The Department of Indigenous Learning is proud to announce that Ms. Ivory Tuesday and Dr. Lana Ray are recipients of the 2020 Teaching Innovation Award.

The Teaching Innovation Award values ground-breaking pedagogy and was awarded to Ms. Ivory Tuesday, a contract lecturer and Dr. Lana Ray, an Assistant Professor in the Indigenous Learning department for the construction of a teaching lodge on campus. The traditional wigwam structure was erected on the Thunder Bay Campus Sweat Lodge site with the assistance of students in INDI 3501 and INDI 2434, both taught by Dr. Ray.  

Dr. Ray explains that, “the teaching lodge is an advanced technology that supports relational pedagogy through architecture and embodied practice. It provides a space to negotiate Indigenous-settler relations and privilege Indigenous pedagogies and knowledges. By assisting in the construction of the lodge, the students actively engage in Indigenous protocols and governance principles such as respect, gratitude, responsibility and mutual aid, developing the necessary foundation to engage with Indigenous knowledges.”

They will receive their award at the next Senate meeting.

Congratulations Ms. Tuesday and Dr. Ray!