I am delighted to welcome Dr. Théophile Muhayimana to the podcast! Dr. Théophile Muhayimana is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies in the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa. He teaches courses in the UNI Principal Preparation program and the Teacher Leadership for International Educators Program (MA). Théo is a leader in diversity, equity, & inclusion, and recently earned the Multicultural Education Award for the UNI College of Education.
Dr. Théophile Muhayimana has extensive teaching and leadership experience in PreK-12 schools and in higher education in his home country of Rwanda. Namely, Théo served in senior leadership positions such as the Interim Vice-President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the College of Education, as well as the Director of the Office of the University President at Kibungo University in Rwanda.
In this episode Théo shares numerous practical examples of how he creates connections with students, sustains interactions with students, and provides students with meaningful feedback, including a standards-based grading approach. He also shares a unique new teaching idea he developed called the “Panther Way” - where students intentionally build a community of practice.
Drawing upon his decades of teaching and leadership experience in higher education in his home country of Rwanda, Théo inspires us all to create inclusive classroom communities where students support one another and can learn from each other.
Resources on Standards-Based Grading:
All Things Standards-Based Grading with Dr. Matt Townsley, UNI
http://mctownsley.net/standards-based-grading/
Top 5 Standards-Based Grading Articles - Dr. Matt Townsley, UNI
http://mctownsley.net/top-5-standards-based-grading-articles-2021/
Making Grades Matter: Standards-Based Grading in a Secondary PLC (A Practical Guide for PLCs and Standards-Based Grading at the Secondary Education Level)
Townsley & Wear (2020)
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Grades-Matter-Standards-Based-standards-based/dp/1949539652
Gratitude:
A big thanks to the UNI John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (UNI JPEC) and especially Patrick Luensmann, Associate Director of JPEC for letting us use their brand new podcasting studio for Teaching in 10! A continued shout out of gratitude to Anton Reiter, Learning Spaces Specialist for his ongoing support with the podcast! Thank you!