SELS Dialogues Journal Volume 3 Issue 1

SELS Dialogues 

School of English and 

Liberal Studies Journal 

Volume 3, No. 1 (2023)

Land 

Acknowledgement 

Centennial College is proud to be a part of a 

rich history of education in this province and 

in this city. We acknowledge that we are on the 

treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas 

of the Credit First Nation and pay tribute to 

their legacy and the legacy of all First Peoples 

of Canada, as we strengthen ties with the 

communities we serve and build the future 

through learning and through our graduates. 

Today, the traditional meeting place of Toronto 

is still home to many Indigenous People from 

across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have 

the opportunity to work in the communities 

that have grown in the treaty lands of the 

Mississaugas. We acknowledge that we are all 

treaty people and accept our responsibility to 

honour all our relations.

Table of Contents 

Acknowledgements.. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 2 

Managing Editor’s Note by Sherry Hejazi... ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 3 

Educational Technology 

Gamifying Learning by Melanie Lee. .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 4 

What is AI by Tinghan Li and Dr. Richard Williamson . .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 6 

Will ChatGPT Get an A on My Test? by Vincent Wong . .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 8 

80 Ways to Use ChatGPT by Stan Skrabut Bolton, reviewed by James Papple.... .. ... .. ... .. ... 10 

Pedagogy and Critical Thinking 

Group Work: A Barrier to Learning? by Yangming Hu and Dr. Richard Williamson. ... .. ... .. ... 12 

COMM Students and Critical Thinking by Cecilia Aponte-de-Hanna .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 14 

Homi Bhabha’s “Third Space” in ESL Classes by Sohana Z. Haque .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 16 

Research Initiatives 

Exploring Explicitly Teaching Grammar Structures by Yousef Fooladi .... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 18 

Resilient IRIS Intergenerational Spirit Injury and Recovery by Helen M. Pearman Ziral.... .. ... 22 

Creative Pursuits 

Welcome to the Creative Pursuits Section by Philip Alalibo . ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 23 

Chapter 2: Paradise Lost by Marc Yamaguchi . ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 24 

Stratford’s New Much Ado by Ilana Lucas. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 27 

Sleeping Bag Transfer by Dr. Catherine Raine . ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 29 

Toronto by Prabha Jerrybandan... ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 31 

If and When by Golam Dastagir ... ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 32 

SELS Dialogues Editors .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 33 

Call for Submissions.... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... 36 

SELS DIALOGUES | 1

Acknowledgements 

I would like to extend a warm welcome and convey my 

heartfelt gratitude towards a few people who have helped 

make this issue of our department journal come into 

existence. 

To begin with, I would like to welcome and thank our 

department Dean, Meera Mather. Meera’s exceptional 

leadership and her unwavering commitment to growth and 

success of our department have helped our journal and 

editorial team return after a momentary pause. 

I would also like to welcome and thank our newest addition 

to our team, our department Chair, James Papple. James’ 

dedication to the department and his willingness to listen, 

advise, and lead has been truly inspiring. 

Additionally, I would like to thank our team of editors, Philip 

Alalibo, Zafar Khan, Marcel Cundari, Jill McDonald, Ivan 

Su, Shelley Steele, Paula Anderton, and BJ Jumnadass for 

being so gracious with their time, invaluable feedback, and 

commitment to the team. 

I would also like to thank all our staff and faculty who have 

been contributing to our department journal with their 

submissions and their constructive feedback in making this 

journal grow. 

Last but not least, I would like to thank my colleague, 

Marcel Cundari, whose invaluable support has played a 

pivotal role at every step of this endeavor. 


Managing Editor’s Note 

by Sherry Hejazi 

Welcome to the most recent issue of our publication, 

SELS Dialogues. In this issue, we delve into a wide range 

of subjects, from technology to pedagogy and critical 

thinking, research, and creative pursuits. Our dedicated 

contributors have generously shared their expertise, 

creativity, and enthusiasm in writing these articles, 

delivering valuable insights on various topics. 

Our technology section begins with Melanie Lee’s 

article, “Gamifying Learning,” where she unravels the 

fascinating world of gamification in education. Following 

this, Tinghan Li and Dr. Richard Williamson demystify 

artificial intelligence in “AI: What Exactly Is It and How 

Does It Work?” Their collaboration provides a clear 

and accessible insight into the complex field of AI. To 

complement this, Vincent Wong’s “Will ChatGPT Get 

an A on My Test” reflects on the role of AI in education 

and assessment. Finally, James Papple provides an 

insightful book review that adds depth to the ongoing 

discourse. 

In the research, pedagogy and critical thinking section, 

Yousef Fooladi’s “Teaching Grammar - Compound 

and Complex Structures” offers valuable guidance for 

implementing explicit vs implicit grammar teaching 

strategies in the language classroom. Additionally, 

Dr. Richard Williamson and Yangming Hu dissect 

the pros and cons of group work in “Group Work: A 

Barrier to Learning,” while Cecilia Aponte-de-Hanna 

discusses effective strategies for nurturing students’ 

critical thinking skills. Sohana Z. Haque explores the 

application of Homi Bhabha’s ‘Third Space’ in ESL 

classes, fostering a smooth transition for students. 

Finally, Helen Pearman’s PhD abstract, “ Resilient 

IRIS Intergenerational Spirit Injury of Diasporic African 

Women Spirit Healing and Recovery,” delves into a 

compelling area, shedding light on the healing and 

recovery. 

The creative pursuits section showcases the artistic 

talents of our contributors. Marc Yamaguchi offers 

a creative piece, “Paradise Lost,” and Ilana Lucas 

reviews a modern adaptation of a classic play in 

“Review: Stratford’s New Much Ado Runs Rings Around 

Tradition.” Catherine Raine’s “Sleeping Bag Transfer” 

(2020) presents an intriguing perspective on life’s 

journey. Golam Dastagir, in “If and When,” and Prabha 

Jerrybandan’s short story in “Toronto” take us on a 

poetic journey through their words and storytelling. 

We hope you enjoy reading this diverse collection 

of articles, each offering a unique perspective and 

contributing to the ever-expanding landscape of 

knowledge and creativity. Thank you to our contributors 

for sharing their expertise and insights with us. 



Gamifying Learning 

by Melanie Lee 

For many, rote learning can be boring and disengaging. 

Moreover, simply memorizing information or procedures 

through repetition without necessarily understanding 

the underlying concepts or principles does not 

sufficiently equip students to solve real-life problems. 

Thus, without any practical use, newly attained 

knowledge can quickly evaporate. 

So, what’s a better approach? How can educators 

design curricula in a way that is both meaningful and 

memorable? A well-designed video game may hold 

some of the answers to how learning can be gamified. 

Games talk 

First, good video games immerse players in an 

interactive world. In these alternate realities, players 

make decisions rather than passively observe a story 

unfold. In return, the game generates real time feedback 

and new solvable problems, depending on the choices 

and abilities of the player. 

For school, interaction also needs to support course 

content. This means that dialogue that augments 

learning material will help bring ideas to life and give 

students more practical applications with real impact 

and gusto. This type of conversational reinforcement 

also makes new knowledge stick and worth 

remembering. 

Games flow…with friction 

Next, good video games immerse players in a pleasantly 

frustrating experience by encouraging them to stretch 

without breaking their backs. In this state, they are 

motivated to embrace the struggle and push through 

since they know the prize is worth the fight. 

