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Five faculty members at the ¥������ are being recognized for their selfless service to their students and communities.

Since 2005, OISE has recognized faculty and instructors who have made significant contributions to teaching and learning through its annual Teaching Excellence Awards. This year, Erminia Pedretti, Laurie Faith, Lance T. McCready, Andrzej Szeib, and Katherine E. Entigar are receiving honours from the Institute.

"Where would our incredible students be without the tutelage, leadership, and wisdom of their thesis supervisors, research partners, and course leaders?" said Professor Erica N. Walker, Dean of OISE. "We are enthused and grateful to recognize them today with our Awards of Excellence for their principled, thoughtful service."

The winners were chosen by a committee of faculty, staff and students who faced the challenging task of selecting the winners from a pool of stellar and deserving nominees.

The Dean sends special thanks to that committee for completing the hard work of choosing winners: Professor Becky Chen; Assistant Professor Daniel Corral; Associate Professor Amal Madibbo; doctoral candidate Krystina Raymond; Associate Professor (teaching stream) Mary Reid; Director of the Office of the Dean, Faculty Life, Jesse Sims; and Associate Dean, Programs, Joseph Flessa.

Learn about each award and the recipients below. For each winner, we asked three questions:

• What does it mean to be recognized with this award?
• What has been crucial to your success at OISE?
• How will you pay this honour forward?

David E. Hunt Award for Excellence in Graduate Education

Winner: Erminia Pedretti, 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 honour 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, and inspiring students to reach excellence in scholarship and become successful professionals.

Professor Erminia Pedretti’s career, spanning almost three decades, includes teaching in the initial teacher education program, and numerous master’s and doctoral level graduate courses. For example, she has taught teaching and learning about science, technology, society and environment; teaching and learning science in school and non-school settings (e.g., science centres, science museums, zoos); environmental education; and qualitative research methodologies and methods. At the heart of her pedagogy and research is a commitment to scientific literacy – in its broadest sense – as a guiding principle for re-imagining science education.

What does it mean to be recognized with this award?

Education—particularly science education—and teaching have always been fundamental to my work, and to be recognized for something that I love to do, and feel so passionate about, is heartwarming and reaffirming.  I am deeply honoured to be recognized by my colleagues and students (past and present) with this award. It is incredibly special to me, especially as my retirement nears.

The award has caused me to look back, proudly, over my nearly 29-year career, and to reflect on an integrated teaching philosophy that has evolved and guided my praxis over the years. I did not foresee the impact that the nomination (prepared exquisitely by two of my former graduate students, Bernard Ho and Tasha Richardson) would have on me personally – it is a kind of summary and gentle reminder of my life work at OISE.  I am amazed and humbled by the outpouring of beautiful and moving letters, emails, and sentiments that have come my way.  

What has been crucial to your success at OISE?

I am grateful to the many students I have had the privilege of teaching and working with for almost three decades. Their enthusiasm, curiosity, creativity, intelligence, and love of science continue to inspire and teach me. I carry with me many wonderful experiences, stories, and memories of supervising, teaching, establishing research teams, mentoring, publishing, co-authoring and co-presenting at conferences.  I believe that at the heart of my success is my commitment to: building caring and welcoming relationships and communities; re-imagining science education; integrating teaching and scholarship; decolonizing work; and mentorship.

The larger OISE community has also been an important part of my success. We work in a privileged place—a place where innovation, criticality, social justice, agency and inclusion thrive. As a faculty member, I have always felt supported and free to propose and design courses that interrogated and pushed the boundaries of what science education can/should be about. Last but not least, I am forever grateful for my friendships and family – especially John, Joshua and Samuel - for their enduring love and unwavering support.

How will you pay this honour forward?

I am particularly proud of the role I have played in mentoring students over the years and I plan to continue this role beyond my retirement. I will continue to support and collaborate with my graduate students—past and present—as they forge their own careers in science education in Canada and abroad. In some cases, this support involves collaborating on funded research projects with our roles reversed — they are lead investigators while I serve as co-investigator and co-author. Further, I envision expanding my mentoring role to include working with junior faculty at OISE and a new cohort of graduate students as they begin their academic careers. I will also continue to teach and engage in research on re-imagining science education.

