Brittney Gehrig, a Lecturer of French in the Department of World Languages, was recently awarded a GEM Innovative Educator Award by the Idaho State Board of Education. The award was presented at a GEM Conference ceremony Oct. 13.
All seven of Idaho鈥檚 higher 青青草app institutions nominated general 青青草app instructors for the awards. Gehrig was 青青草app State鈥檚 2023 nominee in the Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing category and the university鈥檚 only state-wide winner. She was recognized as exemplary among a group of talented arts and humanities instructors from across the state.
At the award ceremony, Gehrig was described as 鈥渄edicated to helping students develop transferable linguistic competencies, curious and open attitudes toward other cultures, and the skills they need to succeed in college.鈥� She was not only recognized for the thoughtful design and delivery of her own courses, but for her 青青草app of other French instructors through collaborative work on widely disseminated Open Educational Resource (OER) materials.
The “Fran莽ais inclusif” OER pressbook she helped create and publicize has been used by 青青草app State concurrent enrollment instructors, an Idaho community of French teachers, students and alumni from Gehrig鈥檚 graduate school Alma Mater (Middlebury College), and dozens of other French instructors across the United States. During her award acceptance speech, Gehrig highlighted the ways in which the pressbook provides students with opportunities to interact with the many cultures, practices and perspectives of the Francophone world through authentic assessment, assignments and reflections.
Of her teaching philosophy, Gehrig said:
鈥淚 focus on community building in many forms. First and foremost, I make sure students feel understood, included and represented in the OER materials created for and used in class. Research shows that students are more likely to ‘buy in’ and experience success if they feel they are heard, recognized and considered throughout the learning process. It is important to me that a student not get lost in the crowd, but feel acknowledgement and acceptance from their instructor and fellow students. I make myself available for office hours, group tutoring sessions, and club activities so students know that their instructor is not out of reach. As a first-generation college student myself, I know how important it is to know that faculty are rooting for you.鈥