Similarly, when students are appropriately challenged, 

it can place them in an optimal state of learning or flow. 

Conversely, either an overpowering or underwhelming 

learning experience can lead to emotional roadblocks, 

which can have long-term negative implications on 

motivation levels. 

Games encourage risk-taking 

In addition, good video games are essentially all about 

taking risks. Otherwise, what’s the point? Players are 

expected to get curious, dig in, and explore. Failure is 

both a normalized and essential part of honing one’s 

gameplay. Not only does this risk-taking enhance a 

player’s skills and boost their confidence, but it can 

foster a growth mindset as well. 

On the other hand, education often sets up the 

classroom differently in that there is much less room 

for failure. When students perceive that venturing 

down paths less frequently explored will result in bigger 

consequences, they are more likely to opt for safety by 

colouring between the lines. This may be deemed neat 

and tidy, but does it foster creativity, critical thinking, or 

a passion for learning? 



Games are shaped by players 

Good video games are also about customization. 

Based on unique styles, tastes, and skill sets, players 

can modify both their identity and the world they are 

exploring. This also means that they can solve video 

game challenges in different ways. Ultimately, regardless 

of whether one’s choose-your-own-adventure is long or 

short, or bumpy or smooth, as long as they reach the 

finish line, it’s perfectly okay. 

Conversely, if students had creative rights to customize 

even a fraction of the school curricula, how much 

more would they invest in their learning? Having a say 

could lead to a more emotionally engaging learning 

environment since it reflects their needs and interests. 

Granted, teachers can’t cater to all preferences, but 

even just a little might go a long way. 

Games are logically scaffolded 

Good video games order problems in a way in which 

they fit together in a logical sequence. Challenges set 

players up for later success by gradually introducing 

key skills. And it’s these competencies that must be 

demonstrated and mastered before players can level up. 

Of course, a school curriculum’s framework is organized 

in a similar fashion. However, if learning material is 

poorly organized or overwhelming in breadth, students 

will miss crucial steps needed for academic success. 

This is especially true if it’s delivered haphazardly due to 

unrealistic deadlines. Ultimately, these small gaps will 

cause more serious issues later on in the process. 

Games blossom with teamwork 

Finally, good video games are designed for collaborative 

play. When players embrace this concept and realize 

that their contributions will benefit others, this sense of 

accountability and responsibility translates to a greater 

good. And, when the dust has settled, the team has 

created something marvelous together. 

The same can be said for education. When learning 

spaces foster and celebrate diversity, students will be 

more inclined to share their ideas without the fear of 

being judged. Ultimately, successfully leveraging the 

collective power of students’ unique worldviews will help 

deepen the learning experience for all and contribute to 

a rich learning community. 

A more gamified big-picture 

Overall, by strategically implementing some of the core 

tenets of good video games, learning has the potential 

to be more meaningful and enduring for students. 

References 

Csikszentmihalyi, M., and Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Learning, 

“flow,” and happiness. Applications of flow in human development 

and education: The collected works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 153- 

172. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9094-9_7 

Gee, J. (2005). Learning by Design: Good Video Games as Learning 

Machines. E-Learning And Digital Media, 2(1), 5-16. https://doi. 

org/10.2304/elea.2005.2.1.5 

Author’s Bio 

My name is Melanie Lee, and I have over 25 

years of experience in teaching ESL, including 

College English and occupation-specific language 

skills to internationally-trained business and 

healthcare professionals. I have designed and 

delivered specialized business and nursing 

communication courses and have provided many 

clients with personalized presentations and job 

interviewing skills coaching. 

I have been teaching COMM courses at 

Centennial since 2012. I believe that if my 

students have the right communication tools and 

strategies, it will build their confidence and lead 

to successful results.I completed my Master of 

Educational Technology (MEd) in 2022 and am 

currently working on my Master of Counselling 

Psychology, with an expected graduation date in 

2024. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time 

with my family, Shinrin-yoku (‘forest bathing’), 

and woodworking. 



What is AI 

by Tinghan Li and Dr. Richard Williamson 

ChatGPT, Siri, Alexa, Tesla autopilot. These words 

are now commonplace, and even kids know what 

they are. We know these programs as AI, or artificial 

intelligence. Ever since ChatGPT was released, the 

world has been abuzz about AI and what it could mean 

for our future. However, it has also resulted in the 

term “AI” being thrown around rather loosely. While 

modern chatbots and assistants are most definitely AI, 

there are many other things that would be considered 

artificial intelligence such as a program that creates a 

line of best fit on a cartesian plane. This will come as a 

surprise to most as anyone that has worked with graphs 

or spreadsheets will tell you this is one of the most 

basic of functions. My goal is to clear up some common 

misconceptions and to provide a formal definition of AI 

and machine learning. 

Let us start with a clear definition of the word 

“intelligence” itself. The Oxford dictionary states that 

intelligence means “something that is able to vary its 

state or action in response to varying situations, varying 

requirements, and past experience”. This encompasses 

humans, animals, and now, programs like ChatGPT. 

However, while we often think of smart and intelligent 

programs, AI includes much more than that. Artificial 

intelligence is what it sounds like, anything that can 

simulate intelligence is considered AI. In other words, it 

can perform the basic human functions of recognizing, 

predicting, and/or deciding. A simple example of AI 

would be old programs that identified whether or not a 

message was offensive. It would search for curse words, 

negative language, or common phrases that indicated 

anger or disrespect. These followed a set of rules, and 

were only as good as the programmer that made them. 

They also had no way to “learn” from the messages that 

they saw previously, and no way of understanding jokes, 

or slangs unless it was coded into them. 

A subset of AI is machine learning. This is where you 

will find the majority of the AI that we now interact with 

day to day. Machine learning is AI that can be trained 

on data, and then used to complete certain tasks. For 

example, YouTube’s recommendation algorithm learns 

from content you watched to make more accurate 

predictions about what you want to watch. At first it just 

guesses, or recommends what is popular. However, as it 

gets to know you, it gets better and better. One way the 

machine learning AIs do this is with a neural network. 

Think of it as a digital imitation of our brains. The 

neurons in our brain get stronger through using them 

more.. So, if you practice hockey often, your brain will 

strengthen neurons that relate to hockey. The neurons 

that relate to fine motor skills involved will likely also be 

strengthened so you can shoot the puck, or skate better. 



Machine learning works in a similar way. The input is 

fed through the network and passed through layers of 

neurons. At first, these neurons hold no meaning, but as 

the AI model is trained more and more, the neuron will 

be strengthened or weakened depending on how well 

the model does. 

