Collective Leadership and Dreaming as Resurgence

Valeria Cortés and Russell Johnston are named Kelly Teaching 2024 Outstanding Team Teacher honourees. The Kelly Outstanding Teaching Awards are open to all Royal Roads University faculty members who are actively engaged in teaching for-credit or non-credit courses at RRU.  A call for nominations is sent out each spring to faculty, staff, and students.

Dreaming is an Everyday Act of Resurgence, written by Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua, is one of the texts of the Collective Leadership course that Russ Johnston and Valeria Cortés designed in 2020 and have facilitated as part of the Project Administration Program offered through Professional and Continuing Studies, in partnership with Indigenous communities. Val and Russ encourage learners to dream big, to dream about the world they would like to live in, not only for themselves but for the future generations.

At the heart of Val and Russ’s work is the recognition that learning is not just about acquiring knowledge, but what the learning community–instructors and students, together– do with it. The foundation of the course relies on Anishinaabe philosophy of Mino Bimaadiziwin (good path) and Mexica teachings of Nahui Ollin (four movements). These perspectives invite the learners to engage on their own paths toward living well and striving for harmony. It is an invitation for learners to bring their whole selves, their stories, their culture, and their dreams into the learning space.

Val and Russ’s approach is based on relationality. From this lens they see learners as more than a role in an institution, they take the time to get to know each student and provide an environment that nurtures learning inside the classroom while creating the flexibility for learners to show up for themselves, communities, and nations outside of it.

“From the moment I entered the learning space, there was a friendly, inclusive tone set by Val and Russ. To start, we were assembled in a circle and encouraged to share about ourselves. Both instructors took the lead on this and shared Mexica and Anishinaabe culture. This holistic approach was woven throughout the course. These different perspectives were very interesting and relatable to my own Métis culture. In fact, recognizing the similarities was an opportunity to reflect on some of the unknowns that I’ve experienced in my heritage, all the while exploring new ideas and concepts.”  (quote from former student)

Russ and Val hope that learners carry these teachings forward and create the world each of them dream of, every day at a time.