Teaching and Learning at the U of A spotlights instructors in the classroom and beyond. Through these stories, we hope to inspire others in our shared commitment to teaching and learning.
Nancy Bray, an Associate Lecturer in the Department of English and Film Studies, had an epiphany during the pandemic that sparked a big shift in the way she approached her time in the classroom.
As Bray explains, the pandemic pulled everyone out of their routines and required instructors to rethink their pedagogy. Within her professional community, conversations began emerging about how to best connect with and support students during what was a difficult time, and she was particularly drawn to discussions about empathy in pedagogy.
“I realized that what truly mattered in teaching was empathy,” says Bray. She adjusted her instructional style to lead with empathy, finding that it came naturally to her. “I felt more like myself in the classroom and I could see the impact on the class environment and my students.”
Now, one of her biggest priorities for every course she teaches is to create a sense of community in the classroom. This is an essential foundation for the central work of what Bray does as a Writing Studies instructor — helping students find their voices.
“If students feel my genuine interest and care for them, they are more likely to trust me with their words,” says Bray. “With their trust, I can help them navigate some of the more difficult aspects of learning to write and communicate.”
Her commitment to building that trust and cultivating strong relationships, both between herself and the students and among the class as a whole, deepened when she began teaching in the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program.
“That program’s elders, leaders and students really centred relationships in their work,” says Bray. “I realized that relationships were the heart of teaching writing because writing is where we learn to belong to our community and where we learn to speak our power.”
Once the classroom feels like a true community, Bray often takes a step back, creating opportunities for her students to lead. She incorporates group work, class discussions and peer feedback, empowering students to amplify their own voices and thrive.
“One of my most treasured moments as an instructor came when I had student groups lead a class,” Bray recalls. “I sat in the back of the classroom and watched how they engaged each other in the course material in wonderfully creative ways. It was a beautiful moment that I played no role in other than letting the students lead their own learning.”
The rise of AI has been a major challenge in her field. Nowadays, Bray says there’s much less focus on teaching “correctness” in writing, as students can easily use AI resources to check the grammar and punctuation of their work. Instead, she often calls the students to reflect on something deeper. “We need to start talking a lot more about what makes writing human — critical thinking, creativity, innovation,” says Bray. “Good writing is much, much more than grammatically correct sentences.”
Bray also recently began teaching an online class that has required her to rethink how to build a foundation of trust in different types of classrooms. Not only is the class much larger than normal for her — there were 150 students per section, and she anticipates 250 per section next year — it’s also delivered asynchronously.
“That’s really challenging my pedagogy — I’m trying to take these ideas of community and consider how I can build it in that big, asynchronous classroom.” As a trial this semester, she split students within the course into smaller writing groups of 10. There have already been examples of students connecting outside of class with those in their small groups, cultivating supportive pockets of community within the larger class.
Ultimately, for Bray, it always comes back to her students. “They continue to surprise and delight me every semester. I love watching them become more confident writers and communicators,” she says.
“I think the ability to teach someone to find their voice and to find their power through writing is just amazing and so rewarding.”