Great Ideas for Teaching (GIFT) Award

Have you ever had that moment in the classroom when your students finally grasp a difficult concept and you know that all of your hard work and planning has paid off? The Centre for Teaching and Learning wants to recognize and reward outstanding Teaching Assistants for their commitment to undergraduate student learning! All current graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are welcome to apply.     

Award Description

The Great Ideas for Teaching (GIFT) Award recognizes and rewards outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) for their commitment to teaching and learning. The winner(s), selected by members of the CTL team, is selected from GTA presenters at the annual Own Your Future (OYF) Conference on Teaching. The winning presentation will be announced approximately 3 weeks after the end of the OYF Conference. The winner is awarded a $100 gift card to the Western Bookstore or Hospitality Services.

Eligibility

The following represent the eligibility criteria for this award:

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant at Western University within the last two years
  • Accepted to present at one of two graduate educator talk panels at the Own Your Future Conference on Teaching
  • Participates fully in their assigned panel on May 14, 2026
  • Note: if the winning presentation consists of more than one presenter, the award will be shared amongst the co-presenters

Evaluation

GIFT Award evaluation will take place in two parts, the sum of which will determine who is awarded the GIFT Award: 1) adjudication by CTL staff; 2) adjudication and feedback from participants in the session as a part of the Future Prof reflection assignment.

The winner will present their innovative teaching method to an interdisciplinary audience as part of a CTL workshop or panel.

Benefits

  • A teaching award looks great on a CV and Teaching Dossier - especially when applying for future teaching positions.
  • By presenting their "Great Idea" as part of CTL programming, winners have the chance to share successful teaching methods with the broader Western community.
  • Winner receives a $100 gift certificate to the Western Bookstore or Hospitality Services.

Instructions:

See the Own Your Future: Conference on Teaching for call proposals when it opens. Typically in the Winter semester.

Past GIFT Award Winners Proposals

2026

Promoting English Accent Awareness Through Film and Television: Challenging Prestige and Stigma in Contemporary Classrooms - Gabriela Martinez Loyola, Hispanic Studies (Linguistics)


Students in today’s digital era encounter English in day-to-day communications, global streaming platforms, social media, and gaming, to name a few. Such tools serve as invaluable resources in the classroom that can aid in fostering awareness and going beyond language as a means for communication, and toward a deeper recognition of how different English accents can shape notions of prestige, bias, and stigma. To facilitate this discussion, this session will explore how film and TV shows can be used to highlight issues surrounding accent stigmatization. Moreover, this session aims to demonstrate how more than one variety of English is spoken globally and is shaped by local histories, cultures, and communities. Linked to identity, accents are evaluated unequally, with some carrying prestige and authority, and other facing stigma or marginalization (Baquiran & Nicoladis, 2020; Maindidze et al., 2024). By providing strategies related to the integration of film and TV shows in classroom activities, this session will unpack accent discrimination, viewing the learning environment as an accent inclusive space. In a time of shifting linguistic norms and increasingly diverse classrooms, this approach equips educators with practical tools to foster more inclusive and linguistically equitable classrooms. The overarching goal is to underscore the linguistic richness of English, recognizing that there are many legitimate forms of the language, each carrying its own social, cultural, and historical significance.

2022

2021

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2012

2010

  • Virtual Virtuality - Jennifer Martin, Media Studies
  • The Question Game - Angel Petropanagos, Philosophy
  • Post-it Empowered - Megan Popovic, Kinesiology

2009

  • The Medium is Still the Message: Generation Text Meets Marshall McLuhan - Mike Arntfield, English
  • Fossil Analogies: Correlating Primate Behaviour and Morphology - Zoe Morris, Anthropology
  • Art Theory Review Pie - Helen Parkinson, Visual Arts

2008

2007