Raj Khatri | George Brown College (original) (raw)

Land Acknowledgment:
I acknowledge that I am on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples. I am grateful for the opportunity to live, learn, and share here.

About me:
Land Acknowledgment: I acknowledge that I am on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, and other Indigenous peoples. I am grateful for the opportunity to live, learn, and share here.

About me: As EAP/ESL instructor, I have always enjoyed, for over 20 years now, facilitating both adult and K-12 classes that include international and immigrant students and students with refugee backgrounds in a variety of settings across North America and Asia. The use of different teaching methods, techniques, and approaches, including CLT and universal design for learning (UDL), has immensely contributed to my working with students from a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds and hugely supported my commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity over these years. In addition to working with EAP students, I have engaged in mentoring pre-service EAP/ESL instructors for a few years now. I appreciate George Brown College's providing me with the opportunity that allow me to continue to engage in supporting students in their academic pursuits through application of inclusive practices in a communicative language teaching environment and learning from and sharing with colleagues and building expertise in my capacity as Professor of ESL-SoTL at the School of ESL within the College's Centre for Preparatory & Liberal Studies (CPLS). As well, I am grateful to the Department of Linguistics of the University of Victoria for the opportunity I was provided with for about five years to serve as TESL Practicum Supervisor and share with and learn from pre-service TESL instructor-colleagues and enhance my knowledge and expertise in the field. In addition, my work as ESL Instructor III at the University of Regina for two years and a half before joining Camosun College in Victoria as ELD Instructor in the fall of 2014 was crucial to further advancing in the field. I always appreciate the opportunity I was provided with in the process of facilitating EAP, ESL, LBS and LINC classes in various capacities, including Professor at Centennial College and Instructor at the Toronto Catholic District School Board and Seneca College in Toronto in the past.

Awarded the University of Victoria Fellowship and the Geoffrey & Alix O'Grady Scholarship in Linguistics for Academic Excellence, I worked with Dr. Li-Shih Huang during my PhD studies in linguistics, with a major focus of research in applied linguistics. Prior to completing my Special Education program with Honours at Queen’s University in Ontario and was certified to teach in the K-12 public education system as an Ontario College teacher (OCT), as well as to teach adult ESL classes as TESL Ontario accredited instructor in 2009, I worked with Dr. April Haulman during my second Master’s degree in TESL at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). At UCO, I received the President’s Honour Roll for four consecutive semesters and graduated Summa Cum Laude. I was deeply honoured when Brad Henry, then Governor of the State of Oklahoma in the United States, recognized my public input about college safety and public education in 2007 and 2008.

Holding the belief that it is important to give back to the community, I have always been engaged in voluntary activities, both in professional and community contexts, and have been enjoying working with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. My voluntary services extend from supporting schools in Nepal, working with Plan International Canada on their 'Because I am a Girl' initiative in Nepal, to facilitating ESL/EAP classrooms at various settings, including at the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, and Regina Public Schools and supporting voluntary organizations that include WoodGreen Community Services (Toronto, where I mentor internationally trained ELT professionals), Regina Food Bank, the Salvation Army (Regina), the Regina Green Patch, and Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society in various capacities.

I have been an accredited member of TESL Canada (Professional Standard III Permanent; since 2009), and Ontario College of Teachers (OCT; since 2010), and I hold Saskatchewan Professional 'A' Certificate. As well, as a member, I have been participating in professional development activities at TESOL International since 2007. My areas of research interests are L2 reading, L2 reading strategies, adult ELLs with disabilities, UDL among EAP students, and action research.

Thank you!
Supervisors: Dr. Li-Shih Huang (Ph.D. Supervisor), Dr. Leslie Saxon (Supervisor - Ph.D. Candidacy), and Dr. April Haulman (M.Ed. Supervisor)
Address: British Columbia, Canada

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