Award for Excellence in Initial Teacher Education

Winner: Laurie Faith, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development

The Award for Excellence in Initial Teacher Education 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.

Laurie Faith’s work at OISE is grounded in 17 years of experience as an elementary school teacher. Her courses in adaptive instruction and executive functions are informed by her research, which explores whole-class approaches to building executive function and self-regulated learning. Her last three studies examined small refinements to her “Barriers and Strategies” intervention—also the subject of her bestselling book, Executive Function Skills in the Classroom: Overcoming Barriers, Building Strategies (2022). Laurie is currently co-authoring a book for early years educators with Adele Diamond and Cambridge University Press.

What does it mean to be recognized with this award?

The heart-to-heart, human-to-human culture at OISE is very special. We share in wonderful gatherings, ceremonies, academic discussions, celebrations, and traditions, but, for me, the strongest connection can be found within the teaching and learning relationships. This recognition provides a sense that, in addition to my bond with the students, I am also part of an attentive, appreciative, supportive, and caring relationship with the broader institution.

What has been crucial to your success at OISE?

OISE feels like a lush orchard with more fruit than one could ever carry—a windfall of opportunity. My success has been supported by a strong and compassionate Dean, mentors who are enthusiastic about new ideas, brilliant colleagues who are eager to collaborate, and students who are curious and ingenious in the most delightful ways.     

How will you pay this honour forward?

Knowing the deep impact this awards process has across the institution, I’m eager to contribute as either a nominator or committee member in the future. The magic of being seen, known, and celebrated won’t soon leave my heart. Every step I take with others will be marked by a desire to share this generous gift.   

Learn more about Professor Faith in this interview.

Award for Excellence in Continuing & Professional Learning

Winner: Andrzej Szeib, Associate Facilitator and Instructional Design Coach, OISE Continuing and Professional Learning (CPL)

Administered by the Office of Continuing and Professional Learning, the Award for Excellence in Continuing and Professional Learning recognizes course facilitators and instructors for outstanding contributions to teaching and learning in continuing and professional learning programs at OISE.

Andrzej Szeib, a lauded Learning Experience Designer at CPL, has skillfully embraced new international projects, built impactful relationships with stakeholders, and crafted innovative, learner-centred program content that raises the bar for the Continuing and Professional Learning team. He has over a decade of teaching and learning design experience at various Canadian and Japanese universities. He has a background in applied linguistics and discourse studies, including course development experience in English as a second language. His dedication to excellence and proactive collaboration with course facilitators has helped CPL deliver consistently high-quality learning experiences across diverse contexts.

What does it mean to be recognized with this award?

I'm truly honoured to receive this award. Developing courses that help meet the professional learning needs of educators, both locally and globally, has been a rewarding challenge, and this recognition reinforces the importance of creating accessible and engaging learning experiences. It’s also a reflection of the many wonderful people I've had the chance to collaborate with — their insights and dedication have been invaluable.

What has been crucial to your success at OISE?

I think collaboration has been key. All of the work I do at OISE CPL is enabled and supported by others. Working closely with subject matter experts, educators, and colleagues has helped us create meaningful and innovative learning experiences. I've also tried to stay open to new ideas and approaches, which has helped me adapt and improve along the way.

How will you pay this honour forward?

Learners are always at the heart of what I do. I hope to pay this honour forward by continuing to be involved in creating impactful learning experiences for educators in Canada and abroad. I’d also love to give back by sharing what I've learned. Whether it’s mentoring new designers, collaborating with colleagues, or exploring new ways to improve online learning, I hope to contribute in ways that help others succeed as well.

Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership

Winner: Lance T. McCready, Associate Professor, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education

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 McCready currently serves as the Director of the Transitional Year Program at the University of Toronto. He is a community-based researcher of the education, health and welfare of Black families, youth and adults. With over three decades of experience, hhe has led community health education initiatives within ACB gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (GBM) communities in the United States and Canada. Professor McCready is currently the co-director/principal investigator of the Exploratory Study of Black Gender-Expansive Youth, and African, Caribbean, Black Family Group Conferencing Project. He also serves as co-investigator on the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP) Getakit study and International Partnership for Queer Youth Resilience. Additionally, he is a steering committee member of the Black Gay Men’s Network (BGMN).

