The College Association for Language and Literacy (CALL) is a group comprising all teachers of reading and writing from Ontario's 24 public colleges. The purpose of the group is to engage in an ongoing, critical discussion about reading and writing pedagogy. An annual CALL conference is also held each year at a different college. At this conference, college English teachers present their latest developments in delivering their reading and writing curricula. This type of information sharing is critical in ensuring that all college teachers follow best practices in reading and writing pedagogy. At this conference, teachers from across the province have the opportunity to learn from one another and to provide feedback on current practices.
Currently, I am the Treasurer for this organization, which means that I also sit on the Executive Committee. As part of the Executive, I am involved in decisions about how to strengthen the organization and participation within it. I feel that this is an extremely important position in order to maintain high standards of reading and writing instruction across the college system. I am also grateful to represent Humber, a college that is considered a leader in reading and writing education. Humber has a lot to offer the organization in terms of its expertise, but it also has much to learn from what the other colleges are doing.
http://www.callontario.org/
Currently, I am the Treasurer for this organization, which means that I also sit on the Executive Committee. As part of the Executive, I am involved in decisions about how to strengthen the organization and participation within it. I feel that this is an extremely important position in order to maintain high standards of reading and writing instruction across the college system. I am also grateful to represent Humber, a college that is considered a leader in reading and writing education. Humber has a lot to offer the organization in terms of its expertise, but it also has much to learn from what the other colleges are doing.
http://www.callontario.org/
The Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing (CASDW) is a nation-wide group dedicated to research on writing. As part of this organization, I am able to engage in discussions about composition research with faculty from both universities and colleges across the country. Whereas CALL comprises mainly English faculty and has a focus on pedagogy, the CASDW comprises all levels of administration and faculty and has more of an academic, research-based focus. This organization provides a great theoretical complement to the more practical CALL organization. Being a member of this organization is helping me to develop a theoretical framework for my pedagogy.
http://casdwacr.wordpress.com
http://casdwacr.wordpress.com
TESL Ontario is an accrediting body for Teachers of English as a Second Language. In order to become a member of TESL Ontario, you need to complete a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language from an accredited institution.
Being a member of TESL Ontario is very important to me. The fact that ESL teachers have a professional body to represent them demonstrates that the field of ESL teaching is vast and important. English language learners (ELL) at post-secondary institutions, unlike their native-speaking counterparts, need to grapple with demanding curriculum while still developing their English language skills at the same time. Therefore, it's important to recognize that their learning needs exceed those of the typical domestic college student. At Humber, we have the luxury of having an ESL stream for our reading and writing courses. These courses are taught by faculty, many of whom are TESL Ontario members, who have extensive training with this special learner group. TESL Ontario provides ongoing professional development for these faculty, which is imperative for helping them deliver effective curricula for ELLs.
I have become a much more reflective teaching practitioner since becoming a member of TESL Ontario. It's made me a better teacher not just for my ESL classes, but for all of my reading and writing classes at Humber.
http://www.teslontario.net/
Being a member of TESL Ontario is very important to me. The fact that ESL teachers have a professional body to represent them demonstrates that the field of ESL teaching is vast and important. English language learners (ELL) at post-secondary institutions, unlike their native-speaking counterparts, need to grapple with demanding curriculum while still developing their English language skills at the same time. Therefore, it's important to recognize that their learning needs exceed those of the typical domestic college student. At Humber, we have the luxury of having an ESL stream for our reading and writing courses. These courses are taught by faculty, many of whom are TESL Ontario members, who have extensive training with this special learner group. TESL Ontario provides ongoing professional development for these faculty, which is imperative for helping them deliver effective curricula for ELLs.
I have become a much more reflective teaching practitioner since becoming a member of TESL Ontario. It's made me a better teacher not just for my ESL classes, but for all of my reading and writing classes at Humber.
http://www.teslontario.net/