A Faculty of Education assistant professor who has been praised by her students and colleagues as an inspiring instructor is receiving a major teaching honour.
Michelle Searle, Ed’99, MEd’08, PhD’13, is this year’s recipient of the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is given by the Queen’s University Alumni Association to an instructor who shows outstanding knowledge, teaching ability, and accessibility to students. The winning recipient receives $5,000.
Searle is honoured and humbled that her colleagues and former students decided to nominate her.
“Knowing that others recognize my passion and commitment in the classroom is a tremendous reward for me,” says Searle. “I’ve been honing my craft of teaching for decades. Coming to Queen’s first as a student, and now as a faculty member, has continued to provide me with new contexts for learning about teaching and specifically, pedagogy in higher education.”
Katrina Carbone, Ed’19, MEd’21, is the student who nominated Searle for the award. She first met Searle in September 2018 as a Bachelor of Education teacher candidate.
“I quickly became inspired by Michelle’s outstanding knowledge, teaching ability, and commitment to students,” says Carbone.
After receiving her Bachelor of Education in the Artist in the Community program at Queen’s, Searle spent formative years gaining professional experiences overseas working in Colombia, Spain, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Carbone feels these professional experiences around the world and in national classrooms helps Searle bring unique perspectives in the classroom, along with a passion for diversity and inclusion.
“Michelle has lived the values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigeneity (EDII) and brings these teachings and experiences into professional contexts to make her classes engaging, relevant, and inspiring,” Carbone says.
Searle likes to use real-world professional experiences outside her classroom to inspire students. As a Credentialed Evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society, she had students enter a national student evaluation case competition. She also had students use learning journals to help them reflect upon their course experiences.
“My primary responsibility in teaching is to create a learning environment that puts engagement at the forefront, generates opportunities for provocative questions, and provides support as students undertake their own learning,” Searle says.
