Kathy Walsh

Kathy Walsh is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University and a member of the Miawpukek Mi’kmaq First Nation. Before joining Memorial, she dedicated nearly two decades to the K–12 education system, where she focused on advancing Indigenous education through curriculum innovation, teacher professional development, and community-based initiatives. This experience has shaped her scholarly and professional commitment to decolonizing education and strengthening the presence of Indigenous voices, knowledge, and pedagogies in formal learning spaces.

Kathy is currently completing a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership and Policy within the Ts’kel – Indigenous Educational Leadership and Resurgence program at the University of British Columbia. She also holds a Master’s degree in Indigenous Education from the University of British Columbia, a Graduate Certificate in Ethnomathematics from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and a Bachelor’s of Education from McGill University. Kathy is also certified as a Forest and Nature School Practitioner through the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. Together, these academic and professional experiences reflect her dedication to both land-based and community-engaged approaches to learning that affirm Indigenous worldviews.

Her research and teaching specialize in Indigenous education and curriculum design that brings together Western and Indigenous ways of knowing and doing. She works to create learning environments that help both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners connect classroom knowledge to Indigenous knowledge systems, languages, and places. Central to her work is the belief that decolonizing education requires curricular and pedagogical approaches that are culturally responsive, community-driven, and rooted in Indigenous epistemologies. Her scholarly interests include developing and implementing curriculum projects that integrate Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, advancing culturally sustaining pedagogies, and cultivating educational practices that affirm identity, belonging, and ecological responsibility.

Kathy’s research is guided by Indigenous research methodologies, grounded in Indigenous paradigms and principles of relational accountability, respect, and reciprocity. She views research as a living relationship, an ongoing dialogue with community, land, and knowledge systems, that demands accountability to all relations involved. Her methodological approach emphasizes the importance of engaging with Indigenous communities not as research subjects but as co-creators of knowledge, ensuring that the outcomes are relevant, beneficial, and transformative for those communities.

Drawing on her experience as a science teacher and science curriculum consultant, Kathy’s current research focuses on developing a project-based learning framework rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems, with a particular emphasis on water-based pedagogy connecting STEM subjects with Indigenous knowledge. This framework is informed by principles of cultural relevance, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment. By centring water, an element of profound cultural, ecological, and spiritual significance in many Indigenous traditions, her project seeks to cultivate a sense of belonging, strengthen cultural identity, and foster ecological consciousness among learners. Drawing on community engagement and intergenerational knowledge, the framework aspires to move beyond traditional educational boundaries, offering a model of learning that reflects Indigenous values and ways of relating to the world.

Through this work, Kathy aims to contribute to the ongoing resurgence of Indigenous educational practices while offering pathways for educators to engage in meaningful, culturally grounded, and socially responsible pedagogy. Her scholarship affirms the interconnectedness of Indigenous communities with their environments and cultures, while advancing approaches to education that are not only inclusive but transformative.