Image of a woman with brown hair, a white shirt, and navy jacket seated on a bench

Photo courtesy of the author

By Alexis Brown, CELT

My name is Alexis, and I just joined the CELT team in January as a Learning and Faculty Development coordinator. I have always been passionate about teaching and learning, determined I would become a teacher in grade 10 after two days of ‘job shadowing’ my favorite elementary school teacher. I spent 9 years in the high school classroom teaching English Language Arts and Social Studies. I had the privilege of working with youth in rural, urban, and alternative school settings.

My work in the K-12 system within the various settings and communities has informed my education and research practices today. I have an MEd in Language and Literacy practices that focused on ways to incorporate students’ identities, interests, and cultures into developing critical media literacy. My PhD in Curriculum and Instruction was focused on ways educators can develop culturally sustaining and revitalizing curriculum with/for Indigenous learners.

Over the last eight years, I have also been fortunate to teach and learn from undergraduate and graduate students in BEd and MEd programs, instructing courses such as Social Studies Methodologies; Adolescent Learning and Development; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning. My current research projects continue to be in partnership with colleagues and school programs focused on supporting Indigenous learners, and ways we can continue to develop more culturally inclusive, sustaining, and revitalizing teaching and learning practices.

I am looking forward to learning and developing new skills with all faculty as I step into my new role. It is my hope that we can all continue to learn and incorporate best teaching and learning practices into our curriculum that increase the success of all our students; as well as create welcoming environments that prospective students will choose. If you are interested in individual discussions, strategies, or group workshops on creating curriculum with/for all students, increasing student participation, increasing active learning, decolonizing practices, and culturally relevant/responsive/sustaining practices, please contact me: albrown@tru.ca.