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Ngainunmawi “Mawi” Sonna, master’s student in English, and Seton Bachle, doctoral candidate in biology, were selected as the 2020 recipients of the GSC Award for Graduate Student Teaching Excellence. Mawi and Seton will serve as K-State’s nominees for the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Award.
The GSC Award for Graduate Student Teaching Excellence recognizes graduate teaching assistants who have excelled in classroom teaching. The awards promote the important contributions graduate students make to the scholarship of the university. Both Sonna and Bachle received a $500 scholarship and their names and departments are engraved on a perpetual plaque displayed in their departments until the next awards are given.
“Mawi and Seton are outstanding examples of the quality of teaching and mentoring that our graduate teaching assistants provide K-State undergraduates and contribute to the successful completion of their degrees,” said Carol Shanklin, dean of the Graduate School. “Our GTAs contribute to enhancing the undergraduate experience while gaining valuable experiences that will increase their competitiveness for future positions. The skills they gain will be invaluable throughout their career. I am excited that they are K-State’s nominees in the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools competition this spring.”
“Teaching is more than just the transfer of information; it’s an opportunity for creativity and to build wonderful writing communities,” Sonna said. “I remember the nervousness as a first-year college student, but I also remember the kindness and passion my teachers brought to the classroom every day. I strive to emulate their excellence and tenderness, and an occasional meme or two in my classroom.”
Sonna said that she understands how writing can be an intimidating process.
“It is both abstract and formulaic; creative and structured; individual and collaborative,” she said. “My teaching philosophy is much like a poem, in that to understand how a line break can carry as much weight as a metaphor, one must understand how each small part makes up the whole body of work. At the core, my hope is for students to leave knowing why their writing and the writer matter.”
Bachle said that he believes that teaching, mentorship, and research are inherently linked.
“The time and energy that has shaped my research as a doctoral student drives the student-focused and inquiry-based active learning I promote in the classroom,” Bachle said. “In order to provide a meaningful learning experience for students, I aim to encourage curiosity in biological sciences, but also foster other general lifelong skills giving students the ability to transfer the skills learned in my classroom to a possibly unrelated field of study or career.”
Bachle said that his goal is to create a student-focused lab and classroom environment that promotes respectful and inquisitive well-rounded students ready to take on the world. It’s important to him to refine his skills and become a more effective teacher because it’s his passion and responsibility.
“I consider the work an homage to the incredible mentors who have shaped my life and education,” Bachle said. “While I’m appreciative of this award, I look forward to improving my efficacy by learning new techniques to further my career.”
This fall, Sonna and Bachle have had to adapt their teaching methods to new class environments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since she has been teaching completely asynchronously online, Sonna has had to find new ways to engage students and ensure content and assignments are accessible and clearly communicated to students. In her Canvas course, she clearly identifies components as “lecture,” “discussion,” or “assignment”. Sonna has also found current video conferencing technology very helpful with holding virtual office hours. Screen share features allow how to review a paper with a student and address their questions just as she would if they were meeting in person.
Bachle noted that with the increase in online learning and virtual engagement this semester, he has had more students taking advantage of virtual office hours compared to the number of in-person visits he had with office hours in previous semesters. He also feels that he has served as a mentor more than ever this year. With the many changes experienced as a result of COVID-19, he finds that students just want someone to talk to about the struggles they are experiencing, and he’s glad that can support his students in this way.
Sonna and Bachle will compete for a $750 honorarium that will be presented at the 77th annual Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools meeting, which will be conducted virtually in spring 2021. One master’s student and one doctoral student are selected for the award. Since the teaching award was established in 2011, K-State has had six winners; the most from any university.