How a great teacher learned his lesson

Since joining the faculty of UW Tacoma four years ago, Mark Pendras, assistant professor in the Urban Studies program, has consistently received high marks and great reviews on student evaluations — despite a reputation as a challenging instructor.

This spring, the university honored his teaching prowess by presenting him with the 2010 Distinguished Teaching Award.

The secret to his success is no mystery — he works at it.

His first teaching assignment, years ago when he was a grad student, didn’t go so well. He had no training, and his evaluations at the end of the term were, admittedly, not good. But ever since then, he’s been learning the craft of teaching and honing his expertise.

"I take my teaching responsibilities very seriously," Pendras said. "I have worked hard to improve my own teaching skills and performance."

He attends teaching workshops and other learning opportunities, draws inspiration and ideas from fellow faculty members, and tinkers with his own syllabi before each course, looking for better ways to teach and to enhance students’ experiences.

"My motivation as a teacher is to continuously improve how I teach," Pendras said. "This is an ongoing process that I expect will never really end."

One of his goals as a teacher is to help students learn basic skills: critical and analytical thinking, creative exploration of new ideas and effective communication. He puts a lot of emphasis on writing.

"Ideally, these skills will serve students regardless of their major or occupation," he said. And if they are like Pendras, his students will keep on learning, and maybe teaching.