| Profile
► Teacher, creative, flexible, experienced Teaching Experience, partial list 2002-present
PROFESSOR University of Toronto Toronto, ON ► 2005 Teaching Communication Skills for Computer Scientists, Computer Science Department
► 2002-4 Taught interpersonal communication courses with the School of Continuing Studies (SCS), ► 2003-4 Coordinator of teaching team for new course in Business Fundamentals Certificate program, Effective Communication and Negotiation
► 2002 Demonstrated skills of a “master teacher” at the SCS Instructors' Professional Development Conference 2001-2003 2004, 2001
PROFESSOR Sheridan College, Oakville, ON ► Professor in Faculty of Community and Liberal Studies teaching interpersonal communications, speaking, and writing skills (2004) ► Professor in the Theatre Arts Technical Program teaching speaking (2001)
1986-present At Mohawk, I developed and taught courses to students in all college programs including nursing, engineering, media studies, business, and the trades. Areas of instruction included 1999, 1986 Workshop Leader, recent activities, partial list McMaster University 1999-2001 Creating a Supportive Environment, Communicating Nondefensively, and Listening with Empathy, Training and Development Series, Human Resources. These workshops are offered to all staff and faculty at McMaster. 1999, 2001 Must We Whisper in the Library?, a workshop for McMaster Library staff on improving communication with patrons, co-workers, and supervisors. University of Toronto 1997-2001 Effective Group Work, an interactive lecture presented yearly for over 100 students in digital media design and business of software classes, aimed at improving their teamwork in group projects. 2001 Communicating Nondefensively. This workshop was designed for the Innovations Foundation, an organization which helps university researchers commercialize their inventions. Mohawk College, Faculty of Continuing Education 1996-2003 Every semester I offer a variety of writing, speaking, or interpersonal communication workshops to CE students at Mohawk. Recent popular inventions include sessions on writing family stories and keeping creative journals. Community and Industry 2003-4 Currently completing a series of communication workshops and follow-up sessions for nursing staff at St. Peter’s Hospital. 2003 My presentation, Workplace Gossip, has been requested by several businesses and agencies following its success at the McMaster conference in February 2003. Clients include the Human Resources Professional Association of Halton. 2000-2003 I am active in staff development for Participation House. My most recent workshop is called Comedy and the Caregiver. This workshop includes improvisation activities for staff and discussion with actors who are both participants in improv comedy as well as caregivers for brain-injured clients. Improving Caregiver-Client Communication, Participation House, March of Dimes, Shalom Village, and other supportive housing agencies. (2001-2) 1997-2003 Frequent presenter of communication workshops for the two Hamilton-area boards. I have participates every year in their Parent Conference and have spoken at PD days for speech pathologists, teachers, educational assistants, and custodial staff. I also taught in the Harassment Mediator Training Program. CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS, recent Ongoing Co-coordinator of PoeMagic. This is a multicultural, spoken word, dub and performance poetry event which encourages new writers to perform mostly memorized pieces. Third Friday every month, Staircase Café Theatre, Hamilton. We were featured on CBC radio’s new spoken word show, WordBeat, in February 2004. 2004 I was asked to present a speech at the Hamilton Interfaith Group’s “Evening of Sacred Storytelling” on Jewish heroism. 2004 Staircase Theatre Educational Program (STEP). I am a member of the STEP Board of Directors. 2003 Co-founder and producer of the theatre company, Pinking Shears Productions, which recently presented plays in in both the Hamilton and Toronto 2003 Fringe Theatre Festivals. 2002 Co-coordinated a three-day Jewish Literary Festival in Hamilton which featured 24 writers from across Canada and attracted over 100 participants. Publishing, Editing, Media Work, partial list 2004 Appleseed Quarterly, article relating Moses’s final words before the Jewish people entered Israel to the importance of storytelling 2004 Poetry included in first two editions of literary journal, Hammered Out. 2003 Edited “Identity and the Jewish Writer: A Panel Discussion”, Parchment: Contemporary Canadian Jewish Writing, 11th Issue. 2002 Editing and assisting with creating a manual for high school English teachers. This manual explains the new curriculum and requirements for Grade 10 literacy test (EQAO), with Anthony Whitman, Department Head, English, Hagersville SS. 1998-9 Member of the Hamilton Spectator's Community Editorial Board responsible for writing regular columns on community issues. 1996, 1998, 2001 Wrote Instructor's Manual and Test Item File for three editions of a major Canadian communications text book (Mastering Human Relations, Prentice-Hall) 1989-2003 Published articles, short stories and poetry in The Globe and Mail, The Hamilton Spectator, short story collections, and literary arts journals. 1976-2001 Host and producer of numerous community radio shows, Vancouver and Hamilton. Contributions to College Community, partial list 1993-1995 Founder of Women's Issues Network (WIN), an independent college group consisting of over sixty faculty. 1993-96 Co-founder and co-editor of The Call Magazine, an academic journal for language teachers in Ontario's community colleges. 1992-94 Executive member of College Association for Language and Literacy (CALL), representing the Niagara region and Executive member of Ontario Council of Teachers of English, Communications, and Language Arts (OCTECLA), representing colleges. 1992 Co-chaired with Kathleen Troy, CALL '92 conference hosted by Mohawk. ► The conference attracted 200 Ontario community college language teachers – the most successful CALL conference to date. Education 1985 Completed all exams and coursework for a Ph.D. in English, McMaster University. Area of Specialty: Canadian Literature. Completed M.A. (English), McMaster University in 1981. 1977 Completed coursework towards an MEd (Curriculum) at Brock University. 1976 Completed B.A., Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. . 1974 Completed Professional Development Program leading to a BC Teaching Certificate, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University. Granted an Ontario Teaching Certificate following two years of successful teaching in Ontario. ► I am a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. |
"Thank you so much for the wonderful session on Sunday [Feb. 20, 2011]. I think your way of leading us through the writing exercises is very special, particularly in the way you are able to build trust among the participants and to make them feel safe writing about and talking about very personal matters."