Dr. Judith A. Hayn

Preparing teachers to lead in the classrooms

Dr. Judith Hayn had a calling to teach future educators, which led her to teach for more than 30 years. The associate professor of teacher education was born into a family of teachers and followed her ancestors into the teaching field with a passion.

“She uses her repertoire of examples and anecdotes to give beginning teachers an idea of the real challenges and struggles they will face in diverse urban classrooms,” said Cheryl Grable, a UA Little Rock faculty emeritus.

Dr. Hayn values pedagogical research. She spends her energy perusing the academic gleanings of others and contributing her own studies for the benefit of others.

“That research base,” she said, “provides the strong theoretical foundations for my teaching.” Her research, strict adherence to national standards, and modeling are all geared to prepare her students to “know what to do and why [to] do it” when they take on their own classes.

The standards arising out of the nation’s pedagogical research inform every assessment in every course Dr. Hayn teaches. She loves to teach and her objective is to ensure that her students acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions they will need when they become teachers.

Dr. Hayn consistently models the standards and practices she prescribes. She allows her students to “drive instructional design and behavior,” as they must allow their students to do in the future. She always reminds them that “every action and reaction in any educational setting will have consequences.”

“Dr. Hayn’s instruction is engaging, insightful, and an excellent blend of theory and practice,” said former student Shana Spriggs-Loring.

Dr. Hayn received her Ph.D. and M.S.Ed. degrees from the University of Kansas.

Posted in: 2013, Teaching

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