Now that we have covered what AI is, and had a basic 

introduction into how AI learns with machine learning, 

I am sure you must be thinking, “How good can AI 

get? Will it ever be truly intelligent”? By the dictionary 

definition, AIs are intelligent. However, that’s not the 

standard we generally use. For example, you would not 

call a worm “intelligent”. So, the question now becomes, 

how close can AI get to human level intelligence? AI 

engineers use the phrase artificial general intelligence 

(AGI) to describe that. AGI includes common sense, 

logic, and morals. A simple example of AGI would be 

this: “It takes 5 shirts 5 hours to dry in the sun. How 

long does it take 30 shirts to dry in the sun with the 

same conditions?”. Most people would recognize that 

having 30 shirts and 5 shirts makes no difference to 

how long it will take, as the shirts dry independently 

of each other. However, ChatGPT treats this as a math 

problem, and reasons that it must take 30 hours as 

one shirt equals one hour. If we take a look at Bloom’s 

taxonomy, which is a way of ordering thinking skills, 

ChatGPT might be at the applying level, perhaps 

analyzing in certain situations. However, it never truly 

creates anything new, even the evaluations it makes are 

just regurgitating what it saw online. It is not truly taking 

in a new situation, and applying logical thought to it. It is 

also certainly not at the creating stage. You might think 

of image generating AIs like Stable Diffusion, or Dall-E, 

but they make something from a specified prompt. That 

image might be new, but all it does is mash different 

things together in a way that meets your demands. This 

is how ChatGPT does not truly write new stories; it pulls 

together information from related topics to essentially 

reword already written pieces. 

While AI is taking our world by storm, it is also important 

to understand exactly what AI is. It is not only the high 

level chatbots and image generators, but some of the 

simple things you take for granted are considered AI 

too. Then, there comes machine learning, where the 

true innovative and groundbreaking work is being done. 

While we have made leaps and bounds of progress in AI, 

it is still a relatively new field of study. Just think of what 

we can achieve in 10, 20, or even 30 years of time. 

Will AI ever possess artificial general intelligence (AGI)? 

Will AI become so human-like that it can essentially 

integrate into society? Or will we stagnate, unable to 

build evermore complex AIs because we are limited by 

our resources? I guess we will have to wait and find out. 

Co-Author’s Bio 

Tinghan is a grade 8 student in Shenzhen 

China. He is fascinated by artificial 

intelligence and its potential capabilities. He 

partnered with Centennial faculty member 

Dr. Richard Williamson in writing this article. 


Richard earned his B.A., B.Ed, M.Ed, and 

PhD. and has focused his entire career on 

teaching, learning, and research. He currently 

facilitates Centennial’s Leadership and 

Inclusion program. 



Will ChatGPT Get an A on My Test? 

by Vincent Wong 

ChatGPT is an advanced AI language model developed 

by OpenAI capable of understanding and generating 

human-like text responses across various subjects and 

contexts. It is either your worst nightmare or a dream 

come true whether you are a teacher or a student. 

Regardless of which side you are on, whether ChatGPT 

will ace your test should pique your interest. The answer 

will either leave your jaw dropping in disbelief or have 

you doing fist pumps in excitement. In this article, I will 

share my discovery journey of finding out the answer to 

that question for my assessments. 

It was early July; my 8-year-old daughter and I were 

both out of school. One afternoon, she came up with 

this game where she tries to make ChatGPT guess an 

object or a character she was thinking about. To her 

amazement, ChatGPT was able to guess everything she 

came up with, ranging from Rubrics Cube and Moana to 

more obscure things like Tapioca and Gravity. After an 

hour or so, she asked me “Baba…you think ChatGPTcan 

get 100 on your test?” Challenge Accepted! To initiate 

my experiment, I fed ChatGPT 3.5 one of my online 

assessments, verbatim. It was a biology test with a mix 

of knowledge-based multiple-choice (MC) questions, 

application questions (App) in multiple-choice format 

and multi-select (MS) questions that had more than 

one correct answer. ChatGPT scored 83%, substantially 

higher than the class average of 75%. The 70-minute 

test only took the AI 15 minutes to complete. It 

performed best with MC questions, producing a correct 

answer 93% of the time. It performed significantly worse 

in MS and application questions, scoring 72% and 

63%, respectively. This raised the question: How could 

I outsmart ChatGPT to the extent that it would stumble 

or even fail? To assess the limitations of ChatGPT, I 

changed different parameters for my test questions and 

fed them to the AI model. Let’s start with parameters 

that didn’t have any impact on the AI’s performances. 

• Number of choices: For MC and MS questions, 

doubling and even tripling the number of choices 

for each question had no effects on the test scores. 

ChatGPT took a few seconds longer to generate 

the answer, but the extra choices did not seem to 

confuse its programming. 

• Different wordings: ChatGPT was able to answer 

the questions correctly regardless of how the 

question was phrased. I tried replacing certain 

phrases with their definitions instead, but it had 

no effect. For example, instead of asking for the 

“expiratory reserved volume”, I asked for the 

“maximum volume of air exhaled” or the “ERV”. 

ChatGPT was able to identify them as having the 

same meaning. 

• Extra information: Including irrelevant information 

in the question has limited effect. For example, 

when I added information related to the heart in 

a question related to respiration, it had no effect. 

However, extra information for family members in 

a genetic question caused ChatGPT to generate 

the wrong answer. The AI model seems to be 

good at discerning information that are distinctly 

in different categories (e.g. heart and lung) but 

struggles when the extra information is similar to 

the relevant ones. Let’s look at some strategies 

that will either help reduce ChatGPT use or 

performance. 

• Lock-Down Browser: This is perhaps the most 

straightforward strategy. Lock-Down Browser will 

prevent copy and pasting questions directly from 

D2L into ChatGPT. The student can still type the 

questions into ChatGPT on a separate device but 

this will take significantly longer. This method 

doesn’t prevent the use of ChatGPT but should 

serve as a deterrent. 



• Use Images/Diagrams: Currently, ChatGPT3.5 

does not accept images and therefore is incapable 

of generating answers for questions that require 

analysis of images. For example, instead of 

asking “What condition could result in the plasma 

portion of blood turning red once the blood is 

fractionated?”, I showed a picture of fractionated 

blood with the condition. In another instance, 

I showed a graph that plots the result from an 

experiment and asked questions about it. Without 

the image, ChatGPT was unable to answer the 

question. 

• Applications: ChatGPT’s strength lies in its ability 

to draw information from its vast knowledge 

repository. It struggles with questions that require 

deduction, inference or analysis beyond factual 

recollection. It turns out, the MS questions on 

my test were a mix of knowledge-based and 

application-based questions. When I separated 

the MS questions into these 2 categories, ChatGPT 

failed 100% of the time with the MS application 

questions (i.e. application questions with multiple 

correct answers). It either misses some of the 

correct answers or chooses incorrect ones. 

This probably explains why the MS score was 

somewhere between MC and application scores 

from my initial testing. When I tested additional 

application questions (with one correct answer) 

from other assessments, ChatGPT consistently 

scored around the low 60% range. 

ChatGPT has proven itself to be a formidable tool 

capable of answering my test questions with impressive 

accuracy. While I have identified ways to reduce 

ChatGPT’s performances, my goal is not to create a test 

that ChatGPT will fail. If such a test exists, students will 

likely perform poorly on it as well. I don’t think we should 

be creating tests with the mindset that every student will 

be using ChatGPT during the test, that scenario is highly 

unlikely. Instead, what I learned from this exercise is to 

look at my assessments from a different perspective. 

Perhaps some of my test questions became obsolete 

in the era of AI. More powerful versions of ChatGPT 

are likely on their way, rather than working against it, 

maybe the best way moving forward is to incorporate it 

into my assessments. Maybe ask students to analyze 

and evaluate its response in an application question or 

maybe I can ask students to create test questions that 

ChatGPT cannot answer. The best approach will likely 

depend on the subject and the student demographic. 

