Tyler Muzzin

Tyler Muzzin is a Grade 8 teacher working in Webeque First Nation, where he collaborates with local Knowledge Keepers and Elders to develop an experiential, place-based curriculum grounded in outdoor learning. He has developed his own approach to environmental education, tailored specifically to his on-reserve setting, where students can engage directly with the land and local knowledge systems. Tyler believes that time spent outdoors is one of the greatest remedies for the technological alienation many young people experience today, and he encourages all stakeholders to view outdoor learning not as an “alternative,” but as an authentic approach to education and healthy development. Tyler is being recognized as an honourable mention for the 2025 Edward Burtynsky Award for Teaching Excellence in Environmental Education.

Tyler first began teaching as a Master’s of Fine Art’s candidate at the University of Lethbridge in 2017. His work focused on photographic representation of outdoor environments and how they affect public ideas of ecological citizenship, wanting to show how art can inform and influence the way we perceive ourselves, as individuals and as a collective in a bioregion. Due to the nature of his work, he often taught his classes outside, where he first found that students expressed themselves in more creative and intuitive ways. 

This experience shaped his teaching philosophy, and he carried it with him when he started teaching intermediate and senior students in Huntsville, Ontario, bringing his students outside on a regular basis. He, again, noticed students performed at higher levels, specifically students with ADHD and those who find traditional academic formats challenging. Going outside often improved participation, attendance, and student sociability and etiquette. For Tyler, and his students, being outside leveled the learning playing field. 

Branch 3: Integrated Learning/The Flow of Knowledge

When Tyler was at Lakehead University, he was mentored by David Greenwood, who wrote the influential essay The Best of Both Worlds: A Critical Pedagogy of Place. In his approach to environmental inquiry, teachers are encouraged to focus on the “direct social and ecological places in which the students live out their lives.” Historically, the concept of Critical Pedagogy has been very successful in addressing oppression and power imbalance, and helps students examine how social and political structures shape their lives. However, it is often based in an urban context. Greenwood argues that a Critical Pedagogy of Place extends this work by incorporating environmental inquiry in every subject area, recognizing that every educational context is connected to place. For Tyler, this pedagogy shapes his daily practice, grounding every learning experience in the land, relationships, and the everyday experiences of the place his students call home.

Tyler has decided to incorporate conversations about the Ring of Fire in his curriculum in Webequie, due to the close proximity of the community. In Science they studied Boreal Forest ecosystems, with focus on waterways and ecology and learned about the various minerals being targeted by mining companies, and their uses. The class also spoke to Elders about the community connection to the Land for spiritual and physical sustenance and learned how to prepare traditional foods like smoked fish, boiled goose, moose dumplings and fish flake pemmican. 

The group met with Askii Environmental Consultants to discuss Webequie’s reliance on diesel fuel, who proposed biomass boilers as an alternative. They also visited Wisk Air’s helicopter drilling operation at the airport and learned about the environmental assessments being conducted by wildlife biologists from AtkinsRéalis. Whenever an experiential opportunity for environmental inquiry arose, Tyler’s students were there to engage with it.

Branch 4: Moving Towards Sustainability/Breathing with the World

Webequie First Nation is 500 kilometres North of Thunder Bay, and is a fly in reserve for most of the year. In this community, students have different needs, and a teacher must be sensitive to their priorities, such as access to  clean drinking water, housing and food. Larger-scale environmental issues are difficult to consider when basic needs are not being met.

Tyler has had to rethink sustainability as akin to survival in a remote community, being impacted by climate change. In his teaching, sustainability can take many practical forms. It might mean knowing where to find the best firewood without depleting an area or disrupting natural growth, or learning to cook basic staples in order to save money and eat in a more healthy way. It can involve acquiring traditional skills such as hunting geese, bear, and moose, fishing throughout the year or crafting garments like moose-hide gloves and beaver-fur hats. Through these activities, students gain both practical knowledge and a deeper understanding of living responsibly within the natural world.

In his role as a non-Indigenous guest, Tyler cannot teach these cultural skills, instead making space for members of the community to share their knowledge. He believes that if students are equipped with these sustainable attitudes, they will possess stronger connection to land and have a stronger voice against issues of resource exploitation facing Webeque and other similar communities. 

Integrating Indigenous Perspectives

Integrating Indigenous perspectives is an ongoing commitment for Tyler, which he intends to continue throughout his career. His work is grounded in the understanding that Indigenous perspectives are not homogenous and every community and individual has a unique perspective. This approach differs from that of many courses dedicated to Indigenous education, which present tidy dichotomies between Indigenous perspectives and Western perspectives. Tyler keeps this complexity in mind and avoids making blanket statements.

When integrating Indigenous perspectives, Tyler goes to the source whenever possible by inviting Indigenous guest speakers. He also understands that it is necessary to recognize that some students may not want to discuss sensitive topics, such as residential schools or MMIWG, and that it is important not to tokenize students or expect answers from them.

When teaching on the land, Tyler is reminded of something a Métis herbalist once said to him: “To truly get to know a plant, you have to start a relationship with it — just as you would with a person.” He believes this can extend to all facets of environmental education, and that science is important but means nothing if we don’t care deeply about what we’re studying. Tyler integrates the Mi’kmaq principle of Two-Eyed Seeing into his practice, balancing modern science with traditional ecological knowledge. 

Professional Initiative and Community Collaboration

Tyler believes enthusiasm for environmental education is contagious and has seen his own excitement ignite curiosity in both students and colleagues. He finds that colleagues experience barriers when attempting to participate in environmental education, such as  feeling unqualified, a perceived lack of measurable payoff in areas of evaluation, feeling uncomfortable and politics within schools and school boards. Often, Tyler’s lessons involve simple tasks, such as collecting and drawing spruce cones found near the school. He believes that by keeping environmental education simple, more teachers can be encouraged to get outside with their students.

Tyler’s school has a cultural department with funds for environmental and traditional education experiences. This allows him to hire locals who are more familiar with the land, who then form relationships with the students, while Tyler focuses on how to connect these experiences to the curriculum.

Learn more about Tyler’s practice on his Portfolio website.

By Andreas Gross, Natural Curiosity Program Assistant