Staff

Bruce has been Director (Academic) of International Programs since 2004 where he oversees programming and instruction. Bruce is interested in how language support can be tailored to meet the needs of both international and domestic English language learners in post-secondary contexts. His research interests include specific purposes language assessment, content language integrated learning, translanguaging, and reliability and validity issues in language assessment.

As part of the English language teaching community, his focus is on public spaces for exploring teacher identity and development. These primarily include spaces like #tleap (bit.do/tleap), 4CinELT (fourc.ca), and IATEFL Teacher Development Special Interest Group (tdsig.org). As a university EAP instructor, his main area of interest is collaborative and cooperative intensive reading. This manifests itself mostly through his work on the Critical Reading & Writing and Information in the Digital Era courses, and through authoring Academic Reading Circles (bit.ly/arc-book).

Since obtaining her PhD in history from the University of Toronto in 2019, Susan Benson-Sokmen has been a sessional instructor at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). She spends her time not teaching writing in cafes in Toronto’s East End and doing research in Northern Kurdistan/Eastern Turkey.

Alexandra Guerson has been teaching world history in the IFP since 2010, where she gets to combine both her expertise in history with her past experience as an international student. At New College, she also coordinates New One: Learning without Borders.

John McGaughey has been teaching English for academic purposes (EAP) for over 15 years at universities in Canada and in South Korea.  His research interests include Vygotskian sociocultural theory and activity theory in understanding second language teaching/learning, teacher and learner identity and the first-year international ESL student experience; language policy and planning as well as translanguaging in EAP classes.

Kerstin Sandstrom has been an ESL professional for more than 20 years. She began her focus on EAP in 2008, and has been teaching at the University of Toronto for the last nine years. Kerstin is currently the Lead Instructor for Academic Listening and Speaking with the University of Toronto’s IFP program. In this role, she has developed a focus on curriculum and assessment design, as well as invigorating the speaking elements of the course by introducing vocabulary for production, speaking mechanics, and Academic Listening Circles.

Janine Rivière has been teaching EAP and undergraduate History courses at universities in Canada and Australia for over 10 years. She received her PhD in History from the University of Toronto and is the Lead Course Instructor of the University Skills and Strategies course in the IFP. Rivière has published widely on the cultural history of dreams and nightmares in the early modern period. Her book – Dreams in Early Modern England – was published by Routledge in June 2017.

Çağrı develops outcome-based, student-centred curricula taught at his direction, using the latest online teaching tools. His interests span theoretical, applied and computational linguistics. His research focuses on syntax, first and second language acquisition, and language documentation. He has been teaching EAP and ESL for more than a decade in Canada, Japan and China. He also works on the interplay between data science and linguistics. Çağrı strives to make sure that his courses are informed by theory, practice and technology in order to deliver a well-rounded, 21st century education to his students.

With nearly 15 years of experience in English language education, Stephen began his career as a teacher in South Korea after completing his B.A. After seven wonderful years, he returned to Canada to further his studies and continue his career as an English language educator in the post-secondary sector. Prior to joining the IFP, Stephen taught English for Academic Purposes in the GTA at George Brown College and Seneca College, as well as in China for short-term teaching projects. Now, as the Program Advisor, Stephen provides support to all IFP students in their academic journeys by sharing his expertise and experiences in English language learning and higher education.

Chiharu has been with the International Programs team since 2019. In her role, Chiharu assists in academic administration, managing inventory and records, and handles enquiries from students and instructors. Outside the office, she’s known as the “walking vintage dictionary” and enjoys yoga, photography and café hopping!

Nermine Abd Elkader has a special interest in ontological dialogue as an approach to transformative education. She believes that such dialogue is needed and often overlooked in second language teaching. It is especially important in EAP which prepares students to be linguistically competent in a post secondary setting. With some of the most recent approaches-such as Plurilingualism and Critical Pedagogy- emerging in EAP, Nermine is interested to see how she can incorporate Dialogic Pedagogy into these approaches to achieve a deeper and more equitable EAP education.

