The Faculty of Education has a long history of interest in good teaching. To emphasize the importance of exceptional teaching the Faculty of Education awards up to two Killam Faculty Teaching Prizes each year. I am pleased to announce that this year’s recipients are Dr. Maureen Kendrick and Dr. Pierre Walter. The awards were presented at the Faculty meeting on May 13, 2013.
Supporters of Dr. Maureen Kendrick’s nomination describe her as someone who works hard to create learning environments in which diverse perspectives are valued. Dr. Kendrick is committed to equity and social justice, as can be seen not only in her everyday interactions with students, but also in her course content and the ways that she teaches. Inquiry-based pedagogy is at the core of her work: by giving students a voice in class, they not only benefit from collaborative learning by enriching the course material with personal experiences and knowledge, they also take responsibility for their own learning, which enhances the integration of their new knowledge into practice.
Dr. Pierre Walter’s students describe his teaching as transformative, inclusive, culturally sensitive, empowering, extremely knowledgeable, inspiring, equitable, innovative and student-centered. This high praise continues with the personal traits of being ever respectful, enthusiastic, dependable, caring, generous and a supportive human being. His greatest hope is that students will unlearn schooled patterns of formal, hierarchical learning and as adults, re-engage themselves in the excitement and joy of intellectual discovery and open-mindedness, and moreover, democratic dialogue in community. He does this by inspiring students to produce their best work, by challenging them intellectually, and by caring for them as learners who are becoming self-reflective, critical and informed educators.
Congratulations Dr. Kendrick and Dr. Walter!
