Gayle Andrews teaches courses in middle school education, focusing her research on the education of this age cohort. |
Gayle Andrews receives Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Award
An associate professor in the department of elementary and social studies education has been awarded one of three Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Awards, which recognize excellence in undergraduate instruction by UGA faculty members in their early academic careers.
Cindy Rhoten, MA '09 | Apr 1, 2009
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Gayle Andrews has a passion for learning which her students find contagious. It captivates and motivates them in ways that words cannot easily explain. But many of those students can explain the personal interest she takes in their lives, both in and out of the classroom.
Andrews, an associate professor in the College of Education’s department of elementary and social studies education, teaches courses in middle school education, focusing her research on the education of this age cohort. However, her work doesn’t stop there.
“Whether through formal or informal ways, Dr. Andrews has assumed the role of mentor to numerous students in our program,” said Katherine Thompson, a public service associate for the middle school program, in her nomination of Andrews for the Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Award. “At any given time, the program has 100 undergraduate students enrolled, and it is Dr. Andrews who views each of these students as ‘hers’ – students for whom she cares deeply.”
Andrews’ colleagues are not the only ones to notice her caring way with students. Her students also praise her as a compassionate and dedicated professor. “One thing that really stands out to me about Dr. Andrews is her love for her students,” said Mary Reagin, an undergraduate student in elementary education. “Not only does she have an incredible passion for learning that she passes on to her students, she also has an incredible love for people, especially her students. This love is so evident – she is willing to meet with you at any time and always wants to know how you are doing, whether in school or in life.”
An effective educator, Andrews uses two main methods of teaching to inspire and educate her students: democratic learning and service-learning. “Dr. Andrews exemplifies the work of Richard B. Russell as she infuses the principles of democratic learning (students and teachers making decisions collaboratively regarding what is to be learned, the importance of that learning, how it is to be learned, and how that learning will be assessed) and service-learning (identifying and addressing or solving problems and issues in the community while learning expected content knowledge and skills) into her integrated teaching, research and service,” said former UGA colleague Elizabeth Pate, now an associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
It is Andrews’ democratic and service-learning teaching style that enables her to impact her students even after they have left the classroom and entered the field. Melissa Brown, a Morgan County middle school teacher who participated in one of Andrews’ seminars, said “Even though she was our teacher, she opened up and shared a little about her life with us, the purpose of the class, and why she was so passionate about the curriculum. She cared about each and every student in the class and wanted to get to know us on a personal level. Throughout the two weeks, she wowed us with unique teaching strategies that we were able to bring back and use in our classrooms.”
Andrews joined the UGA faculty in 2001. She was named a Lilly Teaching Fellow for 2004-06, inducted into the UGA Teaching Academy and received the College of Education Faculty Senate D. Keith Osborn Award for Teaching Excellence, both in 2008.
Since 1988, five other College of Education faculty have received the Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Award: Denise Mewborn (2004), Randi Stanulis* (2000), Elizabeth Pate* (1998), Peg Graham (1997), and Jay Rojewski (1997).
*-no longer at UGA
Cindy Rhoten is a College of Education publications assistant and a master's student in public relations.
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