Congratulations to Dr. Hayley Morrison, recipient of the 2025 Faculty of Education Graduate Teaching Award!

It is with great excitement that we announce Dr. Hayley Morrison as the recipient of this year's Faculty of Education Graduate Teaching Award in recognition of her passionate, innovative, and deeply student-centered approach to graduate education. Hayley’s teaching philosophy is built upon transforming and extending knowledge, focusing on creating respectful, inclusive environments and diverse, democratic learning experiences for in-service educators.

Dr. Morrison, leveraging her background in K-12 inclusive education, creates a welcoming space where all students feel they belong. She actively moves beyond a "one size fits all" approach, catering to unique student strengths and needs, and integrating broader topics of equity, Indigeneity, and anti-racism. Students immediately recognize her impact: "Hayley is professional and passionate about inclusive education. She exudes expertise during instruction and offered challenging yet achievable assignments that extended into my professional and personal landscape." Another noted, "She was passionate about this subject area and created an inclusive environment that allowed our cohort to be open, honest and vulnerable. I learned a ton in just the course of one week."

Dr. Morrison designs experiential assignments that directly apply to students' professional contexts, such as the impactful "Advocacy Rants" activity. She uses democratic principles (equality, community engagement, critical self-reflexivity) and varied instructional methods—including peer coaching, guest speakers, and multimedia—to make learning meaningful. Her feedback is renowned for its depth and constructiveness. A graduate student praised her instructional diversity: "The instructor was responsive to student needs which was greatly important. She used multi-sensory approaches even though online and asynchronous - videos, audio, powerpoint, discussions, etc. I would highly recommend having Hayley as an instructor." A different student lauded her feedback: "Among Hayley's strengths, what I deem to be most impactful was the quality and depth of the feedback she provided when marking assignments... This specific aspect of her teaching is exemplary and a rock-solid model for educators to learn from."

Dr. Morrison excels at cultivating a community of practice through her graduate student supervision and her collaborative work on the MEd Health and Physical Education (HPE) Cohort (recognized with the Teaching Unit Award in 2020). She models professional growth and actively supports her students in research dissemination, leading to publications and scholarly confidence. Her commitment to mentorship results in deep appreciation: "My name is Lila Berg and I had the honour of working alongside Hayley Morrison to complete my MEd program... Hayley's attention to detail, confidence, and leadership were essential to my success and she is the kind of teacher that goes beyond the requirements of her role."

Dr. Hayley Morrison's dedication to supporting joyful, educative, and impactful learning experiences truly elevates the standard of graduate teaching in our Faculty.