Muzeta Receives 2025 Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

From Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

KUTZTOWN, PA – Dr. Brenda Muzeta, associate professor of secondary education, was awarded Kutztown University’s 2025 John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The award was presented during the university’s Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration Friday, Aug. 22.

The John P. Schellenberg Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was established by John P. Schellenberg, emeriti professor of physical science, faculty alumni and friends to recognize an early career faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding work.

Since joining KU in 2018, Muzeta’s teaching record has demonstrated an engaging and effective instructional method that has been recognized with the College of Education’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2022. She was also awarded the Most Impactful Faculty Award in 2024 on behalf of the Honors student body.

She uses multiple pedagogical approaches that encourage critical thinking while carefully connecting learning objectives to classroom instruction and assignments. Her philosophy of teaching is grounded in the Sociocultural Theory of Lev Vygotsky, which underscores the importance of learning through interaction and students learning best when they are co-constructing content and knowledge with the teacher. She has found a way to implement this interactive structure to large class sizes in lecture courses by employing multimedia lectures including visual, auditory and kinesthetic content so students can fully participate. Introducing guest speakers to her curriculum from local and international faculty members has allowed her to expose her students to new linguistic and cultural experiences.

Muzeta’s overall approach to teaching has four primary goals in mind: employing diverse and effective pedagogical strategies; using a variety of materials and techniques to enhance student learning and engagement; encouraging student engagement both within and outside the classroom; and to demonstrate a commitment to continued learning and improvement through research and professional development.

In her quest to enhance teaching, she has implemented the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In collaboration with colleagues, she has researched AI tools to use within the classroom. Her personal goal is to continue to learn, grow and explore numerous AI tools that are available to improve her teaching.

Muzeta’s research has three strands of inquiry: preparing future teachers to teach diverse students; constructing collaborative communities; and amplifying the voices of English learner students. Her goal is to ensure future teachers are adequately prepared to work with the changing demographics of students and how schools, communities and parents can collaborate to meet the needs of students from diverse cultural backgrounds. She believes that preparing future teachers for the classroom entails understanding the communities in which their students are born and raised.

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Source: bctv