Honoree
Gail M. McGuire
AWARDS
- Sylvia E. Bowman Award (2011)
- Department of Sociology & Anthropology
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Indiana University South Bend
BIOGRAPHY
As her end-of-semester course evaluations attest, Gail McGuire's students tend to leave her classes with an expanded worldview. "I learned a lot about how the world works outside of the U.S., and I feel it needs to be taught more often," wrote one student.
"Prior to this class, I had no interest in sociology at all," wrote another. "This course . . . really opened my eyes to the world around me."
Not only are her students becoming more aware of sociological concepts, they're becoming more confident learners who are engaged in the learning process.
When Neovi Karakatsanis, chair of Indiana University South Bend's Department of Political Science, sat in on one of McGuire's classes, she noted a multifaceted teaching style that incorporated lecture, class discussion and small-group work to foster equal input from all members of the class.
"During the lecture, she drew from her own life experience, from popular culture and from the experiences of her students to illustrate sociological concepts," Karakatsanis said. "Gail did not allow a small group of people to dominate the entire discussion, as so often happens. Instead, she randomly drew cards with students' names on them to assure that quiet students had as equal a chance to participate and share their views as their more extroverted classmates."
McGuire, chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology since 2007, was hired at IU South Bend to teach the methods and statistics courses for sociology majors and minors. Her approach focuses on active learning, peer collaboration and a balance of rigor and support.
Active learning can take the form of class field trips to McDonald's and the South Bend Chocolate Company to compare routinization in manufacturing and service work as well as personalized assignments that speak to students' individual passions, McGuire said. For the very same research assignment in her "Quantitative Research Methods" course, a student planning to attend law school examined women's fear of crime, a counselor for sex offenders examined parents' knowledge of sex offenders and a financial planner studied people's confidence in the stock market. "The ownership over learning that occurs as a result of these projects also encourages students to continue working on their projects even after the class has ended," McGuire said.
Recognizing that the IU South Bend student body contains many nontraditional, first-generation college students, McGuire uses humor and encouragement to help students feel comfortable taking risks on the rigorous, challenging material they must master and build upon.
She provides continual feedback, commenting on students' drafts of papers and exams before the due date and taking time for one-on-one mentoring to help students choose research topics and hone their ideas. To put students at ease before handing back the first paper in "Quantitative Research Methods," McGuire brings in copies of her own dissertation chapters, covered in the red ink of her adviser's pen.
Michael Keen, professor of sociology on the South Bend campus, said this approach leads many of McGuire's students to succeed beyond their expectations.
McGuire has successfully secured grants for her research, and her work has been published in journals such as Work and Occupations, National Women's Studies Association Journal, Gender and Society, and Social Problems. She has helped 15 students publish their research, served as a faculty mentor for nearly 50 students who received research grants and for more than 70 students who have presented papers at conferences.
Her awards include the STARs (Students Together Able and Respected) Teacher of the Year Award in 1998; the Trustees' Teaching Award in 2002, 2006 and 2008; and the IU South Bend Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005.
McGuire's colleagues are as enhanced by her presence on campus as her students. Said Keen: "As a result of Gail's example, I believe I have become a more effective adviser, teacher and mentor."
-2011
"Prior to this class, I had no interest in sociology at all," wrote another. "This course . . . really opened my eyes to the world around me."
Not only are her students becoming more aware of sociological concepts, they're becoming more confident learners who are engaged in the learning process.
When Neovi Karakatsanis, chair of Indiana University South Bend's Department of Political Science, sat in on one of McGuire's classes, she noted a multifaceted teaching style that incorporated lecture, class discussion and small-group work to foster equal input from all members of the class.
"During the lecture, she drew from her own life experience, from popular culture and from the experiences of her students to illustrate sociological concepts," Karakatsanis said. "Gail did not allow a small group of people to dominate the entire discussion, as so often happens. Instead, she randomly drew cards with students' names on them to assure that quiet students had as equal a chance to participate and share their views as their more extroverted classmates."
McGuire, chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology since 2007, was hired at IU South Bend to teach the methods and statistics courses for sociology majors and minors. Her approach focuses on active learning, peer collaboration and a balance of rigor and support.
Active learning can take the form of class field trips to McDonald's and the South Bend Chocolate Company to compare routinization in manufacturing and service work as well as personalized assignments that speak to students' individual passions, McGuire said. For the very same research assignment in her "Quantitative Research Methods" course, a student planning to attend law school examined women's fear of crime, a counselor for sex offenders examined parents' knowledge of sex offenders and a financial planner studied people's confidence in the stock market. "The ownership over learning that occurs as a result of these projects also encourages students to continue working on their projects even after the class has ended," McGuire said.
Recognizing that the IU South Bend student body contains many nontraditional, first-generation college students, McGuire uses humor and encouragement to help students feel comfortable taking risks on the rigorous, challenging material they must master and build upon.
She provides continual feedback, commenting on students' drafts of papers and exams before the due date and taking time for one-on-one mentoring to help students choose research topics and hone their ideas. To put students at ease before handing back the first paper in "Quantitative Research Methods," McGuire brings in copies of her own dissertation chapters, covered in the red ink of her adviser's pen.
Michael Keen, professor of sociology on the South Bend campus, said this approach leads many of McGuire's students to succeed beyond their expectations.
McGuire has successfully secured grants for her research, and her work has been published in journals such as Work and Occupations, National Women's Studies Association Journal, Gender and Society, and Social Problems. She has helped 15 students publish their research, served as a faculty mentor for nearly 50 students who received research grants and for more than 70 students who have presented papers at conferences.
Her awards include the STARs (Students Together Able and Respected) Teacher of the Year Award in 1998; the Trustees' Teaching Award in 2002, 2006 and 2008; and the IU South Bend Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005.
McGuire's colleagues are as enhanced by her presence on campus as her students. Said Keen: "As a result of Gail's example, I believe I have become a more effective adviser, teacher and mentor."
-2011
