‘Preparing students to tackle world crises’: Here are the 2022 OISE Teaching Excellence Award winners
“All of our faculty winners of this year’s awards of excellence have gone above and beyond to ensure that students are ready to tackle the world's crises head on,” says Professor Normand Labrie, Interim Dean of OISE. “Their selfless leadership, expertise and advocacy have been crucial to the success of others.
On behalf of the OISE community, I congratulate all of our winners this year for their exemplary service.”
Since 2004, OISE’s Teaching Excellence Awards recognize faculty and instructors who have made enormous contributions to teaching and learning in our Institute, and we are extremely pleased to see their hard work recognized in this important way.
The Dean’s Office also commends the work of to the 2021-2022 Teaching Awards Selection Committee for their hard work on forming these awards: Lauren Bialystok, Yiola Cleovoulou, Joseph Flessa, Jesse Sims, Henry Ssali, Harold Troper, and Sarfaroz Niyozov, Acting Associate Dean, Programs, for chairing the selection process.
Learn more about the awards, and this year’s winners, below.
David E. Hunt Award for Excellence in Graduate Education
Winner: Rob Simon, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
The David E. Hunt Award for Excellence in Graduate Education was created as a tribute to Professor David Hunt on the occasion of his retirement from OISE, to honor his 50 years of university teaching, and in recognition of his exceptional contributions to graduate education.
The award recognizes faculty members for sustained contributions to teaching, supervision and mentorship of students in graduate education inspiring students to reach excellence in scholarship and become successful professionals.
Professor Rob Simon has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to graduate students’ success and wellbeing through his career. His approach to teaching is engaging and is informed by the very frameworks that constitute the subject matter of his classes and scholarship. His nominators describe him “caring, thoughtful, community-minded, exemplary teacher and mentor.”
Since the pandemic-imposed shift to online teaching and learning, Rob has continued to live out his commitment to supporting students as whole persons. His course evaluations are superlative and his teaching was evaluated as: “the best synchronous distance online learning experience ever.” As his students note: “Rob created a warm, engaged classroom community out of thin air using the very pedagogies he was teaching about.”
Award for Excellence in Initial Teacher Education
Winner: Andrew B. Campbell, Sessional Lecturer, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
This award recognizes outstanding contributions to teaching and learning in teacher education programs at OISE impacting the development of the next generation of excellent teachers. Winners are chosen based on demonstrated impact on teacher candidates, and the ability to foster enriching teaching and learning experience, as well as excellence in teaching and/or supervision in teacher education programs.
This year’s winner, Dr. Andrew B. Campbell, teaches in the Master of Teaching program where he serves as an instructor and course lead for the Anti-discriminatory Education course. In addition to his superlative teaching, he actively contributes to the creation of courses that mitigate institutional anti-Black racism, and create more inclusive policies, practices, and curriculum at OISE.
His students describe him as a caring, supportive and enthusiastic educator committed to student learning and development. His colleagues characterize Dr. ABC as a highly valued educator and colleague committed to engaged scholarship and educational change.
Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership
Winner: Mary Reid, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
The Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership recognizes OISE faculty members who have made sustained contributions to the advancement of teaching, broadly conceived, and to educational change and innovation within and beyond the Institute. Winners are chosen based on demonstrated ability to impact student learning by leading major initiatives that promote effective teaching, foster curricular innovation and pedagogical/ professional development, shape education policy and practice, and contribute to research on teaching.
Professor Mary Reid has made sustained contributions to the advancement of teaching, to her students’ learning, to mathematics education, to equity-related work, to BIPOC teacher candidates, and to the Asian Canadian community. She led many initiatives to dismantle all forms of discrimination, within and beyond OISE, with students, academics, educators, and the legal profession.
In addition to her exemplary leadership within OISE, her leadership excellence involves the strong relationships she has developed with various stakeholders and education partners beyond the university, such as the Ministry of Education, schools and school boards, the EQAO, the Ontario College of Teachers, and the like. Through her compassionate leadership, Mary creates an inclusive and safe community for all students, and inspires them to become leaders themselves.
Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching
Winner: Judith Silver, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development
The Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching recognizes OISE’s inspiring educators who have continually demonstrated deep commitment to excellence in teaching, and have made outstanding contributions to teaching at OISE.
For over 25 years, Professor Judith Silver has devoted herself to excellence in teaching fostering inclusive and supportive training environment for her students. In all her clinical work, Judy has been a leader in her commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in teaching by consistently questioning and addressing issues, policies, and approaches that may impose bias, inequity or limitations in access.
In her role as a Director of Clinical Training, and psychotherapy trainer/supervisor for students in their practicum, Judy’s tireless work in teaching, supervising and guiding students does not end after the completion of a course or placement but continues over the course of the students’ learning journeys at OISE.
Student letters submitted in support of Judy’s nomination spoke highly of her deeply engaging work with students that made them feel supported, respected and enlightened.
Award for Excellence in Continuing & Professional Learning
Winner: Noah Lazar, Sessional Facilitator, Continuing and Professional Learning
Administered by the Office of Continuing and Professional Learning at OISE, the Award for Excellence in Continuing and Professional Learning recognizes additional qualifications instructors and course facilitators for outstanding contributions to teaching and learning in continuing education at OISE.
Since joining OISE CPL in 2014, our winner, Noah Silver, has demonstrated exceptional course facilitation skills and built engaging online community of learners. A clinical psychologist, he has been actively involved in teaching and training endeavors throughout his career. He designed and instructed many Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy courses and workshops for numerous educational institutions, hospitals and workplaces.
In addition to teaching at OISE CPL, where he gets excellent evaluations by CPL learners, Noah has been involved course development to support the needs of CPL program development and administrative team colleagues.