Dr. Grant Williams and Dr. Bonnie Huskins earn teaching awards
Dr. Grant Williams and Dr. Bonnie Huskins have been recognized for their ability to inspire students and bring innovative approaches to the classroom.
Dr. Williams, of the School of Education, was selected as the recipient of the John McKendy Memorial Teaching Award, while Dr. Huskins, Department of History, has earned the Award for Excellence in Part-Time Teaching.
Dr. Grant Williams – John McKendy Memorial Teaching Award
Dr. Williams’ numerous letters of nomination for this award speak to his ability to inspire his students to be the best teachers they can be while also providing the tools for them to do so. He’s known as being available and approachable by his students and colleagues, and for embracing a teaching philosophy that emphasizes kindness, ownership, and professional development.
“As a teacher educator, being nominated for the John McKendy Memorial Teaching Award means a great deal to me,” Dr. Williams said.
“My entire professional career has been dedicated to becoming the most effective, impactful teacher I can be, as well as researching and sharing best teaching practices with my students in the School of Education.”
Dr. Williams routinely models collaborative research and experiential learning, and helps his students engage in both. Recently, his students were involved in the Anglophone West School District STEAM Expo—which was spearheaded by Dr. Williams—as judges.
A member of the St. Thomas University School of Education since 2011, Dr. Williams teaches courses on secondary sciences and math methodology, often video recording his classes as a means for professional reflection and self-improvement.
Dr. Bonnie Huskins – Award for Excellence in Part-time Teaching
Dr. Huskins is a scholar with an excellent record of teaching in such fields as Canadian and North American history, immigration, slavery, piracy, and issues in working class and labour. Her courses are designed to appeal to students studying history out of general interest, those pursuing a major or honours, and those who are planning for graduate school.
Aiming to develop critical thinking skills in her students, she uses lectures as well as different forms of student-led interactions including small-group tutorials, presentations, and role play.
“Teaching history at STU has transformed how I teach as well as my research agenda,” Dr. Huskins said.
“The students here have had a large impact on my evolution as an historian, by engaging in class participation and taking on interesting research projects of their own. This has reinforced my strong belief in the reciprocal relationship between research and teaching."
Dr. Huskins’ areas of expertise include the Loyalists, freemasonry, sociability and community formation, the use of diaries as historical sources, the evolution of the collective identities of Loyalists and Acadians, and the life and career of a late 18th-century British military engineer named William Booth.
Dr. Huskins has been a part-time member of the Department of History since 2005, and has also taught at the University of New Brunswick, University of Fraser Valley, and University of Victoria.
The awards will be presented at the Spring Convocation, May 15 at the Grant-Harvey Centre.