So…will ChatGPT get an A on YOUR test? Maybe it’s time 

to find out. 


Vincent teaches in the Pre-Health program. He 

is interested in innovative ways to make learning 

a fun experience for his students. His teaching 

approach emphasizes on understanding rather 

than memorizing. Vincent’s own passion for 

science helps motivate students and ensures 

they remain engaged during his class. 



80 Ways to Use ChatGPT 

by Stan Skrabut Bolton, reviewed by James Papple 

In 80 Ways to Use ChatGPT in the Classroom, Skrabut 

takes a more unconventional approach towards 

education by inviting readers to consider ChatGPT and 

AI as a tool to extend learning. Pushing enthusiastically 

for disruption in higher education, the author presents 

ChatGPT as an alternative to having a trained assistant. 

ChatGPT is building on pre-existing artificial intelligence 

tools , while being a better, more sophisticated tool 

that can address complex linguistic tasks and texts 

of diverse topics, and therefore potentially enacting 

disruptive changes on societal and educational 

structures. 

80 Ways to Use ChatGPT is surely one of the first 

educational primers to print after the arrival of 

ChatGPT 4.0 and will help educators be introduced to 

the importance of prompt writing and refining. As an 

instructional technologist, Skrabut sees great potential 

in ChatGPT in expanding the classroom instructional 

space and enthusiastically shares examples over the 

course of the book. In anticipation of some skepticism 

of his claims, Skrabut notes that at various points in 

education, technological innovation has been viewed 

with fear and trepidation. He argues that ChatGPT 

is simply another in a long line of technologies that 

ultimately will save time and effort. In the 10th chapter 

for example, Skrabut notes the opportunities for flipped 

classrooms to be more fully realized with this emerging 

technology. Nevertheless, Skrabut attempts a balance 

between educators who may be inspired by ChatGPT 

and those that may be looking to shield their classes 

from it. While his interest is clearly on the former, he 

does offer some limited discussion on ways to help 

detect AI writing from some of its stylistic conventions. 

Throughout its ten chapters, this book delves into the 

different areas of higher education that ChatGPT can 

support, with the author ultimately arguing in favor 

of using ChatGPT in higher education. The book is 

arranged from planning tasks in chapters two and 



three, building assessments in four, five and six, 

supporting students in chapter seven, with chapters 

eight through ten looking at other uses. Each chapter 

provides examples of ChatGPT, which are split into two 

main parts: the author provides a prompt to ChatGPT in 

bold and then presents the response from ChatGPT in 

italics. If the prompt fails, subsequent refining prompts 

and responses are listed. Often at the end of a long 

chain of prompts and responses, Skrabut also includes 

some meta-analysis of the process and how it could be 

economized better in the future. 

Indeed, a key, defining element in this book is not just 

ChatGPT, as a subject, but also as a co-author. Each 

chapter features a brief introduction from Skrabut 

along with related prompts, but the bulk of the chapters 

are made up of ChatGPT’s responses to the prompts. 

In some cases, Skrabut marvels at the ingenuity of 

the prompts and in others he points out serious flaws 

including hallucinations, misunderstandings and most 

frequently the need for more narrowed prompting. 

However, for educators planning on using this book to 

replicate the responses, it will not likely produce the 

same results. As ChatGPT continues to compile data 

and improve, this text built on the prompts and 

responses as a publication locked in time will quickly 

become less relevant. 

Another drawback to the text, is that there is very little 

else in terms of analysis outside of the relative success 

or failure of the prompts to generate an accurate 

response. Similarly, the book would have benefited 

from a detailed scholarly analysis and the inclusion of 

more educational theory. The references included in 

the book are often drawn from blogs and newspaper 

articles, illustrating how new ChatGPT was in March 

of this year, 2023. As a pioneer in AI publication, the 

book’s inclusion in some shape or form in teacher 

education courses would be highly beneficial going 

forward. Skrabut notes that we are living in a disrupted 

world where “computers are a force multiplier that can 

help us do work quickly so we can focus our attention on 

more pressing issues” (p. 119) highlighting his opinion 

that ChatGPT can help educators in their role to prepare 

students for the future. 

Overall, this book can be used across higher 

educational contexts, particularly between educators, 

instructional technologists and developers, by starting 

a discussion that questions the need for traditional 

teaching structures while reimagining new possibilities 

for education. 

References 

Skrabut, S. (2023). page 119. In 80 ways to use CHATGPT in the 

classroom: Using AI to enhance teaching and learning. Stan Skrabut. 


James Papple is an experienced educator 

who has worked in higher education 

for more than two decades. He has 

co-authored an ESL textbook, Academic 

Inquiry 2 (2018) from Oxford University 

Press, Canada. 



Group Work: A Barrier to Learning? 

by Yangming Hu and Dr. Richard Williamson 

As one of the most common cooperation methods, 

group work is applied to almost every field including 

education and workplaces. Although group work has 

such popularity and frequent connection to everyone’s 

life, the problems with this mode of collaboration draw 

people’s attention. It is true that group work may be 

good for learning in certain situations such as general 

idea exploration, but it may be inefficient and hard to 

facilitate in many other circumstances. It is difficult 

to track individual progress during group work, which 

often causes problems like inconsistency and delay 

in completing work. At the same time, the working 

ability of group members is rarely at the same level. 

The difference between the skills within the group 

may cause the high-performing members to take more 

responsibilities and work in the group project while 

the low-performing members make few contributions. 

Moreover, it is very difficult for instructors to grade group 

work fairly as individual contribution differs, and these 

contributions usually cannot be evaluated through a 

standard system. Finally, group work can sometimes 

create situations where the group gravitates to the ideas 

of a dominant member and the equally relevant ideas of 

others stay unshared. 

While group work may be an appealing instructional 

strategy to use, there are enough cautions about it for 

educators to think very carefully about its pedagogical 

value. When people talk about the nature of group work, 

one of the most common ideas they come up with might 

be interpersonal cooperation. This aspect of group work 

requires consistency in communication and progress, 

and it challenges the individual personalities and 

work styles. Research indicates that “managing group 

dynamics for successful implementation of group work 

is time intensive for instructors” (Chang and Brickman, 

2018, p.3). It is time consuming for instructors to 

implement organized group work effectively. The 

instructor might find it difficult to present a wellorganized 

plan that passively addresses the differences 

among students. The lack of appropriate guidance 

might cause confusion in students while doing the work, 

such as, cooperating with other group members, and 

dealing with various issues and conflicts that occur 

during the work process. Despite the difficulties in 

organizing the group and gauging individual progress, 

the instructors also face problems in designing a fair 

group work grading system. According to research, 

current grading systems might not be able to reflect 

every member’s personal performance accurately 

(Chang and Brickman, 2018). When some members 

work extremely hard while others just work for a passing 

mark, it is reasonably inappropriate to give the whole 

group a single grade. The hardworking students are 

not recognized for their individual contributions while 

free-riders are tacitly allowed. Unfortunately, to solve 

this, “researchers have recommended administering 

both holistic rubrics in which students are given points 

that they must divide between the group members to 

gauge contributions and analytical rubrics with multiple 

indicators such as attendance, cooperativeness, and 

academic contributions”, work that few educators are 

likely to engage in due to its complexity (Lejk and Wyvill, 

2001; Johnston and Miles, 2004, as cited in Chang and 

Brickman, 2018, p.2). 

