Naoko Miyamoto-Maunu, Heli Skottman and Krista Willman receive Good Teacher awards

TREY’s Good Teacher awards were conferred on the opening day of the new academic year. Each prize is €2.000, and they are awarded to show students’ appreciation for excellent teaching and pedagogical development. 

Naoko Miyamoto-Maunu is praised for inspiring teaching

Naoko Miyamoto-Maunu teaches Japanese at Tampere University’s Language Centre. 

Students find Miyamoto-Maunu’s courses motivating and think that she is an inspiring teacher. The students have even drafted an appeal to have her as a teacher. In her courses, Miyamoto-Maunu uses versatile teaching methods and tools, such as texts, games, listening exercises, videos, handicrafts, and group assignments. The students have been able to give feedback throughout the courses, and Miyamoto-Maunu has noted the feedback in the development of her teaching. Students have found that the teaching is very student-centred.

The 2023 special criterion is evident in Miyamoto-Maunu’s teaching, for example, in the way the courses have dealt with current days of celebration and other current themes as topics of discussion.

Topicality is excellently applied in Heli Skottman’s teaching

Heli Skottman is a professor of cell technology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology.

Students describe Skottman as a committed teacher who creates an inspiring atmosphere in her courses. She also takes into account student feedback in the development of courses. This year's special criterion was excellently implemented in Skottman's teaching. For example, she has presented methods that are only just starting to arrive in Finland. One such method is in vitro fertilisation. Her laboratory courses have also allowed students to experiment with new techniques, such as the use of microchips and IPS cells.

In addition, Skottman's courses have practised skills relevant to working life, such as drafting funding applications and pitching ideas to experts. The course materials have also been topical.

Students praise Krista Willman for the renewal and flexibility of teaching

Krista Willman is a university instructor of administrative sciences at the Faculty of Management and Business. 

In the past academic year, Willman renewed the methods of completing practical training in administrative sciences, which has increased the flexibility and accessibility of teaching. In addition to the written internship report, she developed the possibility to report about traineeships in a panel, allowing students to choose the reporting method they preferred. The panels organised both in the evenings and during the day have discussed, for example, internship experiences and the working life relevance of studies. The students have been able to share their own internship and working life tips, and thus they also got new ideas for job seeking.

In Willman’s teaching, this year's special criterion is reflected in how committed she has been to develop teaching to reflect current needs.

TREY’s Good Teacher award is funded by the University of Tampere Foundation sr and Industrial Research Fund at Tampere University of Technology sr. The Foundations award grants, scholarships and bursaries for research and teaching at Tampere University and support the University’s activities.