Drs. Chad Miller and Kaori Tamura are recipients of the Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching Award, which recognizes University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa faculty members who have made significant contributions to teaching and student learning.
A specialist in the School of Teacher Education, Miller also serves as the Director of Teacher Development at the UH Mānoa Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education. Prior to coming to the university, he was a National Board Certified teacher at Kailua High School and was named the 2012 Hawai‘i Teacher of the Year.
“I am truly honored and humbled to be recognized by my peers because I have dedicated my adult life to utilizing education as a means to create a better future society,” Miller said. “While that end is difficult to see or measure, this recognition serves as a sign that my instruction might be helping us move in that direction. This award really belongs to the kindergarten through graduate school students I have the privilege of thinking and learning with each and every day.”
Miller is also the co-director of both the Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy and National Board Certification Teacher Leader Curriculum Studies MEd programs. His work encompasses serving as a philosopher–in-residence at several K–12 schools where he supports teacher candidates and veteran teachers as they incorporate the activity of philosophy into their classroom practice.
“Regardless if I am thinking about the environmental implications of ʻdrivingʻ clouds with third graders, the cyclical nature of violence and drug abuse with sophomores in their Language Arts classes, or the value of living the ʻexamined lifeʻ with graduate students, I find myself participating in extremely meaningful and rigorous philosophical inquiries with students and teachers,” Miller said.
An associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science (KRS), Tamura serves as Director of the Professional Athletic Training Program. Her teaching area is in sports-related injuries, and her research focus is on concussion management.
Tamura says her philosophy of teaching is to make learning experiences enjoyable and fulfilling while gaining new knowledge and applying it in meaningful ways.
“I take every class as an opportunity to improve my teaching skills,” Tamura said. “I want to not only serve as an effective instructor, but also strive to serve as a mentor for my students. I am passionate about supporting them, and witnessing their success is one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable moments for me.”
In collaboration with the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene and the School of Teacher Education, Tamura developed a Sports Concussion Injury Management program, launching a Virtual Athletic Training Faculty Series to connect students and faculty from various programs. She also worked with Ritsumeikan University in Japan to establish the Hawaiʻi International Athletic Training Education Clinic for Japanese athletic training students.
