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Elizabeth Ferrante

Elizabeth is a faculty member in the Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language program and a full-time Instructional Designer. With over a decade of diverse educational experience, she has taught English language learners of all ages, from preschoolers to working professionals, in the United States, South Korea, India, Vietnam, and Canada.

In Canada, she has worked extensively with federal employees, managing language training programs across 15+ government departments. Her contributions include developing standardized language assessments, designing tailored curricula, facilitating teacher workshops, and managing virtual language instructors nationwide to enhance instructional quality and foster effective second-language acquisition.

Elizabeth focuses on designing engaging, learner-centered experiences for both in-person and virtual classrooms, utilizing various technological tools to improve student outcomes. She strives to bridge the gap between the classroom and real-world experiences by fostering learner autonomy and engagement, integrating authentic applications, and employing interactive, practical learning strategies.

She holds a Master of Education in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum with a specialization in TESOL from the University of Missouri and a post-graduate certificate in Technical Writing from Algonquin College. She is also accredited as a TESL Trainer by TESL Ontario.

Diane Ramanathan

Diane Ramanathan has been an instructor in the Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language program since 2012. She holds the OCELT accreditation by TESL Ontario, a CERTESL Post Graduate Certificate from the University of Saskatchewan and B.A. from Lakehead University. She has extensive experience in all aspects of teaching adult ESL, having taught in community-based programs, the private sector, and college and university programs in Canada and abroad since 1996. She has been facilitating professional development training for ESL instructors in Canada for 6 years in her role as a member of the executive of the TESL Ontario local affiliate as well as online via the Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) funded platform Tutela.ca.

Iryna Kozlova

Iryna Kozlova, Ph.D., is a professor in the Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language program. She holds the OCELT and TESL Trainer accreditation from TESL Ontario, an M.A. in Teaching International Languages from California State University-Chico, and a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Georgia State University. As a language instructor and an instructor of Applied Linguistics, she has worked with students from diverse cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds including international students, immigrants, and both pre-service and in-service teachers in the United States, Canada, Ukraine, Russia, and Mongolia. Her teaching experience includes teaching courses in Applied Linguistics at the graduate, undergraduate, and TES/FL Certification levels, teaching ESL/EFL, and teaching Russian as a foreign and heritage language.

She also has extensive experience teaching and developing online courses and training online teachers. Her research interests include application of technology for second/foreign language teaching and learning, task-based learning, the use of second/foreign language spoken discourse in the classroom setting and in casual conversation. Dr. Kozlova was a recipient of the Teaching Achievement Award at Carleton University for innovative approach to university teaching. As part of an international team, she received an Honorable Mention in the International E-Learning category of the International e-Learning Association Awards for the project “Language Teaching and Learning in 3D Virtual Learning Environment”. Some of her articles were published in Language Learning and Technology, CONTACT, and Australian Journal of TESOL. She also has book chapters in several volumes on teaching and learning in virtual environments.

Dmitri Priven

Dmitri Priven is Program Coordinator in the Teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language program, where he is also a course instructor. He holds the OCELT accreditation by TESL Ontario, a M.A. in Applied Linguistics from York University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics at Carleton University. He has extensive experience in all aspects of teaching adult ESL in Canada and internationally, having for the past 20 years taught in community-based programs, the private sector, and college and university programs. Dmitri has also been a teacher trainer at Algonquin and the University of Ottawa for over 10 years. His current research interests are form-focused instruction in English for Academic Purposes programs. He has also published on bilingual and heritage language education and teacher training in online synchronous environments in Language Learning and Technology, Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, and Journal for the Education of the Gifted. In 2013, Dmitri was finalist for Capital Educator Awards, and in 2020 received the Algonquin College Laurent Isabelle Teaching Excellence Award.