TEAMS presented the first TEAMS / Bonnie Wheeler Prize for Excellence in Teaching Medieval Studies in Spring 2024. The award was given to Prof. Matthew Gabriele, professor of medieval studies and the chair of the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech.
His interests lie in exploring religion, violence, nostalgia, and apocalypse, in the Middle Ages and the modern world. Of particular interest to him have been medieval religious and political life in general, and the Crusades, and the so-called “Terrors of the Year 1000” in particular. He also speaks and writes on modern medievalism, ranging from pop culture phenomena such as HBO's Game of Thrones to white supremacist appropriations of the Middle Ages.
Prof. Gabriele has published numerous academic articles and several books, including An Empire of Memory: The Legend of Charlemagne, the Franks, and Jerusalem before the First Crusade (Oxford, 2011), which received the Southeastern Medieval Association’s Best First Book in 2013, and more recently, The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe (HarperCollins, 2011) with David Perry.
TEAMS is seeking submissions for its annual teaching award for K-12 and early career college educators. Instructors are encouraged to submit their original, unpublished lessons dealing with medieval studies for consideration. Authors of winning submissions will be invited to publish their lessons in the Once and Future Classroom and to present their work at the International Congress of Medieval Studies. Lessons might have been designed as part of a medieval unit, a component of a survey course, or be drawn from a class designed around a specific text or topic (i.e., Beowulf or Robin Hood). However they fit into your classroom, we want to see them.
Purpose: To recognize excellence in designing and teaching lessons in medieval studies, including but not limited to such areas as history, literature, and art history, in K-12 schools as well as college level classrooms. We especially seek lessons that demonstrate skillful implementation of a medieval text (literary, historical, art object, inter alia) within the framework of local curricula.
Award: Winning lessons will receive a cash prize of $250, and will be published in the fall edition of The Once and Future Classroom. The recipients of the 9-12 and early career college educator categories will be invited to present their papers in a TEAMS-sponsored session at the following year's International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Format: The lesson should be shared in a narrative format and should be submitted through the form on the TEAMS website. Submissions should include the following elements as a minimum guideline:
· An introduction that specifies for whom the lesson was designed, the purpose of the lesson, and how it fits into the larger unit or curriculum.
· A body that discusses how the lesson was/should be taught, including any preliminary preparation, details regarding implementation, and how student learning was assessed.
· A conclusion that includes such things as reflections on the success of the lesson in the classroom and possible ways the lesson might be modified for different situations.
· Appendices with any relevant handouts or other supporting materials, and/or a list of resources for students and teachers.
All submissions will be asked to include the title of the lesson, the teacher’s name and title, the teacher’s institutional affiliation, and indicate which category the lesson falls under: grades K-8, grades 9-12, or early career college educator.
Please submit via the electronic form at SUBMIT LESSON TO TEAMS, and send any inquiries to Gale Sigal, President at sigal@wfu.edu.
Deadline for submission: August 1; Notification of winners by October 1.