Focus on Teaching Conference
2023 conference coming soon!
Excellence in teaching and engaging students in learning is both challenging and exciting. The Focus on Teaching Conference (FOTC) has traditionally provided a forum to:
- celebrate the work of teachers in a fun, engaging, and rewarding way;
- dialogue with colleagues from across disciplines;
- engage in informed and constructive conversations related to the complexities of teaching and learning; and
- share strategies and insights that increase teaching and learning effectiveness.
Celebrating our achievements
About the Focus on Teaching Conference
What a year! Now, more than ever, we want to recognize all the ways members of our Georgian community work together, create and share knowledge, and connect learning.
Each year, the Focus on Teaching Conference brings together our Georgian community to share practices, experiences and insights about learning and teaching. Faculty and students continue to work together to explore new learning and venture into amazing futures. Thus, we invite you to join us in sharing innovative ideas and developing new passions that re-invigorate our teaching practice and our lives. We’re excited to support and inspire our community of teachers and celebrate as we recognize all the ways we work together, create and share knowledge, and connect learning inside and outside the classroom.
Keynote speaker
Michelle Hillier
When was the last time you really felt like your authentic self? This question trips so many people up. But remembering when you last felt truly at “home” with yourself can have a remarkable impact in your work and life. During Michelle’s interactive virtual keynote, she’ll share her personal journey of recovery and provide actionable takeaways to inspire the audience to find happiness within themselves. Using personal reflection, mindfulness and intentional movement, she’ll have us zooming into our authentic self – the self you may have lost along the way. Get curious and come home. Your inner flame hasn’t gone out.
Biography
Finding her own personal Breath & Fire has transformed Michelle’s life. Her inner flame, which was either a pilot light or a blazing inferno, is now a controlled blaze. She’s been on her own intimate healing path of recovery since 2017 from double hip replacement surgery, alcohol use disorder, grief, and a marital separation which has created a deeper sense of compassion and understanding for herself. Essentially, a road to self-love. It’s Michelle’s desire to create experiences for others that hold space for them to find their own Breath & Fire within life’s journey. Over the last two decades, Michelle has been a sought after educator, speaker (TEDx) and published author/content creator. She has transformed millions of lives with her message through large crowd presentations, workshops, trainings, content creation and one-on-one coaching and experiences. Her work has spanned a broad range of industries taking her internationally with her message.
Michelle is a dance and movement specialist, wellness and recovery coach, certified yoga and fitness teacher, mindfulness/meditation teacher, and former professional dancer. She has seamlessly merged all her passions, skills, qualifications and personal experiences to create Breath & Fire to share with individuals, groups and organizations.
Call for proposals
Call for proposals now open!
The deadline for submissions is April 7 at 4pm.
Now, more than ever, we want to recognize all the ways members of our Georgian community work together, create and share knowledge, and connect learning. Everyone is invited to join us in sharing innovative ideas and developing new passions that re-invigorate our teaching practice and our lives. No idea or passion is too small – every little success is important. We’re excited to support and inspire our community of educators!
The conference will open with our keynote speaker – Michelle Hillier, of Breath & Fire. Her talk will focus on “Find your Breath. Ignite your Fire.”
In this call for proposals, we encourage all interested presenters to consider sharing their ideas and passions. All types of sessions are welcome. As educators, we are BETTER TOGETHER. Sharing and learning from each other makes everyone better!
We’re offering two session lengths:
- Lightning Learning sessions will be 25 minutes in length and will consist of a short, focused presentation (up to 20 minutes) with the remainder of the time allotted to answer questions from the group.
- Interactive Workshops will be 50 minutes in length and will consist of a structured session that includes interaction and exchange of information between and among participants.
The majority of sessions will be offered the afternoon of Wednesday, May 3 afternoon. Select sessions will run the morning of Thursday, May 4.
Sessions can be simple and easy. Perhaps you have an assignment or teaching technique that has worked well for you. Maybe your students developed an amazing project, or there’s a tech tool that you think others would benefit from using. Any topics that support faculty growth and development are welcome. Our hope is that educators at Georgian and beyond will find value to sharing and learning from each other.
We’re inspired by the generosity of past presenters, and we look forward to your submissions for this year’s conference. Our teaching and learning community is enriched by your willingness to share your expertise and experiences!
Teaching Excellence Awards
Call for nominations now open!
The TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD recognizes innovative and creative ideas developed and implemented by our inspirational educators at Georgian College.
The award celebrates Georgian peers, or teams, who:
- demonstrate a commitment to excellence in their teaching practice and in facilitating student learning; or supporting teachers and teaching excellence; and
- inspire the larger teaching and learning community at Georgian College through sharing of practice, mentoring, or otherwise providing support to colleagues.