Another concerning issue about group work is the 

disparity of working ability of members within the group. 

The unavoidable gap between the most productive 

members and the low-performance members might 

place too much responsibility on certain members or 

lead to the exclusion of some less skillful participants. 

Unequal contribution is the main problem identified 

by most students involved in group work. Research 

indicates that, “students in both high- and lowperformance 

groups still complained of unequal 

contributions” (Chang and Brickman, 2018, p.1). The 

high-performance members are usually the major 

contributors in a group. Their skills and personalities 

push them to take leading positions, while in other 



cases, they must complete the work of others that is left 

unfinished due to their low-performance or a negative 

working attitude to other members in the group. On 

the other hand, the low-performance members might 

be unsatisfied with the dominance of the highly skilled 

members and feel ignored. Although many people argue 

that this issue can be eased if the students are asked to 

provide evaluations of their peers on their contributions, 

researchers have still found that “students may be 

unlikely to provide honest evaluations of their peers 

and are unlikely to directly confront free riders” (Strong 

and Anderson, 1990, as cited in Chang and Brickman, 

2018, p.2). 

Lastly, a possible and unexpected flaw of group work is 

that it can sometimes create situations where the group 

gravitates to the ideas of a dominant member while 

the ideas of the others are ignored. Yielding to peer 

pressure in group decisions is a significant contributing 

factor. A term known as “intellectual costs” nicely 

illustrates another equally significant issue with group 

work. The term literally means that group work behaviors 

can limit creativity and productivity. This includes the 

tendency of groups to conform to a perceived majority 

view. Expressing an idea that is different from the 

majority needs enormous courage, which makes it 

almost impossible for most people to do so. As a result, 

ideas of the minority are frequently excluded, even 

though they might be reasonable and effective. 

In conclusion, there are numerous issues that exist in 

group work. The problem of accurately tracking working 

progress of group members, the disparity in problem 

solving abilities among members, the absence of an 

all-inclusive marking system, and the effect of peer 

pressure need acknowledgement and solutions from 

all educators. As one of the most common pedagogical 

activities used in contemporary education, a better form 

of group work needs to be carefully considered. 

References 

Chang, Y., and Brickman, P. (2018). When Group Work Doesn’t Work: 

Insights from Students. CBE life sciences education, 17(3), ar42. 

https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-09-0199 

Lejk, M., and Wyvill, M. (2001). Peer assessment of contributions 

to a group project: A comparison of holistic and category-based 

approaches. As-sessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 26(1), 

61–72 

Johnston, L., and Miles, L. (2004). Assessing contributions to group 

assign-ments. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 

29(6), 751–768 

Strong, J. T., and Anderson, R. E. (1990). Free-Riding in 

Group Projects: Control Mechanisms and Preliminary Data. 

Journal of Marketing Education, 12(2), 61-67. https://doi. 

org/10.1177/027347539001200208 


Richard earned his B.A., B.Ed, M.Ed, and PhD. and 

has focused his entire career on teaching, learning, 

and research. He currently facilitates Centennial’s 

Leadership and Inclusion program. 

Co-Author’s Bio 

Yangming Hu is currently a high school student 

in Ontario. He is interested in drawing and 

computer programming, and social issues. As 

a student, he is passionate about generating 

ideas to improve educational obstacles. 



COMM Students and Critical Thinking 

by Cecilia Aponte-de-Hanna 

Critical thinking 

The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2) lists three 

conditions that must exist for critical thinking to 

manifest: a problematic situation, reasoned judgment, 

and intellectual tools (James, 2023). Hence, critical 

thinking can be explained as the process of finding 

solutions through strategic inquiry that occurs when 

a person applies their intellectual tools: background 

knowledge, criteria for judgement, critical thinking 

vocabulary, thinking strategies, and habits of mind 

(Critical Thinking Consortium). 

Based on TC2’s definition, having a problematic 

situation is not a problem, but it is a call for action 

that challenges educational communities to “nurtur[e] 

critical thinking among all members” (James, 2023). 

In this article, I share one way by which I try to foster 

critical thinking skills in my students. 

Experimenting with critical thinking 

pedagogy 

I have been experimenting with critical thinking 

pedagogy for quite a while. I call my approach ‘strategic 

thinking,’ which I feel helps students to develop their 

intellectual tools. In June 2022, I shared one of these 

approaches on a TESL Ontario blog post titled, “Critical 

Thinking Skills as Easy as 1-2-3” (Aponte-de-Hanna, 

2022). The numbers 1-2-3 stand for the sequence that 

students should take when writing short-answers to 

reading comprehension questions. In this sequence, 

students complete the following steps: 

Directly answer the question; 

Provide evidence by referring and citing the source; 

Conclude by justifying the response. 

To connect each step, students are also encouraged 

to use logical connections, including signal words and 

phrases, such as “’For example, . . .’, ‘which is why . . 

.’, ‘Therefore, . . .’, ‘As a result, . . .’” (Aponte-de-Hanna, 

2022). 



With practice, the formula helps students to develop 

their intellectual tools and writing skills. It also helps 

students to verify the effectiveness of their answers. 

It has also helped me with evaluating students’ learning 

as my focus has shifted from fixing fragments and 

run-on sentences to assessing students’ critical 

thinking skills. 

Modelling critical thinking in action 

Modelling how the formula is used helps students 

experience critical thinking in action. The following 

example is based on the reading, “How to Get Happily 

Married” (McKinnell, 2010) – also featured in 

COMM160’s textbook The Canadian Writer’s Workplace 

by Lipschutz et al., 2021. 

The example answers the question: What is the main 

idea of the reading? The numbers in superscript signify 

the steps in the formula 1-2-3, which are the criteria for 

answering the question: 

References 

Aponte-de-Hanna, C. (2022, June 20). Critical Thinking As Easy as 

1-2-3. TESL Ontario. https://blog.teslontario.org/critical-thinkingskills-as-easy-as-1-2-3/ 

Critical Thinking Consortium. (n.d). Developing intellectual tools for 

thinking critically [PDF]. https://tc2.ca/pdf/About%20Critical%20 

Thinking/Online%20Articles/Understanding%20Critical%20 

Thinking/Introduction%20to%20the%20TC2%20Conception%20 

w_%20new%20copyright.pdf 

James, U. (2023. February 1). Teaching and Assessing Critical 

Thinking [PowerPoint Presentation]. Critical Thinking in Education 

Symposium, Centennial College, Scarborough, ON., Canada. 

Lipschutz, G., Scarry, S., and Scarry, J. (2021). The Canadian writer’s 

workplace (9th ed.). Cengage. 

McKinnell, J. (2010, June 7). How to get happily married. MacLean’s. 

https://www.macleans.ca/culture/how-to-get-happily-married/ 

The main idea [of “How to Get Happily Married”] is that 

women in their twenties can truly have a happy marriage 

if they follow a set of steps that can help them to 

become independent and confident. (1) To support this 

idea, the author lists 9 steps that stress the importance 

of self-efficacy as the key to a woman’s happy marriage. 

(2) This focus on a woman’s independence along with 

the repeated use of the words happiness and marriage 

helps the reader to arrive at the main idea. (3) (Apontede-Hanna, 

2022). 

