Still not sure what the GATA Awards are all about? We’ve been catching up with more past winners to give you a sense of what the awards have meant to those they recognize. Now we’re sharing their feedback.

Melanie Santarossa was recognized with the GA/TA Award for Educational Practice in 2011 for her work in English Composition 26-100. Her thoughtful approach and considerable expertise later brought Melanie to the GATA Network where she was the GATA Handbook Editor. Here’s Melanie’s profile from the 2011 GATA Awards:

Melanie Santarossa (English)
The quality of Melanie’s work and understanding of teaching, learning, and assessment was evident throughout her   nomination dossier. Not only has she worked at mastering a breadth of pedagogical approaches, she has integrated them into a coherent personal teaching style, in which the cognitive, affective and performative dimensions of her teaching are reflectively aligned. Her teaching strategies are systematic, active, and appropriately pitched for students at various levels. Melanie has also become active in teaching and learning communities locally, provincially and nationally.

Nowadays, Melanie works as an educational developer at OCAD University’s Faculty and Curriculum Development Centre. There she works on just about everything from professional and personal development workshops for faculty to curriculum redesign. We caught up with Melanie to ask about her experience with the GATA Awards and the difference between educational practice and educational leadership.

What was the most difficult part of the nomination process? Why?
The most difficult part of the nomination process was gathering all the materials needed to showcase my teaching (lesson plans, classroom activities, reference letters from students and mentors, etc). However, because of undergoing this process, I now have all of these materials organized and continue to add to the collection. It’s a great process for reflecting on one’s teaching.

Had teaching and learning been a big part of your life before you won the award? How did the award change your views on teaching?
Yes, teaching and learning was a part of my life before I won the award. In fact, I was very much involved with the Centre for Teaching and Learning long before I put my name forward. The award confirmed that enhancing teaching and learning at the university level is an ever growing (and important) movement, and to be a part of that movement is invigorating indeed.

How do you differentiate between educational practice and educational leadership? What types of things do you include in your personal practice?
For me, educational practice is what happens each day in and outside of the classroom that impacts classroom learning (preparing lessons, creating assignments, designing rubrics, facilitating discussions, lecturing, etc). Educational leadership is that which propels others into teaching and learning (sharing teaching resources with colleagues, volunteering to be a book reviewer for the Educational Developer’s Caucus, conducting scholarship of teaching and learning, etc).

How has the GATA Award impacted your life, if at all?
It may have have been one of the selling features of my CV when I applied for my first full-time job in educational development.