June Larkin: 3M award for teaching

June Larkin clearly has a transformative impact on her students to elicit comments such as “This course is life changing” and “All of my previous values and morals are being questioned and I love it.”  

Now, the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is recognizing her exceptional teaching and educational leadership with a 3M National Fellowship.

The senior lecturer in Women and Gender Studies and Equity Studies is credited with an innovative approach to curriculum that includes community-based, collaborative, socially engaged research and teaching.

“One of June Larkin’s many strengths is her ability to connect students to real-life experiences through meaningful social engagement in the local communities of Toronto and internationally in Namibia and Belize," said  Meric Gertler, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. "These experiences empower her students to apply, assess, and revise their knowledge about social justice."

Larkin’s achievements are the direct result of a teaching philosophy that emphasizes the social relevance of academic knowledge and encourages students to take an active role in their education. 

“This means asking questions, proposing alternatives and considering diverse perspectives from an informed position,” said Larkin. “My goal is to produce engaged global citizens equipped with the skills to apply their academic knowledge to real-life situations for social justice ends. This means defining education in the broadest sense, creating a learning environment that extends far beyond the university walls.” 

All of Larkin’s courses include a community-learning component. Students have participated in teach-ins on globalization, anti-racist workshops and volunteered for community groups such as Project Share, International Women’s Day events, the Daily Bread Food Bank and various school tutor programs – and she has played a leading role in creating institutional  structures that support community-based learning. Larkin established the service-learning program at New College and co-created a new course on Foundations for Community Engagement to prepare students with the skills to do community-oriented research.

“Nelson Mandela said education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world," Larkin said. "I take my cue from Mandela. I want students to see the transformative power of their academic knowledge. In providing a learning environment that encourages community connections and global awareness I hope to equip them with the toolkit and the passion to affect social change through the process of meaningful civic engagement.”

The award is the latest in a series of accolades for Larkin that includes membership in the President’s Teaching Academy, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award and the undergraduate teaching award presented jointly by the Association of Part-time Students and the Students’ Administrative Council.  Maclean’s magazine named her among the most popular professors at U of T for several consecutive years. June Larkin is also vice-principal at New College and program director of Equity Studies.

To date, 14 U of T faculty members have been honoured with a 3M Teaching Fellowship. (See the complete list here.)