Krista Hunt
Krista has been teaching gender studies courses at York University and the University of Toronto for the last two decades. She holds a Ph.d. in international relations and women and politics. She has received multiple awards for her teaching approach including the Certificate of Recognition for exemplary support of Student Accessibility Services (2021-22); the York University President’s University-Wide Teaching Award (2016), and the Award for Teaching Excellence (University of Toronto Student Union/APUS, 2008). Over the years, Krista has learned from her students that they want to be actively engaged in the learning process and they want to act on what they’ve learned. They want learning to apply to their lives - and their future. Through action and reflection, students who work with Krista ‘learn by doing’. Her goal as a teacher is to create active, engaged environments where students can apply what they’ve learned about themselves and the world. ‘Now that I know all this, where do I begin?’ becomes an ongoing process of action and reflection. Currently, she is working on a major teaching development grant for her experiential learning project: “Activating Education: Teaching Tools for Unlearning”. Through this project, Krista has developed experiential learning tools and curriculum focused on deepening students’ understanding of power, privilege and political change, as well as their agency in working towards social justice. Krista works with teens and young adults to hone their academic and life skills so they can meet the many challenges they are facing inside and outside of school. Krista's goal is to teach learners how to think, rather than what to think, as well as how to become active and compassionate community members. What most excites her about learning is supporting students to ask the questions no one else is asking and to help them to find their own unique answers. As a life-long learner, Krista has been doing ‘me-search’ on her family and their relationship to colonialism in Canada. This started from a DNA test taken by a relative revealing that there was information that the family did not know about. From there, she began searching for the stories of her grandmothers and has traced her mother’s family back 12 generations. You can read some of these ‘herstories’ at medium.com/@kristahunt. When Krista isn’t teaching, she leads accessible chair yoga classes at local women’s shelters. Her favorite things include taking long walks with her partner Michael, paddle-boarding, doing yoga in the park, trying new vegan recipes, eating chocolate and playing with her dogs.
Teaching Philosophy & Approach
Learning about strategies for political and social change is central to my courses. As students become more aware of the intersectional violence and discrimination faced by women, Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ and people with disabilities, a major challenge they express to me are feelings of hopelessness. Asking ‘now what’ epitomizes experiential education and provides the most effective and empowering way to learn. Students who engage with this learning process will deepen their understanding of power, privilege and political change, and their agency in achieving social justice. Students remark on the impact of this approach these courses: Your classes were two of the very few classes in my undergrad that actually made me feel like I'm an effective agent of change. – K.S Never before have I been so thoroughly engaged...What I learned will forever change the way I look at and interact with the world. - S.W If you're ever in doubt about the impact you're having, know that students continue to remember your classes with great fondness, know that in the 3rd largest city in North America, two people who randomly met at a rally share in common the experience of being inspired by you. – L.C.G. My teaching approach seeks to amplify diverse voices, provide activities that complement a wide range of learning styles, and create opportunities to challenge assumptions and stereotypes about ourselves and others. My students are engaged in ongoing dialogue about the politics of what, why and how they are learning. We focus on questions, rather than expert answers, and always connect theory and action. As a teacher, my intention is to inspire, motivate and challenge students to become independent, critical thinkers and empathetic community members.
“There is power in a great teacher, and it lies in how they bring out the power of their students.”
Teaching Level:
- Middle
- High School
Teaching Type:
- Full-Semester Classes
- Full-Year Classes
- Partial Year Classes (Mini Courses)
Courses that Krista Hunt Teaches
Krista Hunt
Krista has been teaching gender studies courses at York University and the University of Toronto for the last two decades. She holds a Ph.d. in international relations and women and politics. She has received multiple awards for her teaching approach including the Certificate of Recognition for exemplary support of Student Accessibility Services (2021-22); the York University President’s University-Wide Teaching Award (2016), and the Award for Teaching Excellence (University of Toronto Student Union/APUS, 2008). Over the years, Krista has learned from her students that they want to be actively engaged in the learning process and they want to act on what they’ve learned. They want learning to apply to their lives - and their future. Through action and reflection, students who work with Krista ‘learn by doing’. Her goal as a teacher is to create active, engaged environments where students can apply what they’ve learned about themselves and the world. ‘Now that I know all this, where do I begin?’ becomes an ongoing process of action and reflection. Currently, she is working on a major teaching development grant for her experiential learning project: “Activating Education: Teaching Tools for Unlearning”. Through this project, Krista has developed experiential learning tools and curriculum focused on deepening students’ understanding of power, privilege and political change, as well as their agency in working towards social justice. Krista works with teens and young adults to hone their academic and life skills so they can meet the many challenges they are facing inside and outside of school. Krista's goal is to teach learners how to think, rather than what to think, as well as how to become active and compassionate community members. What most excites her about learning is supporting students to ask the questions no one else is asking and to help them to find their own unique answers. As a life-long learner, Krista has been doing ‘me-search’ on her family and their relationship to colonialism in Canada. This started from a DNA test taken by a relative revealing that there was information that the family did not know about. From there, she began searching for the stories of her grandmothers and has traced her mother’s family back 12 generations. You can read some of these ‘herstories’ at medium.com/@kristahunt. When Krista isn’t teaching, she leads accessible chair yoga classes at local women’s shelters. Her favorite things include taking long walks with her partner Michael, paddle-boarding, doing yoga in the park, trying new vegan recipes, eating chocolate and playing with her dogs.
Teaching Philosophy & Approach:
Learning about strategies for political and social change is central to my courses. As students become more aware of the intersectional violence and discrimination faced by women, Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ and people with disabilities, a major challenge they express to me are feelings of hopelessness. Asking ‘now what’ epitomizes experiential education and provides the most effective and empowering way to learn. Students who engage with this learning process will deepen their understanding of power, privilege and political change, and their agency in achieving social justice. Students remark on the impact of this approach these courses: Your classes were two of the very few classes in my undergrad that actually made me feel like I'm an effective agent of change. – K.S Never before have I been so thoroughly engaged...What I learned will forever change the way I look at and interact with the world. - S.W If you're ever in doubt about the impact you're having, know that students continue to remember your classes with great fondness, know that in the 3rd largest city in North America, two people who randomly met at a rally share in common the experience of being inspired by you. – L.C.G. My teaching approach seeks to amplify diverse voices, provide activities that complement a wide range of learning styles, and create opportunities to challenge assumptions and stereotypes about ourselves and others. My students are engaged in ongoing dialogue about the politics of what, why and how they are learning. We focus on questions, rather than expert answers, and always connect theory and action. As a teacher, my intention is to inspire, motivate and challenge students to become independent, critical thinkers and empathetic community members.
Teaching Level:
- Middle
- High School
Teaching Type:
- Full-Semester Classes
- Full-Year Classes
- Partial Year Classes (Mini Courses)