Next steps 

In her keynote speech at Centennial College’s Critical 

Thinking in Education Symposium, James left us with a 

critical challenge: 

“How might we develop a thoughtful, cohesive and 

impactful approach to nurturing critical thinking among 

all members of our educational communities?” 

With the publication of this SELS Journal and the 

conversations spearheaded by our Dean, Dr. Meera 

Mather, along with the work from SELS Chairs and 

faculty, I feel that we are on the right path. Challenges 

such as disruptive technology can be resolved as long 

as we find a common approach. 


Cecilia (M.A. Applied Linguistics, OCT, OCLT, 

ICTEAL) is a faculty member in the School 

of English and Liberal Studies, English 

Department. In addition to teaching a variety 

of COMM courses, Cecilia is the course 

coordinator for College Communications 1 

(COMM 160) and SELS faculty representative 

in the College Council. Outside the college, 

Cecilia is a regular blogger of TESL Ontario, 

where she also serves as Vice-Chair of the 

Board of Directors. 



Homi Bhabha’s “Third Space” in ESL Classes 

by Sohana Z. Haque 

Despite the growth of English as a Second Language 

(ESL) services, increasing numbers of students appear 

to suffer from a variety of problems and obstacles 

when transitioning from an ESL class to a mainstream 

learning environment or into their career fields in a 

new country. 

As I have experienced in the college environment, 

this happens because in adult ESL classes students 

often struggle with a crisis of identity, as they cannot 

always find a sense of belonging with the new culture 

and country. The learners encounter difficulties with 

socialization, communication, and engaging in their 

academics. When students are in new situations, 

they frequently feel like outcasts because of the 

unquestioned cultural norms that are part of the 

society they live in and due to the colonialist influences 

that still exist. 

In the name of internalization, the situation imposes a 

western set of norms and values that make ‘other ways 

of being and thinking’ less fitting. Macpherson (2006) 

clearly expresses that “These standards are initiatives 

to propagate modern Western norms as educational 

outcomes and best practices that have been arrived 

at without reference to alternative cultural practices 

or epistemologies” (p. 75). These realities cause 

frustration and lead students towards poor academic or 

career performance. 

The need for room to breathe culturally is required 

for the students. Creating this breathing space could 

work like tonic, and here I propose that such a room 

is created by inviting the cultures of origin and that 

of Canada (in this case) into conversations with one 

another. Bhabha (1994) refers to this dialogue as “the 

Third space”, which are “hybrid spaces that bring people 

together”. Again, while discussing Bhabha’s concept of 

third space, Yatta Kanu (2002) refers to Third Space 

“as the place for the construction of identities that 

are neither one nor the other” (p. 55). Therefore, in 

the struggle of the newcomers of the ESL classes, the 

concept of third space mentioned by Homi Bhabha 



could be a good response for their smooth transition 

to a new culture because the concept of “Third Space” 

implies a dialogical learning space where difference is 

given a place and worked with in beneficial ways. 

Using the concept of third space, learners can transform 

the frustration regarding their identity crisis, and they 

also may be enabled to succeed in the new culture 

without having to assimilate and lose what they have 

come with. Most importantly, students usually feel 

connected to the new culture no matter who they are. 

They create their own identity by accepting the new 

and sustaining their own identities in the given space. 

In Kanu’s (2003) words, “That is, there is no longer a 

single set of discourse about progress and change; 

rather there is a hybrid —a third space –-where local 

and global images meet in a weaving that has its own 

configurations and implications” (p. 77). The idea is 

to facilitate more humane transitions, and the ESL 

classroom has the potential to turn some of their 

activities into both language and cultural learning 

opportunities. 

In the COMM 161 course at Centennial College, these 

types of cultural activities are already included, and I 

have found students truly happy while accomplishing 

these components. Especially in “Culture: Oral 

Presentation Assignment”, I observe students become 

very enthusiastic and are proud of presenting their 

own culture. Therefore, I believe including cultural 

components in every other ESL course would make our 

students feel more distinguished, and they would feel at 

ease in their classes. 

To be more specific, these components work as the 

concept of third space of Bhabha as the students have 

an opportunity to be in a dialogical space between their 

old and new culture. Thus, the given third space would 

be able to help students with their vulnerability in a 

new country and culture, in the mainstream learning 

environments, and in their careers. 

References 

Bhabha, H. (1990). The Third Space. In J. Rutherford (Ed.), The value 

of difference (pp. 207-221). 

Lawrence Wishart. 

Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. London: Routledge. 

Kanu, Y. (2002). Understanding curriculum and pedagogy as 

attunement to difference: Teacher preparation for the 21st century. 

Journal of Professional studies, 9(2), 50-60. 

Kanu, Y. (2003). Curriculum as Cultural Practice: Postcolonial 

Imagination. Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 1(1), 67- 

81. 


Sohana Z. Haque is a TESL Canada certified 

professional, and she has been teaching at 

Centennial College for six years. Her second 

masters is with Athabasca University in MAIS 

(MA in Interdisciplinary Studies), where her 

major was Adult Education. Her first MA 

was in English literature and language. Her 

experience in teaching ESL at the tertiary level 

is more than 10 years. She tries to exercise 

open-mindedness in dealing with people 

from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her goal 

is to foster and maintain an open, honest, 

communicative, and supportive classroom, 

in which each student feels at ease, secure, 

special, and appropriately challenged. 



Exploring Explicitly Teaching Grammar Structures 

by Yousef Fooladi 

As a core area in second language acquisition, the 

question of should the explicit or implicit instruction 

of the complexities of grammar be the norm for 

language teaching practice and pedagogy has always 

been debatable among experts. The purpose of this 

research was to explore the influence of teaching the 

compound and complex structures explicitly in video 

input material on ESL learners’ intuition of compound 

and complex structures. Out of the research problem, 

two questions were created, one about the effect of 

explicit teaching of compound and complex structures 

extracted from video input material on second language 

( L2) learners’ knowledge of these forms, and a second 

question about whether such instruction can influence 

L2 learners’ use of these forms in writing. And to this 

end, 20 participants with intermediate level of English 

language proficiency from the researcher’s students at 

Centennial College in Ontario, Canada were selected 

in two groups, control and experimental groups, each 

group consisting of 10 participants. After the treatment 

period, the resulting numerical data from these groups 

on the two research questions were compared to show 

the means of the two sets of scores before and after 

treatment in both tests (i.e., the pre-test and post-test 

of compound and complex structures as well as the 

writing test). T-test statistical procedure was applied 

for doing the comparison. Following a rigorous research 

procedure supported by statistical analysis, the two 

null hypotheses of the study were rejected (in the first 

research hypothesis P=.001 and in the second research 

hypothesis P=.015). The research design for this study 

was quantitative pretest-post test quasi-experimental 

design. The results of the current study would lead to 

practical implications for the ESL teachers, ESL learners 

as well as the ESL material developers. 



Research questions 

Based on the variables in the research, the following 

research questions will be answered in this study: 

RQ1: Does explicit teaching of compound and complex 

sentences in video materials influence ESL learners’ 

knowledge of these grammatical structures? 

RQ2: Does explicit teaching of compound and complex 

sentences in video materials influence learners’ 

successful use of these forms in their writing? 