Nominations are due by April 12, 2023, at 4 p.m.
Criteria
The commitment to excellence in teaching can be demonstrated in one or a combination of several competencies associated with the Georgian College Innovative Teaching Competency Framework (see the Academic Plan for more information).
The Teaching Excellence Award celebrates educators who strive to grow their practice in these competencies and, in so doing, offer students learning experiences that honour student diversity, respect student needs and support student success.
The commitment to excellence can be in one or several of the following competencies:
Innovative faculty are DESIGNERS. They design courses, classes, teaching and learning activities, and assessments in order to facilitate student learning. They recognize the importance of mapping courses for students and use evidence-informed pedagogy/andragogy to inform their practice. They recognize the importance of universal design, creating spaces of belonging, and sharing with peers in order to positively impact the teaching ecosystem.
Faculty who are excellent designers do the following kinds of things:
- Intentionally create universally designed teaching and learning activities.
- Integrate innovative and active teaching practices to engage students.
- Guide students and facilitate student learning with scaffolded, mapped and woven teaching and learning activities.
- Cultivate student learning by using evidence-informed, authentic opportunities for practice.
Innovative faculty are RESEARCHERS. They inspire curiosity and motivate students to ask questions. They offer opportunities to practice critical analysis and problem solving. They explore evidence and best practices in their disciplines and in the profession of teaching. Faculty use research to stay connected and to keep current and transform the experiences of other faculty by sharing their experiences.
Faculty who are excellent researchers do the following kinds of things:
- Integrate opportunities for students to engage in critical inquiry and problem solving.
- Seek credible, relevant information to authentically appeal to students.
- Guide students in critical appraising processes.
- Embed new learning into existing teaching practice.
Innovative faculty are INCLUSIVE PRACTITIONERS. They are emotionally attuned to the needs of learners and use empathy as a lens for their practice. They plan teaching and learning with integrity and work to identify inequities and injustices that may impact student success. They inhabit a growth mindset space and are open to knowledge outside of their disciplines to empower their students. They understand the importance of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging work and see indigenization as a key priority to transform post-secondary education.
Faculty who are excellent inclusive practitioners do the following kinds of things:
- Use a growing array of skills to respond to a multi-faceted learning environment that ensures space for safety, challenge and growth.
- Foster a commitment to community standards and values while maintaining empathy and fairness.
- Cultivate opportunities and model risk taking in your teaching practice.
- Foster a learning environment where all are empowered to see their own agency and voice.
Innovative faculty are CHANGEMAKERS. They approach their interactions with students using an empathetic lens. In their courses, they support students in using this lens to identify inequities in our communities. From this perspective, faculty offer opportunities for collaboration and leadership as student practice changemaking in order to graduate not only amazing practitioners but also amazing community members.
Faculty who are excellent changemakers do the following kinds of things:
- Use empathy when creating course-related materials, course schedule, and teaching and learning activities.
- Build student ability to collaborate by intentionally focusing on relationships.
- Scaffold opportunities for your students to practice sharing leadership.
- Embed experiential learning opportunities for students to practice changemaking.
Innovative faculty are DIGITAL NAVIGATORS. In their work, they create opportunities for learning that are innovative and supportive of learners and learner needs. They seek out digital solutions that best fit each teaching context. Tools are chosen with purpose and with consideration for all aspects of learning. These faculty share their skills in the support of peers impacting the teaching and learning digital ecosystem of Georgian.
Faculty who are excellent digital navigators do the following kinds of things:
- Skillfully incorporate ed tech based on careful consideration of pros and cons from learners’ perspectives.
- Iterate your digital solutions and try again when something doesn’t work.
- Make decisions about learning technologies based on ethical considerations.
- Leverage education technologies available to connect and/or engage students.
Innovative faculty are COLLABORATORS. In classrooms, faculty promote collaboration and teamwork to share knowledge and improve student learning. As professional educators, faculty connect with peers in professional learning opportunities and in institutional teams and utilize a growth mindset for professional growth and development that spans their entire career. They connect with partners within and outside of Georgian to create exciting opportunities for students.
Faculty who are excellent collaborators do the following kinds of things:
- Establish positive and trust-based relationships among students and colleagues.
- Weave emotional intelligence into their course design and delivery.
- Engage in collaborations and gather feedback to grow teaching practice.
- Offer opportunities for students to practice respectful communication.
Innovative Georgian faculty are REFLECTORS. In their work they will invest time in thinking about their teaching practice. Faculty will explore aspects of their teaching and plan for productive and transformative change. In this work, they will also take the time to evaluate the changes they have enacted to continually develop and grow their practice. They will also share their successes and failures in order to help peers.
Faculty who are excellent reflectors do the following kinds of things:
- Collect feedback about teaching practice as part of an ongoing cycle of reflection.
