From Maps to Meaning: Katey Kyle’s Approach to Teaching Geography
Lecturer in Geography | Centre for Culture and Global Studies (CCGS) 
CTL Teaching Fellow
For Catherine (Katey) Kyle, geography is not simply the study of places — it is a way of understanding connection, responsibility and belonging.
Her own educational journey reflects both Kyle’s curiosity and commitment. After completing an Associate of Arts degree at Langara College, she earned a BA at UNBC, followed by a Master of Geographic Information Systems at the University of Calgary. In 2011, Kyle began her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at UBC Okanagan — the final stop on what she fondly describes as her “Western Canadian tour” of post-secondary institutions.
UBC Okanagan became home, both professionally and personally.
A Classroom Built on Energy and Possibility
As a lecturer in Geography, Kyle focuses her energy entirely on teaching and teaching-related initiatives — a role she considers a privilege.
“The energy that students bring to the classroom, and their zest for new knowledge, drives me,” she says.
That energy fuels her continual refinement of courses, assessments and teaching approaches. Her goal is clear: students should leave her classroom as more informed and critical global citizens. Rather than embracing the traditional “sage on the stage” model, Kyle sees herself as a facilitator of learning. Through intentional course design rooted in accessibility and inclusive pedagogy, she works to create conditions where students can succeed while engaging deeply with disciplinary knowledge.
Her commitment to teaching extends beyond her own classroom. As a two-year CTL Teaching Fellow, she has co-facilitated Communities of Practice through the Centre for Teaching and Learning — one focused on Access, Inclusion and Place-based Teaching, and another supporting the experience of contract faculty. Within her department, she shares pedagogical insights through a regular “Pedagogy Corner” segment in meetings and newsletters, fostering a culture of reflective teaching among colleagues.
This past year, her work expanded further when she joined the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Curriculum Committee, gaining new insight into the complexity of building robust and meaningful learning opportunities across programs.
Learning from Place
Although her current role does not formally include research, Kyle’s teaching is deeply shaped by her scholarly past. Her doctoral research examined Chinese and Japanese market gardeners in the Okanagan, exploring overlooked histories embedded in the landscapes students move through every day. She also contributed to research under the direction of Dr. Lael Parrott, studying biodiversity on agricultural lands, landscape connectivity and ecosystem services in the Okanagan.
These projects continue to inform her commitment to place-based learning — grounding abstract geographic principles in the lived realities of the region.
She is currently engaged in a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project comparing student engagement in online versus in-person classes, drawing on data from the university’s learning management system to refine course design and improve student experience.
The Power of One Sentence
Kyle often reflects on a moment that crystallized the influence educators can have.
While teaching an upper-level course in critical cartography, she asked students — mostly geography majors — why they chose the field. One student replied that it was because of something Kyle had said in an introductory class four years earlier about the power of maps.
“One single sentence, one single slide,” she recalls, “had shaped the rest of their educational journey.”
The moment was both humbling and clarifying. It reinforced her responsibility to be thoughtful and daring — to provide not only foundational knowledge, but also the ideas that might spark a student’s future path.
Her guiding inspiration echoes what geographer Dr. Waldo Tobler once articulated as the first law of geography: all things are related, but near things are more related than distant things. For Kyle, this principle extends beyond spatial relationships. She hopes students begin to understand how deeply connected we all are — and how individual and collective actions shape the world around us.
Recognition and Looking Ahead
Last year, Kyle was honoured with the Outstanding Instructor Award, recognition that affirms the impact of her work. Yet when asked where she sees herself in five to ten years, her answer is simple: right where she is.
While some view a lecturer position as a stepping stone in academia, Kyle sees it as an honour — an opportunity to devote her full energy to teaching and service. She hopes to continue growing as an educator and pedagogical influencer, contributing meaningfully to the university community.
Beyond campus, she and her family take full advantage of the region’s landscape — cross-country skiing one day, downhill skiing the next; camping and paddleboarding through the warmer months. The same connection to place that shapes her scholarship shapes her life.
And if colleagues know her as a geography lecturer, a CTL Fellow or a Girl Guides volunteer, they may not know she’s also earned ribbons at the Armstrong Fair for quilting, jam-making and photography — small but joyful testaments to creativity and care.
For Kyle, whether in a classroom, a community or the wider landscape, the thread is the same: connection matters. And through geography, she helps students see it.