Farhana Ahmed has a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from York University, Canada. Her area of concentration was educational technology in higher education. She also has a Masters (with thesis) and TESL Ontario certification from York University. Dr. Ahmed has specialised in the teaching of ESL, EAP and Business English in countries including Canada, Bahrain, Singapore and Bangladesh. She is currently working at University of Toronto and Sheridan College. Her publications and research projects have examined student and teacher beliefs towards educational innovation, online/blended language teaching methodology and curriculum design, along with virtual reality environments for the learning and teaching of languages and teacher education.

Christina Cole has a particular interest in teaching second language listening, pronunciation, and using technology to facilitate language learning. Prior to the IFP program, she taught EAP at Sheridan College and Mohawk College and English Literature at York University. She has presented at TESOL, TESL Ontario, and TESL affiliates on diverse topics. She was team lead in the development and launch of TESL Ontario’s inaugural webinar series.  Currently, she is a member of a research project at York University, investigating language teaching technology use in post-secondary EAP programs.

Jeannie has taught EAP for over ten years in Canadian universities. She has both developed and instructed university bridging programs for first-year economic and engineering students. Jeannie teaches academic listening and speaking with a focus on presentation, note-taking and lecture listening skills. She also teaches a business writing/communication course at York University. Jeannie has specialized training in and has tutored students with acquired brain injuries (ABI).

Since completing my Ph.D. at King’s College London, U.K. in 2003, I have worked in Iran, the UK, and Canada. My research revolves around socio-political aspects of academic literacy in higher education, which has led to various peer-reviewed publications. I have a wide range of post-secondary experience, ranging from teaching EAP and ESL to supervising postgraduate students. Currently, I teach EAP at the International Foundation Program at the University of Toronto.

Sa’diyya has been teaching mathematics for the International Foundation Program since 2013. Her courses aim to better prepare incoming students for mathematics at the University of Toronto by bridging the gap between grade school and university-level math. The central goal is to provide students with the fundamental skills and reasoning training required for success. Her passion for mathematics is joined by an enthusiasm and curiosity for the pedagogical creativity required to make mathematics accessible for all students.

Carlos is an experienced multilingual language instructor who has over 13 years of experience teaching ESL. He has been teaching EAP for the last 5 years in different academic institutions across the GTA, such as McMaster University, George Brown College and Conestoga College. He has recently joined the IFP Program after teaching in a different academic program at U of T. He is fluent in Spanish, German, French and Italian. His passion for languages and different cultures has given him the chance to teach in China, South America and Europe. His current interests include the emphasis on learning strategies to promote student autonomy. When not teaching, Carlos enjoys going for long runs, working out at the gym or learning a new language.

Rebecca (she/her) has taught writing, research, and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at universities in the United States and Toronto for the past 20 years. She has also worked as a journalist, textbook writer, exam designer, online course designer, writing centre manager, diversity consultant, and illustrator. Her work inside and outside of the classroom informs her research interests in formative feedback, critical thinking, creativity, and equity.

After teaching EFL and American Drama in Japanese universities, Ai has been teaching EAP in Canada for 10 years. She is particularly interested in student growth, self-reflection, and wellness. Pursing ever more possibilities for creative classroom environments, she has been implementing sustained silent reading and self-reflective writing times in her classes. When not teaching, she is an avid piano player and a passionate theatre-goer.

Conttia Lai has taught Academic Reading and Writing in the IFP since 2015. Prior to teaching at New College, she taught academic and professional English to undergraduate students at the University of Hong Kong and academic writing to graduate students at the University of Toronto. She has a PhD in Language and Literacies Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. She specializes her research in academic writing practices of international students, learner motivation and autonomy, and self-directed language learning.

Vijay Ramjattan teaches Academic Listening and Speaking in the IFP. He is an interdisciplinary researcher who examines the intersections of language, race, and work in a range of professional settings. This research interest has taken the form of studies on racism and teachers’ work in English language teaching as well as how speech accent becomes a site of racialized workplace learning for international teaching assistants.

Arlene has been an instructor of Academic Listening and Speaking for many years.  In her quest to develop listener autonomy, she strives to assist her students with the deep metacognitive processes of listening whereby they might notice where they normally would not and then looking at evidence of that learning in their speaking and writing.  Arlene has taught ESL to Newcomer adults and Business Communications in the college system. In the corporate sector, she has facilitated courses in socio-cultural communication as well as Occupation Specific Language Training for Accounting and Finance, harnessing from her many years with IBM Canada, Ltd.

