Profiles

Guest Contributor

teslontario

John Allan @mrpottz

Hi—I'm John Allan. I am an educator who works in the technology enhanced language learning field. I create online learning opportunities and mentor instructors on the Avenue project. I have experience teaching ESL and EFL in Canada and the Middle East. I hold an MSC in Computer Assisted Language learning, a M.Ed. in Distance Education, TESL B. Ed., a B.Ed. (OCT), and a variety of TESL relevant certifications from TESL Canada, TESL Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Education. For more articles, learning objects, projects and blog links see https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnharoldallan

Cecilia Aponte-de-Hanna

Hi, my name is Cecilia. I love taking part in good brain awakening discussions. Blogging, I find, lends itself for that. I also believe in sharing my skills through scholarly practice, which is why I write regularly and have presented at several conferences, including TESL Ontario, TESL Toronto, CALL, and at Seneca College. My M.A. in applied linguistics along with my skills and experience have led me to my current position at Centennial College, where I teach English and ESL in the School of Advancement. I'm truly passionate about what I do: teaching, writing, creative expression, and helping my students (both L1 and L2) gain agency and take control of their own learning. Thank you for your readership and I look forward to reading and answering your comments. You can find me on Twitter @capontedehanna

Svjetlana Vrbanic @lanavrb

My name is Svjetlana Vrbanic—Lana—and I am a newly certified adult ESL teacher. I completed a degree in English and worked as a teacher and newspaper reporter/editor. Work has allowed me to travel from Labrador to Alberta and enjoy many great experiences. I was born in the former-Yugoslavia, but lived in Toronto most of my life. I can speak Serbo-Croatian, but primarily use English and love sharing what I know with students from all over the world. I like to have a good time and enjoy pursuing interests like cooking, running, volunteering, learning about health and psychology, and spending time with my niece, two rambunctious Jack Russell terriers, and a shy, but loveable cat. I am excited to blog about my experiences which will hopefully inform and entertain, as well as help support a vibrant teaching community. Wishing my colleagues many happy adventures in teaching.

Sherry Hejazi

Hi everyone! My name is Sherry, and I have been teaching adult learners for the past 18 years. I am an OCT certified teacher with a master’s degree in Education. I teach English, ESL, OSLT, research and report writing courses at a post-secondary level of education. As an educator, I am passionate about incorporating diverse instructional strategies that would benefit students with various learning abilities. I am also passionate about research and implementing various ED-Tech tools in developing and instructing various courses. I am very glad to be a part of the TESL Blog team.

Setareh Dabbagh

Greetings from the bottom of the heart of an educator. I’m Setareh and I have tried to be an agent for change through being an EFL/ESL instructor for over ten years now: change from uncertainty to assurance. I studied English Literature and went on to continue my studies in TEFL. As a learning facilitator, trying to empower learners and helping them get control over their learning pursuit is what I feel passionate about. I like sharing my teaching and learning experiences with my passionate fellows through writing as well. My area of professional interest is writing- be it blogging, short story, translation, or content writing. I see writing as a blue bird of some sci-fi movies with many wings. My writing wings are amazing books, moving movies, great company, healthy food, and physical and mental exercise.

Jennifer Hutchison

Hi everyone. I’m Jennifer Hutchison and I teach EAP and communications at George Brown College in Toronto. I also teach a sociolinguistic course in the English Foundation Program at Ryerson University. In my spare time, I write short stories, read, exercise, and bake (the last two are codependent). Teaching English is my passion. I am curious about the world around me and feel fortunate to have that world brought to me every day in the classroom. Nevertheless, I took a circuitous route to discover this passion. After my undergraduate degree in French and translation, I worked as a translator and then veered off into writing and editing, which I did from home while I raised my children (four of them!). In none of these positions (except, possibly, childrearing) was I helping anybody, so I returned to school, launched my ESL career, and have never looked back. I look forward to working with you and sharing experiences and strategies on the Blog!

Beth Beardall

Hello TESL O members. I'm Beth Beardall. I co-manage the Blog website alongside of Jessica Freitag. I truly enjoy working with the TESL Ontario Blog Administrator Team and have been volunteering with the TESL O Blog since 2017. I am OCELT certified and have a master's degree in Adult Education. I work in the LINC/ESL program with adult learners. I enjoy learning from others, teaching or tutoring ESL and getting to know people from around the world, and, of course, copy editing and proofreading. I've been doing all three both on a volunteer basis and professionally for more than 15 years.

