Ana-Paula Correia

 

Ana-Paula Correia

Assistant Professor

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

 

Early Achievement in Teaching Award

 

Ana-Paula Correia is an inspirational teacher whose innovative methods and enthusiasm for instructional design have become the hallmarks of her educational approach. She has taught classes on designing effective teaching and learning environments, advancing interactive media in the classroom, managing and evaluating instructional technology programs, and advancing instructional systems design.

She designs her curriculum around the uniqueness of each student and the inherent diversity of each classroom, fostering a learner-centered atmosphere and eliciting students’ input on course activities in order to more effectively tailor her coursework to their needs. She consistently promotes the power of participation for overcoming barriers, managing conflict through negotiation rather than avoidance or simple concession, and achieving mutual respect through communication centered around prompt feedback and active listening.

Correia emphasizes authentic learning experiences through the establishment of real-world learning environments, incorporating this philosophy into her courses via collaborations with local businesses and government. This gives her students opportunities to create instructional frameworks that resemble those used in professional settings, while also providing an insight into the qualities and methods valued by such organizations. She also stresses the importance of effective teamwork by designing group projects and student-moderated discussions.

The growing prominence and promise of technology is also a major tenet of her teaching, with online content and communications playing major roles in her curriculum. She has utilized technology to facilitate collaborations with students from other countries via virtual learning communities, thus cultivating an international perspective among her own students.