One of Dalhousie鈥檚 most acclaimed teachers has been recognized with Atlantic Canada鈥檚 top award for teaching leadership in higher education.
Anne-Marie Ryan, a University Teaching Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences, is this year鈥檚 recipient of the Anne Marie MacKinnon Educational Leadership Award, presented by the (AAU).
The award recognizes sustained commitment to the improvement of university teaching and learning, as well as leadership among faculty colleagues in helping create an environment that fosters and supports teaching excellence. Dr. Ryan was presented with the award at a luncheon on Thursday hosted by the AAU together with university presidents from around the region.
Dr. Ryan receives her award from Memorial University of Newfoundland President Gary Kachanoski and Dal President Richard Florizone. (@dalpres photo)
鈥淚t鈥檚 always nice to be recognized by your peers, but to me this is also an award for the university,鈥� says Dr. Ryan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 within a bigger community; I don鈥檛 work in a vacuum. I do so many things in collaboration with others, as part of a team.鈥�
A commitment to connection
For Dr. Ryan, teaching is about conversation. It鈥檚 about recognizing that every class of students is different, and finding ways to adapt and make connections.
Her commitment to making those connections has earned her a reputation as of one of the university鈥檚 most beloved teachers. In the past few years alone, Dr. Ryan has received the Faculty of Science Award for Excellence in Teaching, the pilipili漫画 Educational Leadership Award and the pilipili漫画 Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching 鈥斅燚al鈥檚 top teaching award.
鈥淎nne Marie is a great teacher because she instills confidence in her students and encourages us to ask the hard questions,鈥� says Fiona Henderson, a past student of Dr. Ryan鈥檚.
She鈥檚 now a research assistant with an environmental firm called Eosense, and credits Dr. Ryan鈥檚 classes (including her first-year geology class and fourth-year Environmental Geoscience) with inspiring her interest in the field. 聽
鈥淸Dr. Ryan] taught me the importance of learning how to fail, and how failure is the best way to learn something new. She continues to be a great mentor to me to this day and is the teacher who helped realize my passion in the environmental geosciences.鈥�
鈥淐aring teaching鈥�
When she discusses what makes for great teaching, Dr. Ryan 鈥斅爓ho has both a bachelor and master鈥檚 degree in education alongside her three degrees in geology/earth sciences 鈥� often uses the phrase 鈥渃aring teaching.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 caring about the learning and the individual,鈥� she explains. 鈥淪ometimes, that means challenging students, moving them past where they are now. And that鈥檚 one of the things I really like about teaching at this level: we鈥檙e always pushing people past where they are. Therefore, we have to push ourselves past where we are. And that means I鈥檓 learning all the time too.鈥�
Dr. Ryan helps her colleagues learn, too. She鈥檚 supported and expanded a 鈥淐ommunity of Teaching Practice鈥� within the Faculty of Science, bringing together colleagues for focused-but-informal gatherings to discuss pedagogy and practice. And she鈥檚 also a faculty associate with the Centre for Learning and Teaching, helping share her passion for teaching and learning with colleagues across the university through workshops, presentations and university-wide committee work.
Additionally, Dr. Ryan co-developed the Certificate in Science Leadership and Communication offered by Dal鈥檚 Faculty of Science, and co-teaches its capstone course in Science Leadership. The certificate program helps students consider science in societal and ethical contexts and gives them the opportunity to hone their leadership skills through avenues like mentorship and working with not-for-profit science organizations.
Light-bulb moments
Dr. Ryan鈥檚 teaching courseload always includes the first-year introductory courses in Earth Sciences, which she says are among her favourites.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting because they鈥檙e excited,鈥� she says about teaching first-year students. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e new, they鈥檙e open. They鈥檙e looking for new challenges and don鈥檛 quite know what to expect. It鈥檚 always that balance of helping them develop some autonomy but also giving them enough support.鈥�
Having been part of the Department of Earth Sciences since 2001, Dr. Ryan has not only introduced hundreds of new students to the field 鈥� she鈥檚 helped them re-think what science is, and what it means to be a scientist in the world today. She says teaching gives her energy, and she cherishes those moments when the power of learning becomes readily clear.
How does she know when that happens, when her teaching is connecting with her students?
鈥淚t鈥檚 watching the light bulb go on; those 鈥榣ight-bulb moments鈥� are kind of magical. It鈥檚 the alumni who writes to you several years later and want to connect about something. And it鈥檚 also the feel in the class. When the class is responsive, when you ask a question and get them talking and the noise level skyrockets 鈥斅燼nd it鈥檚 all about the question you raised 鈥斅爕ou can tell.鈥