Significance of the research 

What is new about the current study is the gap which 

is found in language teaching literature regarding the 

relationship between teaching and learning L2 grammar 

through attention- raising in compound and complex 

structures in video input material. The current study 

can be useful in providing us with a clearer view about 

such influence on L2 learners’ knowledge of syntax 

as a language component. Also, the findings of the 

present research can be used in utilizing video material 

in developing language teaching material, and they can 

broaden our views on how such materials can be used 

efficiently to meet the requirements of grammatical 

accuracy which is an important aspect of any language 

teaching in communicative approaches. 

Participants 

After receiving our former English Department Chair, 

Ryan O’Connor’s approval at Centennial College, the 

Oxford Placement Test was employed for selecting 

20 participants at the intermediate level of English 

language proficiency from the population of students 

in two classes at Centennial College. Based on the 

test results, the intermediate level students were 

selected for the treatment in control and experimental 

groups(classes), each consisting of 10 participants. 

Both groups of the study participants received 

instruction as treatment for 10 weeks. They received 

treatment from the third week of the course which 

continued until week 12. 

Materials and treatment 

In both groups, the coursebook “Grassroots” was the 

main source of the instruction. Meanwhile, both groups 

were exposed to video input materials from “The School 

of Life” on their YouTube channel, focusing on self-help 

topics and issues of everyday life. 

The main difference in the two groups is that in the 

control group, the students were exposed to the above 

mentioned video podcasts without the teacher’s 

intervention on the grammatical forms used in the 

speeches in the videos, while in the experimental group, 

the sentences in the video material which included 

compound and complex structures were chosen from 

the lectures by the teacher (here as the researcher) 

and were written on the board to raise the learners’ 

awareness to such structures. Another strategy, which 

was employed to raise the students’ attention to such 

structures, was choosing them as sentences for topics 

of further discussion in the class. Also, to provide 

more explicit instruction, the teacher provided a brief 

explanation on the structure of such sentences along 

with a few further examples for each one. The rationale 

for this activity was to discover to what extent the 

explicit work on the structural aspects of compound 

and complex sentences of the videos would benefit L2 

learners of English. 

The extra material for treatment was the video input 

materials from “The School of Life”. The important point 

about the videos is that the level of language does not 

go beyond intermediate level of language proficiency 

because they are used to address audiences from 

around the world with average level of education and 

English language proficiency. Meanwhile, due to the 

authenticity of such material, the talks in these videos 

include enough samples of compound and complex 

structures which is the focus of the researcher’s 

investigation. 

Visual input and explicit treatment of 

form, a window for input enhancement 

Although the current research focuses on explicit 

teaching of compound and complex structures, it also 

sheds light on the true position of attention-raising in 

authentic video material not just as supplementary 

material, but also as a device which probably has the 

potential to be used as the main material of the course. 



A contextualized presentation of input using video 

material as a medium of instruction has benefitted 

language learners (Egbert, 2005). In fact, technological 

facilities have the potential to provide rewards to L2 

learners as they are more appealing in nature than 

other kinds of material used for teaching and learning. 

When such material is used along with explicit treatment 

of language forms followed by relevant communicative 

practice for self-expression by L2 learners, it creates 

a unique effect on the learning process. Through 

pedagogical analysis, it seems that working on the 

form of the structures in the speeches in video input 

materials turned out to be a very strong instrument that 

could be utilized by teachers as the instructional means 

in the classroom. More interestingly, the video input 

materials used in the present study were applied as 

an instrument for a listening activity first and foremost. 

In fact, the students primarily focused on the subjectmatter 

and content of the video input materials rather 

than the sentences and structures used by speakers 

in the video clips. This makes it clear that at the very 

subconscious level, language learners process the 

linguistic code, and through the focus on form raised 

through explicit manipulation of linguistic data (by the 

teacher), they later transferred such processed data into 

their subconscious; this could improve the experimental 

group’s performance in the post-test rather than in 

the control group’s performance. For example, the 

linguistic contents of the video input material have 

proved efficient to be processed by the learners in the 

classroom when the course instructor provided explicit 

instruction on those syntactic forms. Also, it can be 

inferred that the teacher’s further intervention as the 

instructor of the target forms (compound and complex 

structures) puts the participants in the experimental 

group under stronger influence by video input materials 

compared to the control group for the L2 development. 

The video input materials used for treatment in the 

present research paved the way for real-world tasks 

to be fulfilled by the students. Although the focus 

of treatment in the present research was explicit 

instruction of the targeted structures, the authentic 

communicative nature of the video input materials in 

addition to the class discussions approved the fact 

that paying attention to linguistic elements, when the 

focus is on meaning or communication purposes, can 

bring about significant results for second language 

teaching and learning. Better performance in learning 

coordination and subordination structures by the 

participants in the experimental group offers some 

sound reasons for such superiority. On one hand, 

there was much exposure to L2 authentic material 

which was originally designed and aimed at addressing 

English native speakers i.e., the video input materials 

used in the treatment were not designed to be used 

as language teaching material, and hence they served 

as authentic input in L2. On the other hand, the tasks 

assigned and followed by the course teacher were 

of such a nature that they called for communication 

of meaning, or “negotiation of meaning” as the main 

element of task-based language teaching (TBLT) 

(Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p.65). In such an approach, 

the control over grammar structures is gained through 

exposure to L2 real samples with some degree of 

consciousness-raising implemented by the teacher. 

This was done by the teacher in his experimental group 

through selecting sentences from the lectures which 

included coordination and subordination structures 

(compound or complex sentences). Also, the teacher 

facilitated the discussion through writing them on the 

whiteboard and encouraging the learners to discuss ; 

as a result, the experimental group participants were 

able to express ideas in a more elaborate manner. 

The messages in the material were of a nature which 

necessitated the experimental group’s participants 

to use the relatively complicated language structures. 

Since these participants were always led to the 

main theme of the lectures by the teacher during 

the whole course, they were forced to apply and put 

into practice all the language resources available to 

them in the input. These language resources varied 

from the vocabulary items in the lectures to different 

grammatical structures. Essentially, the richness and 

resourcefulness of the input as well as the requirement 

for communicating the ideas of the lectures by the 

participants in the experimental group, propelled them 

to be engaged in real task of communication where the 

exchange of meaning was the norm while the use of 

compound and complex language structures was at the 

service of fulfilling the objectives of true communication. 

This finding corresponds to the theory of negotiation of 

meaning (Ellis, 2008). 



In a nutshell, the outcome of the present study can 

serve useful purposes in providing a clear view about 

how explicit learning of grammar as one component of 

language can relate to authentic use of language. This is 

a very important response to the teachers’ and learners’ 

changes of expectations, and it motivates them to look 

at the process and practice of L2 learning from another 

angle. In other words, the combination of form-focused 

instruction and directed communicative activities can 

benefit learners in the process of developing the L2 

competence. 

References 

Egbert, J. (2005). CALL Essentials. Principles and Practice in CALL 

Classroom. Alexanderia, VA. TESOL. 

Ellis, R. (2008). The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: 

Oxford University Press. 

Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). TESOL methods: Changing tracks, 

challenging trends. Tesol Quarterly, 40(1), 59-81. 


Yousef has been teaching EFL, ESL, EAP, 

and ESP in Iran, Germany, and Canada since 

the early 1990s. He got his MA in Applied 

Linguistics and TESOL from University of 

Leicester, UK in 2023 and received his CELTA 

Cambridge certification in 2013. Yousef is 

passionate about facilitating the second 

language learning through engaging the 

learners in the teaching/learning process 

actively such as setting up student-led 

workshops, peer to peer discussions, and doing 

activities collaboratively. Yousef has taught 

English at Centennial College since 2017. He 

has also taught English at YUELI, Seneca, and 

Humber College. 



