIt became clear that we werenít just working as faculty that talked on a regular basis ó we were a team.”
All three professors have served as president of the Active Learning in International Affairs section of the International Studies Association. Through that position the professors were able to make connections and attend their first workshop in Brazil to present their conference paper. A professor from Moscow served on the same panel as the three at the workshop and asked them to adapt the workshop they created for her insitution. ìWhile we were in Moscow, our journal article detailing the workshop in Brazil was published, which was a fun coincidence of timing,” said Kille.
Lantis will be leading a workshop on active teaching and learning for International Studies professors at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, Australia, in early February.
Each member of the team is honored and shocked at their accomplishment and recognition.† Kille stated, ìWe are very honored to receive the award, and appreciate that fact that all three of us won together as a team.† We are proud to be able to represent The College of Wooster to international studies scholars across the globe.† In particular, we want to thank the wonderful political science and international relations majors we work with at Wooster.† They continually inspire us to do our best in the classroom and for I.S. advising.”
Krain agrees, claiming to ìhave been more touched more by the reaction by friends, colleagues and (most of all) current and former students than I was by the award itself. Itís easy to throw yourself headlong into doing exciting or innovative things in the classroom when you have that kind of support.† And of course, having students who expect to be engaged in the classroom, and who strive toward independent learning, helps too.”