Antoine Remond-Tiedrez Receives Graduate Student Teaching Award

Mathematical Sciences Ph.D. candidate Antoine Remond-Tiedrez has been awarded the 2020 Hugh Young Graduate Student Teaching Award.

“When I assigned TAs to various courses, I knew that I could assign Antoine anywhere, knowing that he would be an asset to any instructor,” wrote Deborah Brandon, associate teaching professor, in supporting his nomination for the award.

As testament to this fact, Remond-Tiedrez has been a teaching assistant for seven semesters for nine different courses. He is committed to becoming a better educator with each course he teaches and he pours countless hours of preparation into doing so.

“I like how the students’ eyes light up when they have an ‘aha moment;’ I like to hear students voice their sense of accomplishment after completing a difficult yet rewarding class; and I like the challenge of finding the right teaching strategies for a particular cohort in a particular class,” Remond-Tiedrez said.

When he became the instructor for the course Concepts of Mathematics in the summer of 2017, he designed the course himself using only the syllabus and the textbook, taking great care with planning lectures, quizzes, homework assignments, midterms and exams to provide repeated opportunities for students to develop their mathematic skills.

“The course is difficult to teach because it is the first proof-based course for most of our students,” wrote Irene Gheorghiciuc, associate teaching professor.

However, students have nothing but praise for Remond-Tiedrez. They describe his enthusiasm for mathematics as infectious, admiring his ability not only to explain concepts patiently and effectively during recitations but to ensure they master those concepts through pertinent homework problems.

“Antoine did well in breaking down complicated problems and directing us to find an approach to each step,” wrote first-year student Joanna Yao about her experience in Concepts of Mathematics. “His teaching style gave me more chances to improve my mathematical thinking. 

“He fostered a genuine interest in mathematics, a reliance on one’s own reasoning faculty, and a healthy motivation to investigate and question all claims and proofs he presented,” wrote another former Concepts of Mathematics student.

Remond-Tiedrez is also known for his dedication to develop a rapport with his students during office hours. He wants to make sure that students both feel comfortable asking questions and are benefiting from his courses.

“Early in the semester, going to Antoine’s office hours became less of a decision on whether or not I had a question and turned into part of my routine,” wrote first-year student Daniel Kornbluth. “I knew that other students would ask questions and hearing Antoine’s responses would better my understanding of the topics.”

If you ask his students for someone who is dedicated and effective in teaching, they say to look no further than at Remond-Tiedrez.

Brandon agrees: “Antoine puts a lot of thought and effort into his teaching, in addition to having a natural talent for it. He is a wonderful (and versatile) teacher.”