Outstanding teaching recognised

UNSW's Cathy Sherry has been awarded a 2007 NSW Quality Teaching Award for her innovative teaching of undergraduate law.

The awards acknowledge a commitment to excellence and student achievement, and were presented to 60 outstanding teachers from NSW schools, TAFEs, universities and early childhood centres by the NSW Minister for Education and Training, John Della Bosca.

Ms Sherry's main teaching area is compulsory undergraduate property law. She also teaches an undergraduate elective, Children and the Law, as well as a postgraduate course, Strata and Community Title Law. She conducts research on high rise and master planned communities.

Speaking of Ms Sherry's commitment to teaching excellence Mr Della Bosca said: "She succeeds in bringing to life highly technical case law that was developed over 800 years in England and then transplanted into Australia. Using a Socratic approach, she provides clear simple explanations, explicit strategies for analysing cases and a challenging classroom climate."

"Most academics understand that good teaching opens students' minds and gives them an ability to think critically and rigorously. Students will use that for the rest of their lives, for their own benefit and the benefit of the community," says Ms Sherry. "It's wonderful that the NSW Government is acknowledging the importance of what we do with this award."