Zoltan has over ten years  years of experience teaching ESL to students from a variety of cultures and countries; he has taught in Canada, Spain, Hungary and the UK. For the past eight  years he has been working as an EAP instructor in the International Foundation Program (IFP) at the University of Toronto during the September-April academic year. During the summer breaks, Zoltan  combines his love of travel and teaching by working as a pre-sessional university tutor at various UK universities. His particular  area of interest  within EAP is vocabulary  acquisition and learning strategies.

Fiore has been teaching English as a Second Language for over 10 years. For the last 5 years, he has been teaching EAP reading and writing courses at both the University of Toronto and Humber College. Fiore has been a TESOL practicum sponsor teacher, and he has also developed curriculum for Humber College courses for Speaking and Pronunciation, and a UofT ROTMAN Commerce preparation course. Fiore’s interests include providing individualized support for students through the Learning Support Program with the goal of helping students improve pronunciation and writing skills.

With 30 years of experience in public and private sector education, I am passionate about language teaching in all its forms. I am particularly focused on the way EAP intersects with cultural equity and social justice. My current interests include test design and the construction of PLNs through social media. .

Interested in learning about different cultures and acquiring new languages herself, Claire has taught EFL in a variety of countries in South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.  For the past seven years, she has been teaching ESL and EAP for both the ELP and the IFP programs at U of T. She has also developed curricula for the Trinity College exams, the MELAB and IELTS tests. From working with foreign students from various L1 backgrounds, she is interested in how to successfully change fossilized pronunciation features.

My fascination for education started when I was a child attending innovative alternative schools in Toronto, and after twenty-odd years of teaching, my interest in effective, critical, and learner-centred pedagogy continues to grow. As a teacher I value active learning, social justice, mutual trust and respect, humor, and kindness. Of particular scholarly interest lately has been the relationship between learner and teacher identity, autonomy, and motivation. When not teaching, I enjoy singing (ok, yes, sometimes while teaching too), and designing maps of imaginary places.

Cat teaches Critical Reading and Writing for the International Foundations Program at the University of Toronto. Her research is focused on the evaluation of online platforms and their affordances to further academic writing in higher education. Currently, Cat’s projects include exploring writer commentary on evidence and collaborating on creating an evidence-based pedagogical approach to categorize comment types.

Alice has taught EAP for over ten years in universities in Canada and the Middle East, primarily within academic reading and writing.  Her area of interest is critical pedagogy and the sociocultural, political and educational contexts of students that impact learning in the classroom.  She is also interested in teacher development and contributes to this as a board member of TESL Toronto. She has helped to organize conferences such as T4T and TOSCON with the board.  Her other teaching experiences include business English, IELTS prep, and general English to newcomers and refugees in Canada and overseas. She is a language learner of Korean and Arabic.

Keshav has 20 years of experience teaching adults in various national and international contexts . He has taught Business communication courses such as Public Speaking, Technical Writing, Cross Cultural Communications in Business Contexts to undergraduate students. Also, Keshav has worked extensively on designing and teaching various EAP/ESP courses to undergraduate students. He is TESL Ontario Certified Instructor and Trainer and teaches ESL (English as a second language) to adults pursuing communicative/academic English education in Ontario. Keshav has presented in various international forums/conferences some of which are at Harvard University, University of Nevada, University of Brunei, University of London. His research interests are post -Secondary Education, Adult Education, Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching & Training, Business English. Keshav has been an IELTS Speaking & Writing examiner with both British Council and IDP for the last 9 years. Prior to his teaching in Canada, Keshav has taught in countries like Bhutan, Saudi Arabia & Oman.

Tracy specialises in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and has taught at universities in Southeast Asia and Toronto for the past 20 years.  Her main research interests include information literacy skills in EAP, specifically the ability of students to incorporate outside sources in their academic writing and the language learning/affective benefits of extensive reading in EAP programs.

Since 2005, Lindsey has been teaching mathematics, computer science, and other related topics at the University of Toronto St. George campus. She joined the IFP team in 2011 as the instructor of the economics course, and is also coordinating the first year Calculus for Commerce course for the Faculty of Arts and Science. Her research interests focus on the overlap between the psychology of learning and STEM education.