Reflecting on the past 30 years of growth and educational leadership, the Centre for Teaching and Learning is celebrating its continued support of instructors, departments, and faculty-embedded teaching support units at the university.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning opened its doors in 1992 with two staff members – Christopher Knapper, the founding Director and now Director Emeritus, and Sandra Murray, Program Coordinator. Today, the Centre has grown to grown to 11 faculty, educational developers and staff, along with three student positions.

“The most rewarding, and constant aspect of the Centre’s work is hearing instructors’ experiences of how changes in their teaching spark excitement and engagement among them and their students,” Murray says. “Witnessing connections that are made between educators from totally different departments who would not have normally had a chance to share ideas, is deeply rewarding.”

Over the years, the Centre for Teaching and Learning has adapted its programming from instructional strategies to providing overarching pedagogies like globalization, inclusivity, decolonization, and curriculum/course design.

“We’ve been fortunate to add to our team in the areas of Indigenous pedagogies and ways of knowing; program and curriculum globalization; and anti-racism and inclusion signaling the importance of these approaches to Queen’s,” says Andy Leger, Interim Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Offering various supports and resources such as educational consultation, and technological assistance, the Centre for Teaching and Learning plays a valuable role in responding to institutional priorities and responsibilities through the use of evidence-based educational development.

Inspiring community learning

To commemorate the 30^th anniversary and guide future educational development, the Centre for Teaching and Learning is hosting a webinar March 9 between 11 am-12:30 pm with a special presentation from award-winning Indigenous scholar Dr. Eve Tuck.

The event – Meaning-Making with Youth and Communities – will feature discussions on Indigenous advocacy and identity, and how researching with youth and communities can be incorporated into social science and humanities-based inquiry and beyond.

Advancing the Queen’s Strategy, the event will highlight the need for more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist communities, as we continue to Indigenize and decolonize the university. Dr. Tuck’s body of work inspires us to build constructive dialogues, and challenge students, staff, and faculty to learn more about Indigenous communities and knowledges across Canada.

The event is a collaboration with various campus partners including sponsorship by the Robert Sutherland Visitorship Fund, the Inclusive Community Fund, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the Faculty of Education, and with special contributions by the Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre.

Indigenous perspectives

Dr. Tuck is an Unangax̂ and enrolled member of the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, Alaska. Her work focuses on how Indigenous social thought can be engaged to create more fair and just social policy, more meaningful social movements, and robust approaches to decolonization.

In addition, Dr. Tuck is an Associate Professor of Critical Race and Indigenous Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto and serves as a Canada Research Chair of Indigenous Methodologies with Youth and Communities.

With extensive academic accomplishments and a passion for advocacy, Dr. Tuck’s expertise and values align with the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s goal of achieving transformative social change in education and research.

Four Directions will hold an additional session with Dr. Tuck, open to Indigenous Queen’s students, on March 9, between 2-3 p.m. 

Learn more about the Centre for Teaching and Learning or register for the upcoming event.