Dr. Awneet Sivia was nominated and named one of ten recipients to be bestowed the 3M National Teaching Fellowship for 2022. Sivia is an associate professor who works in the Teacher Education department at UFV. She specializes in teaching future science teachers, and she is passionate about social justice, anti racism, and equity. The 3M National Teaching Fellowship recognizes individuals who work at post-secondary institutions who have exemplified excellence in teaching and leadership.
According to Sivia, the 3M National Teaching Fellowship focuses on three areas, and they include “educational leadership, teaching excellence, and educational innovation.” She explained how 3M considers individuals who have made contributions within these areas and made a difference in their communities, especially in STEM fields.
When asked about what she feels stands out in educational leadership, Sivia refers to himmat.
“Himmat is a word from my mother tongue of Punjabi, and the word encapsulates the idea of strength, courage, fortitude, and a kind of fearlessness, but humility as well, and heart,” said Sivia. “For me, that word really captures the essence of educational leadership. I feel that really anybody who’s gone to a classroom and worked with young people or worked with their students is demonstrating leadership.”
For Sivia, leadership is twofold.
“It’s on one hand modeling leadership that is innovative and thinks in different ways, that tries to push the boundaries a little bit of what is known to be effective teaching, and the other part is impacting change beyond the classroom.”
“I see students come alive,” said Sivia when asked what observations she has noticed while utilizing these strategies in the classroom. “I’ve noticed that they have their own epiphany. That they come in and see something that they have never seen before sometimes, or that they have only thought about and never seen modeled.”
Sivia used a soccer analogy to help illustrate her “first touch” experiential learning approach in the classroom. This analogy was born out of being a soccer mom and her husband’s role as a soccer coach. “First touch” refers to which player comes into contact with the ball first on the field. She emphasizes the importance of putting the soccer ball in the possession of the soccer players and not the coach so they can grow and learn. And in the same way, she said that “for me, first touch is putting the curriculum in the hands of the students, getting them to play with those hands-on experimental modular methods, and from there, construct theoretical ideas and concepts that are central to science.
“One of the outcomes of receiving this fellowship recognition is that I am now part of a cohort of amazing, exceptional scholars and educators across Canada,” said Sivia. “The ten of us are now part of a cohort of 2022 3M Fellowship recipients, and as a group, we will receive an award and a fund that is to be put towards an educational project of our making. I am not sure what that project is going to look like, but I get to work with these amazing people that I never met before and I am going to meet next month in Ottawa when I go there to receive the award. We are going to have dedicated funding, support, and time to work on a national education project.”
When asked about how this honor has affected her, Sivia said she is humbled and grateful for being “recognized for something I love to do.” She adds that, “For me, I am even more grateful to my students and my colleagues because the way I teach involves them so much. I feel like I shared this award with them.”
Sivia said that the award also benefits UFV because “it puts UFV on the map in terms of a national level. It is really a reflection of an institution that they can produce a 3M scholar and a 3M recipient. That they have that level of faith and support for excellence in teaching and learning on an institutional level.”
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.