Bei Zhang

Hello, my name is Bei Zhang. I am delighted to be part of the team to share my ideas and experience. I am currently working at Huron University College as an English Language Learning specialist. My job there is to help international students with their academic English language skills. I also teach ESL and LINC at Thames Valley District School Board, and ESL at London Language Institute, a private language school in London. I graduated in 2018 with a master’s degree in Education Studies from Western University, focused on applied linguistics and teacher education. I also have a background in human resources management. I hope that my unique perspective of teaching ESL in different educational systems can benefit the TESL Ontario Blog and our members.

Gonul Turkdogan

Gonul has a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Women Studies, and a Master of Applied Linguistics (TESL), both from Brock University. She has taught ESL in China and Turkey. Since 2013, she has taught a variety of EAP courses at Niagara College in the School of English Language Studies. Gonul currently works in two part-time positions: as a Drop-In Facilitator in the Niagara College Library, and as an interpreter for the Canadian Border Service. Her research interests are Extensive Reading and Second Language Reading.

Andrew Shedden

Hi! I’m Andrew Shedden. Like most people, I fell into ESL by accident. I was preparing to apply for my Master’s in history and decided I wanted to teach in Japan beforehand as a vacation. I got a CELTA degree so I would know what this teaching thing is all about, but one thing led to another and although I never actually made it to Japan as a teacher (or applied for a Master’s program), I’ve been teaching ESL ever since! I've been teaching EAP for over 10 years now... I love the focus on academic writing and English, since I can vicariously go back to university through my students. (I do miss it!) My other professional love is computers. I’ve been obsessed with them since I was 3, and I’m always trying to learn more about how to incorporate IT into my program and classes.

Heather Donnelly

Heather Donnelly has been a faculty member at Fanshawe College since 2015. She has also taught EAP/ESL courses for a number of colleges and universities in Ontario and Manitoba. She is very interested in the professional identity development of novice ESL instructors, and this topic was the focus of her 2015 MEd thesis "Becoming an ESL Teacher: An Autoethnography." She enjoys writing about ways to navigate the TESL job market.

Sarah Langridge

Hi! I'm Sarah Langridge Bitar. Passionately obsessed with teaching, it is a part of everything I do. I work full-time as an EdTech Development Coordinator at Carleton University and work part-time as an ELT instructor in an IT program. I've taught everything from literacy to EAP and anything in between. I've worked all over Kingston and Ottawa in ESL and for Global Affairs and NAV Canada as a Pedagogical Advisor and Learning Quality Specialist. I enjoy writing and sharing my research with others, so I am excited to have a platform to encourage all of you, and challenge you to think about your teaching and learning methodologies. I'm on my way to work in the photo here, and I just think, if you aren't having fun, you aren't doing it right. Feel free to connect on LinkedIn to learn about my other publications.

Sarah Martinez

Hi! My name is Sarah and I'm a Guest Blog Administrator. I recently completed a B.A. in Communication Studies and I'm currently pursuing my OCELT certification. I'm is a freelance ESL instructor and eLearning developer, and earned my TESL Certification four years ago. I teach English to Francophone students of all levels through a language school based in Quebec. While studying Spanish I developed an appreciation for the difficulties of learning a new language with little to no immersion. I have since delighted in helping others gain confidence in their English communications. Recently, I've embarked on a new adventure to acquire French as my third language - Wish me luck! Souhaite moi bonne chance!

Allison Keown

Allison is the Executive Director of TESL Ontario, and has been supporting the TESL community for more than 12 years through her role within the organization. She is passionate about engaging with TESL Ontario members and volunteers and working with the community for the betterment of the TESL profession. She has focused her career in not-for-profit management for the past 20 years, building diverse, member-centric, supportive professional communities.

Kevin Slack

My name is Kevin Slack. I am new and old. I mean: I have been teaching ESL for the TDSB for the last three years, but I taught EFL in Korea and Ecuador years ago (when nothing at all popped or cracked when I stood up). I also taught high school English and Visual Arts. Between my bookends of teaching, I was an artist, a writer, and a freelance web developer. I am ever-curious about language, communication, and self-expression, and it continues to excite and satisfy me to be part of a welcoming, engaging, and enriching space where people can connect, share, and expand – with language, of course, but not only for language. I like coffee, irony, Oxford commas, and semicolons; I generally dislike socks – huzzah for teaching online! – and exclamation points.

Kevin O'Brien

Dave Fraser

Claire Green

Hello! My name is Claire and I am the Blog Administrator for Guest Bloggers. I grew up in Toronto, but have been spreading my roots in Ottawa for the past few years. I started my career as an ESL teacher last summer and am passionate about the variety of challenges and opportunities this field provides. I currently work as an EAP teacher and have started getting into the LINC/ESL world as well. I love learning from others and sharing experiences and I look forward to playing a larger role in the TESL Ontario blog. While not prepping for lessons or looking over assignments, I can usually be found looking up new recipes to try in the kitchen (or sitting somewhere peaceful and reading)