What does it mean to be recognized with this award?

It means being recognized and appreciated for over a decade’s worth of research, teaching and service dedicated to improving Black families, youth, and adults’ access to education, health and human services.

What has been crucial to your success at OISE?

When explaining my success at OISE and in Canada more generally, I will always highlight my relationships with community members, faculty, administration, and graduate student colleagues. Our work on research projects, cultural productions, advisory councils, boards of directors, exam committees, consulting contracts, hiring and awards panels has been incredibly generative, fun and impactful.

How will you pay this honour forward?

As I recently stated in my weekly thesis writing group, I hope to leverage this award to garner support for the development of culturally responsive policies, programs and resources that contribute to the wellbeing of BIPOC, queer families and youth, and to equity and social justice in urban schools and communities.

Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching

Winner: Katherine E. Entigar, Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education

The Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching recognizes OISE’s inspiring educators who have continually demonstrated a deep commitment to excellence in teaching, and have made outstanding contributions to teaching at OISE.

Dr. Entigar's research and teaching contributions focus on critical language studies, critical migration studies, feminist and queer praxis, and anti-oppressive educational practice in both community-based and postsecondary contexts. They are a past Fellow at the Centre for Community Partnerships and an Associate Researcher in the Identity, Home, and Belonging cluster at the Centre for Feminist Research (York University).

What does it mean to be recognized with this award?

Being nominated for this award by my students was a tremendous honour. That for me was the real recognition: the thanks that this represented from my students and colleagues. I’ll have been teaching for 20 years this May, which is hard to believe, and I have loved my time working with students at OISE and in the community-based organizations I work with. Teaching brings me a sense of purpose and refreshes my curiosity about what we as human beings can make possible. The students in my classes at OISE have taken the chance to be vulnerable and take risks in sharing who they are, what they care about, and what they hope for, and they permit me to do the same. Even though we come from different places, walk different roads, and speak, learn, and live differently, I think we create space to meet each other no matter where we’re at. I’ve had students show incredible courage and creativity—asking for advice in a difficult job environment, sharing poetry they wrote about living across borders and languages, challenging assumptions in our course readings, asking questions about our relationship to our shared institution of learning—and I’m constantly inspired by that. I hope I can continue to be worthy of their hard work, their sacrifice to be with us at OISE, and their hopes for the future.

What has been crucial to your success at OISE?

Without the students I’ve taught and supervised at OISE, their hopeful hard work and openness to me and each other, this would not have been possible. I’ve learned a lot from them as mentors and experts with ideas that blow my hair back! This is part of the learning I’ve experienced with a lot of wonderful mentors in my own graduate studies, in the AECD program, and in my queer and trans* community, all of whom have shown me that we are always growing, always becoming who we are and hope to be. It is healing to walk alongside others, both when we need to lean on them and when we can offer our strength. I think that’s what makes it possible for me to keep trying new things and putting the time and energy into my work. 

How will you pay this honour forward?

If I’m lucky enough to stay on at OISE for the long-term (I’m pre-tenure, so I’m still in the process of establishing my career here), I hope to continue developing new courses, working with different students in my classes and on their research, and continuing to connect the work we do in our institution with the needs and goals of our neighbours in Toronto. I’m building initiatives with TMU and York that will hopefully support refugee scholars and other students with precarious status, collaborating with The 519 and other organizations that support newcomers, and seeking out other ways I can use my power to help build strength against the xenophobia, transphobia, and other motivations for violence that are becoming ever more present. I have seen OISE students do incredible things in their own social movement work and I will continue to provide shelter and counsel for them as much as I can. More than anything, I will continue in my role as a mentor, teacher, and supervisor to learn with our students, let in their sunshine moments and offer a shoulder when a darker day inevitably happens, and walk forward together with hope.