Allard Law professor Sara Gordon has been awarded the George Curtis Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.
The award is presented annually to an Allard Law faculty member for innovative teaching, supporting student success and creating an inclusive learning environment.
Gordon's student nominators say the amount of thought and care she puts into her teaching has been incredibly motivating. Her approach to teaching is grounded in research that shows students who feel psychologically safe and enjoy their classes have better learning outcomes.
“I try to make my classroom as fun and comfortable as I can,” says Gordon. This approach has been her secret weapon for “stealthily” keeping students engaged.
When teaching Evidence, for example, she integrates current events and pop culture references into her lessons to help bring legal concepts to life. “Evidence is largely about the stories lawyers tell during a trial, so it really lends itself to funny movie clips,” she adds.
Gordon’s approach to teaching is also highly flexible and responsive to her students’ needs. She frequently checks in with her class throughout her lectures, making adjustments as needed to ensure students are gaining a deep understanding of the week’s material.
“Prof. Gordon understands the concepts she teaches so thoroughly that she can frame them in a way that is understandable to complete beginners,” says first-year Allard Law student Jenna Loupret. “She also brings such light and positivity to each class and is genuinely a joy to learn from.”
Outside of the classroom, Gordon is known for being approachable, generous with her time and incredibly patient when answering any questions.
“Professor Gordon’s genuine care for our well-being, learning and success is plainly evident and suffuses throughout her lectures, office hours and interactions with her,” says law student Brendan Liaw, who took Gordon’s Criminal Law class. “Her energy is unflagging, much like her commitment to our learning and success.”
After 20 years of teaching, working with students remains Gordon’s favourite part of her job as a professor. “This award is easily one of my proudest accomplishments of my career because I was nominated by my students,” she adds. “The best part is knowing that I’ve been useful to them.”