- Analyze feedback to set intentions and make changes.
- Prioritize and enact changes to teaching practice.
- Intentionally incorporate reflection (process and product) into your teaching practice.
Innovative faculty are MENTORS. They recognize the value of relationships and spend energy building relationships. These faculty reach out and across and engage with others in meaningful ways. Being a mentor means, at times, being a coach, a leader, and a keeper of different types of knowledge.
Faculty who are excellent mentors do the following kinds of things:
- Actively engage in partnerships for the betterment of teaching and learning experience.
- Support mentees in goal setting and clarifying objectives.
- Participate in leadership opportunities.
- Incorporate various types of knowledge into their practices.
Eligibility and process
1. All college professors, librarians, technologists and counsellors are eligible for these awards. Consideration may be given to members of the college community who have demonstrated extraordinary levels of support to teaching and learning at Georgian. The nominator must be Georgian College faculty, administration, or support staff member;
2. Each award will have no monetary value;
3. Past recipients of a Teaching Excellence Award are not eligible for nomination for the next five (5) years
4. Nomination submissions can be completed by using the online form and should include the following sections:
- Nominee information;
- Description of the nominee’s teaching practices and impact on the larger teaching and learning community at Georgian College based on the criteria noted above; and
- Supporting evidence, in the form of at least three testimonials from three different people (i.e., colleague, manager, community member, past student) describing and supporting the nominee’s exemplary demonstration of award criteria.
5. Select members of the CTL and the Teaching Excellence Committee (TEC) will independently review the submissions and rank the nominees. The recommended award winners will be determined from these rankings.
We’d love your help!
Please consider nominating an inspiring colleague today. Winners of the TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARDS will be recognized at the annual Focus on Teaching and Learning Conference on May 3 to 4.Nominations are due by April 12, 2023, at 4 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Mitchell-Ashley. Thank you for supporting teaching excellence at Georgian!
Past award recipients
Jarrod Otterman
Hanna Shrolyk
Danica Vukmirovic
Clem Bamikole
Daphene Francis
Eleanor Gittens
Janette O’Neill-Scott
Jill Esmonde
Larry White
Marilyn Nigro
Marilyn Watson
Mary Dobson
Rob Davidson
Hairstyling team
No conference
Gail Hussey
Kelly Duggan
Lynn MacKinlay
Mary Spencer
Randi Dermott
Rich Freeman
Steve McDonald
Baking and Pastry Arts team
Terry Hrynk
Rhonda Bell-Allen
Gisele Beausoleil
Cindy Korpatnicki
Nicole Barbato
Daniel Travers
Joachim Schimdt
Toni Cano
Sam Bilamjian
Michael Agema
Amy Goruk
Samantha Sullivan Sauer
Terry Heittola
Sarah Hunter
Alanda Theriault
Deb Witmer
Jaret Wright
Brandy Mullen and Thea Jones
Tamara Fisher-Cullen
Anne-Marie McAllister
Scott McCrindle
Avinash Thadani
Katherine Wallis
Jill Dunlop, Karen Bell, Suzie Addison-Toor, Josh Barath
Michele Baron
Ross Bigelow
Jill Esmonde
Martha MacEachern
Susan Stott-Hood
Kim Stubbs
Bonnie Lee Clarke
Joy Martin
Barry Weese
Lydia Crawford
Catherine Dewhurst
Kath Gradwell
Jack Lesage
Lianne Smith Stow
Catherine Wareham
Kathy Weatherall
Bryan Hunt
Debra Morrow
Susan MacNeal
Anthony Borgo
Steve Miller
Joan Morgan
Jeff Walther
Terry Bell
Karen Halliday
Nancy Noldy-Maclean
Ruthann Krant
Rob Theriault
Ruth Yole
FOTC 2022
Sarah Rose Cavanagh
Sarah Rose Cavanagh is the Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence at Simmons University, where she also teaches in the Psychology department as an Associate Professor of Practice. Before joining Simmons, she was an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience (tenured) at Assumption University, where she also served in the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence as Associate Director for Grants and Research.
Sarah’s research considers the interplay of emotions, motivation, learning, and quality of life. She is author of The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion (2016) and upcoming Our Monsters, Our Selves: Encouraging Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge (2022). She gives keynote addresses and workshops at a variety of colleges and regional conferences, blogs for Psychology Today, and writes essays for venues like Literary Hub and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She’s also on Twitter too much, at @SaRoseCav.
Fireside Chat with Dr. MaryLynn West-Moynes and Kevin Weaver
We sat down with our past president Dr. MaryLynn West-Moynes and incoming president Kevin Weaver to ask them some hot questions while eating even hotter wings!