Celebrating the 2026 recipients of the Saunderson Award for Excellence in Teaching
Two University of Manitoba educators whose work has transformed student learning and advanced teaching practice at UM and beyond are the recipients of the 2026 Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Saunderson Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Darja Barr and Dr. Michelle Honeyford are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to teaching, mentorship, curriculum innovation and educational leadership.
For nearly two decades, Darja Barr has helped students move beyond simply completing university math courses to seeing math as a tool for building confidence, critical thinking and future possibilities.
Barr has earned a reputation for helping students succeed in courses that many find intimidating. She is known for creating welcoming learning environments, setting clear expectations and helping students build resilience through incremental challenges and achievements.
In Introduction to Calculus, one of the university’s largest mathematics courses, Barr’s students consistently achieve results that exceed departmental averages. By combining evidence-based teaching practices, like active learning, worked examples and Socratic dialogue, Barr helps students engage with challenging concepts and develop skills for future study and careers in mathematically intensive fields.
One of Barr's most significant contributions was the redesign of Applied Finite Mathematics into an innovative Track A/B model that better supports students with varying levels of preparation. Featuring an early-alert system and differentiated learning pathways, the redesign reduced failure and withdrawal rates while improving overall academic performance. The model has since been shared nationally and adopted at other institutions.
Students regularly praise Barr’s teaching style, describing her as approachable, engaging and deeply invested in their learning. Her contributions have been recognized through numerous teaching awards.
Beyond her own classroom, Barr has helped strengthen student success through initiatives that improve preparation and access. She co-developed the Department of Mathematics’ diagnostic testing system and LevelUp, an online remediation program that supports foundational skill development. She has also championed Indigenous student success through the Path2Math Academy and the PIMS Math Academy for PINE (Pathway to Indigenous Nursing Education), while contributing to initiatives such as Indigenizing MATH 1020: Mathematics in Art, and collaborations with UM Access and the Faculty of Science’s Wawatay program.
Barr’s leadership has had an impact well beyond the University of Manitoba. Through research, publications and presentations, she has contributed to national conversations about mathematics education and student success. She also advances mathematics education through her involvement with the Canadian Mathematical Society and the First Year Mathematics and Statistics in Canada network.
Her work has also helped strengthen K–12 to post-secondary transitions. Over the course of her career, she has collaborated with the Winnipeg School Division and Kelvin High School to align high school and university calculus curricula, bringing together educators, administrators and policymakers to support student preparation and academic achievement.
Colleagues recognize Barr's dedication to mentoring the next generation of educators. As lead of the department’s Graduate Teacher Training Program, she supports graduate students and early-career instructors in developing effective teaching practices and engaging with the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Guided by her belief that success in mathematics is empowering, Barr continues to create opportunities where learners see themselves as capable and successful.
Through her teaching, mentorship and leadership, Barr has had a lasting impact on students, colleagues and mathematics education at UM and beyond.
Michelle Honeyford has shaped language and literacies education through innovative teaching, community-engaged scholarship and supportive mentorship. She is recognized with the 2026 Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Saunderson Award for Excellence in Teaching for her wide-ranging influence on literacies education in Manitoba and beyond.
Throughout her career at UM, Honeyford has helped transform how teachers approach writing instruction, literacy learning and engagement with the broader learning community. Her contributions to teaching include a wide range of courses in the Faculty of Education, as well as work with schools, professional organizations and community-based learning initiatives.
Honeyford’s teaching is grounded in a vision of education that is relational, ethical and transformative. In her classrooms, students are encouraged to think critically, ask questions, embrace uncertainty and explore new possibilities. Her teaching philosophy invites learners to examine assumptions about literacy, knowledge, power and identity while cultivating agency as educators and scholars. Her dedication to continuous learning, scholarship and pedagogical innovation further strengthens the learning experiences she creates with and for students.
Beyond the classroom, Honeyford has played a pivotal role in the growth and evolution of CanU, an organization that works with schools to offer year-round programming for youth in Grades 5-12 from newcomer and racialized communities. Through the program, Faculty of Education teacher candidates work in teams alongside Honeyford to design and lead their own interest-driven afterschool programs. Teacher candidates are supported by Honeyford in sharing ideas and reflecting on their teaching and learning as they create relational communities for young people to pursue new interests, learn and have fun. The program has created meaningful connections between the university and community.
Her influence is also evident in the Manitoba Writing Project, which she co-founded with Dr. Wayne Serebin and now co-directs with Dr. Jennifer Watt. The project is a highly regarded source of professional learning for educators and graduate students and has received international recognition. As the first, and for many years, the only Canadian site officially affiliated with the National Writing Project in the United States, the Manitoba Writing Project reflects Honeyford’s vision, expertise and leadership in literacies education.
Throughout her teaching and scholarship, Honeyford champions social justice, equity, diversity and anti-oppressive practices. Drawing on critical and sociomaterial literacy theories, as well as anti-colonial, transcultural and feminist perspectives, she invites educators to examine how power and privilege shape language and literacies curriculum, teaching and assessment. Her courses encourage students to recognize inequities within colonial educational systems and to reimagine language and literacies pedagogies that value diverse ways of knowing and being.
Her belief that meaningful learning extends far beyond a course is reflected in the enduring relationships she builds with students and educators. Students consistently describe Honeyford’s classrooms as intellectually demanding and deeply caring spaces, grounded in trust, reflection and collaborative knowledge-building.
Through her work as an educator, researcher, mentor and teacher-leader, Honeyford continues to shape the future of teaching and learning in literacies education in Manitoba and around the world.
At UM, we encourage life-long curiosity while providing tools – inside and outside the classroom – to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Empowering learners is one of the strategic themes you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.
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