Leanne Taylor has never shied away from the road less travelled; the path where she believes true change is born.
In the classroom, the Associate Professor in Brock's Department of Educational Studies isn't afraid to take risks and ask hard questions, all in hopes of inspiring her students to build a better world together.
Taylor's innovative approach earned her a 2025 3M National Teaching Fellowship, one of Canada's most prestigious teaching excellence awards.
Her teaching philosophy is grounded in a deep commitment to equity, inclusion and social justice.
"I believe education, especially in the post-secondary context, has the power to disrupt injustice, amplify underrepresented voices and help students understand themselves and the world in more critical and compassionate ways," Taylor says.
Sponsored by both 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, the Fellowship honours exceptional contributions to teaching, learning and leadership at the post-secondary level.
The award represents a "shared investment in transformative education," Taylor says, adding that success in teaching is a collective effort.
"From mentors who shaped my thinking, students who constantly challenge and inspire me, and colleagues who stand by me in hard moments because equity work is difficult work at times this award says a lot about the community I have been a part of at Brock over the last 14 years," she says.
"Dedicated educators like Leanne Taylor, committed to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, are having a profound impact towards a better, brighter future for all," says Arja Vainio-Mattila, Provost and Vice-President, Academic. "We offer sincere congratulations and deep gratitude to Dr. Taylor for her groundbreaking work in this critical space, and now as a 3M National Teaching Fellowship recipient recognized for her teaching excellence."
Taylor aims to bridge theory and practice, aligning teaching with her ongoing equity-focused research into anti-racism practices in teacher education.
"Teaching is not just something we do in the classroom; it's a form of scholarship and activism, and the 3M Fellowship offers a powerful platform to further this kind of work," she says.
Taylor is Chair of the Faculty of Education's Equity and Social Justice Committee (ESJC) and also works as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the International Society for Teacher Education. She currently holds a Chancellor's Chair for Teaching Excellence (2024-27) and received both the Faculty of Education Award for Teaching Excellence and Brock's Distinguished Teaching Award.
"Educating exceptional educators is our driving force in the Faculty of Education. Dr. Taylor leads by example, delivering innovative teaching and research practices," says Mary-Louise Vanderlee, Dean of Education. "In the classroom and beyond, Dr. Taylor's profound teaching impact on the educators of tomorrow is felt years after graduates leave campus, a testament to her ongoing scholarship that is transforming futures."
Looking ahead, Taylor hopes institutions see this kind of recognition as a call to invest more deeply in equity-driven teaching through resources, recognition and structural change.
"We cannot continue to relegate social justice work to the margins; it has to be centred in how we define excellence," she says.
Brock's 3M National Teaching Fellows include:
- Leanne Taylor Educational Studies (2025)
- Kai-Yu Wang Marketing, International Business and Strategy (2023)
- David Hutchison Educational Studies; Digital Humanities (2018)
- Tim O'Connell Recreation and Leisure Studies (2016)
- Nicola Simmons Educational Studies (2016)
- Zopito Marini Child and Youth Studies (2010)
- David DiBattista Psychology (2007)
- Lorne Adams Physical Education and Kinesiology (2004)
- John Mitterer Psychology (2004)
- Maureen Connolly Sport Management (2003)
- Anna Lathrop Physical Education (2001)
- Barry Joe Communications, Popular Culture and Film; Germanic and Slavic Studies (2000)
- Donald Ursino Biological Sciences (1991)
- Clarke Thomson Geography (1989)