Resilient IRIS Intergenerational Spirit 

Injury and Recovery 

by Helen M. Pearman Ziral 

Doctor of Philosophy 

Department of Adult Education and Collaborative 

Program in Women and Gender Studies University of 

Toronto 

PhD Abstract 

This study examined the lived experiences of Diasporic 

African women in Canada by focusing on the interlocking 

systemic mainstream oppression to spirit injury, a 

common factor unacknowledged in current literature. 

Psychosocial constructs of matrilineal racialized women 

were reviewed in an effort to explore the extent to which 

identity, image and inter-intra-personal relations impact 

individual mind, body and spirit health. 

This empathetic qualitative narrative inquiry examined 

herstories of fifteen women who participated in three 

independent focus groups. Using the metaphor of the 

quilt as both method and hands-on praxis, I was able to 

incorporate an amalgam of reflexive genres. The data 

derived resulted from interviews undertaken over a 

total of 40 hours. I integrated Sankofa, a transformative 

Afrocentric cosmology paradigm, as I invited participants 

to reflect on matrilineal herstories of spirit injury as they 

moved through their often painful reflections of assaults 

to their emotional selves; they were then invited to 

elaborate on best practices in self-care. 

Revelations as a result of herstories of African women 

of the Diaspora as they relate to matrilineal spirit injury, 

survival of racism, and the after effects of slavery, were 

of major significance in providing education information 

to individuals and groups positioned to provide support 

to spirit injured women. The concluding chapter clarified 

the extent of transferability to those who, other than 

Diasporic African women, experience intergenerational 

spirit injury. I anticipate the research will contribute to 

the body of knowledge available to those positioned to 

facilitate self-help strategies among women who are 

burdened with spirit injury. 

To read more about this research study, please contact 

the author, Dr. Helen Pearman Ziral. 


Helen Pearman Ziral, PhD, is a facilitator 

of wellness and individual transformation. 

She conducts individual, group sessions 

and healing circles focused on FIT – Forgive 

Intergenerational Trauma – designed to support 

women in learning from individual, familial, 

and communal stories. An initiative centered 

around building interpersonal and intrapersonal 

strength, helping individuals achieve emotional 

balance essential for physical wellness. Dr. 

Helen Ziral is a college professor experienced in 

wellness, psychology, stress management, and 

personal development 



Welcome to the Creative Pursuits Section 

by Philip Alalibo 

In this section, you will find interesting and 

insightful articles that are reflective and exude 

interpersonal meaning. These articles by Illana 

Lucas, Marc Yamaguchi, Catherine Raine, 

Golam Dastagir and Prabha Jerrybandan, will 

take you through a journey of the authors’ 

experiences in the different spheres of 

life, such as social inequality and big city 

dynamics, for example. You will also find that 

the authors explore themselves through ways 

that are abstract and interwoven with critical 

perspectives in literature and drama. We hope 

that these articles will spur your own interest 

and creativity in Creative Pursuits. 



Chapter 2: Paradise Lost 

by Marc Yamaguchi 

Rachel’s head bobbed in a catatonic-like state of 

dreaming as the sultry evening wind gently rocked the 

branch on which she was asleep. Her dreams wove 

surreal images and sounds of her absentee father 

mumbling to himself. She could scarcely remember 

what he looked like, but the fights between her shadowy 

father and her mother Rose lived in her memory 

because they always ended the same way. Rachel could 

clearly remember seeing his haunches; he would exit 

the den as if in retreat, but in reality he had undisclosed 

business to tackle. 

Every evening the family would rise, and Rose would 

tend to Rachel’s youngest siblings who stirred with 

hunger while Rachel would pretend to wake up for the 

same reason. Rachel would often be ruminating before 

anyone had woken up, but she instinctively knew not 

to trouble her mother, especially after her parents had 

argued. Rose’s agitation would be tinged with sadness 

and regret; she could not turn her husband. However, 

Rose was not one to dwell on her troubles, and she 

relied on the same energy that erupted in fights to 

organize her cubs and ensure they stayed on the 

straight and narrow. 



It was never a burden to follow her mother because 

Rachel prided herself on being indispensable to the 

family like helping Ricky look out for the youngest cubs, 

Rory and Ralph, who could barely balance walking the 

fence lines. They constantly needed reminding of the 

dangers of crossing backyards, which was exhilarating 

for young boys trying to make a name for themselves 

as fearless adventurers. Their older brothers, however, 

would taunt them into compliance and poke fun at their 

enthusiasm. 

“Father will put us in the hunt ahead of Ricky and Ray!” 

said Rory confidently. 

“When you trigger those Walkies’ night lights, it’s 

showtime,” said Ray. 

“Yeah, you’re like the main event hauled off in the 

Raccoon Removal van,” smirked Ricky. 

“Knock it off!” hissed Rachel, which startled her mother 

who was surveying the neighbouring properties for 

signs of danger. Rachel knew Rory and Ralph were still 

impressionable, and being misled by their older brothers 

could cost them their lives. Rachel wondered when 

and how her father had been misled. She often caught 

her mother muttering something about her husband 

being misinformed as she returned to wake up her two 

litters for evening excursions. In hushed tones, her 

mother would finish the conversation that her father had 

abandoned, and Rachel would lie dead still in order to 

gain perspective on their situation. It never occurred to 

Rachel that her mother was talking quietly to herself to 

escape the loneliness. 

When the couple finally made the decision to migrate 

to the city a couple of years before, Rachel’s father 

appeared to have made the right call to raise their 

family there. The countryside was under assault by the 

giant, yellow creepy crawlies that kept streaming in like 

a scourge upon their habitat. Predators and prey alike 

dropped their ancient feuds and ran for cover – if they 

could find cover. Rachel’s father had rebuked his wife for 

wanting to wait out the storm of events that were rapidly 

changing their environment. He pointed out that the 

family never would have made it to safety without the 

help of a primeval foe, the Red-Tailed Hawk. 

Unlike her parents, Rachel was born in the city. She 

was a precocious cub, but she was nearly killed by a 

hawk in the city. Rachel’s mother would have severely 

reprimanded her for putting herself in harm’s way, but 

her father defended the predatory hawk out of gratitude 

to his kin for once having saved his family from harm. 

In fact, this was the loudest shouting match between 

her parents Rachel could remember since she was 

no longer the focus of the ensuing argument. This 

argument had its roots in the past. 

About a month before the excavation and utter upheaval 

of the countryside, her father inadvertently scavenged in 

bushes too close to a tree with a hawk’s nest. Her father 

was unaware until he was knocked over with a horrible 

burning sensation on the fleshy part of his back. A 

hawk’s wings fluttered wildly before establishing a safe 

trajectory in which to land on a bough above and across 

from her father. 

Rachel’s father could hear the bird laughing and cajoling 

him to come out into the clearing of the forest floor so 

that they could have a good look at each other. 

“Come, come, tubby. I can’t carry you off for a meal – 

your girth is more than I can bear.” The hawk continued, 

“Kills have been far too easy of late. You were too good 

to be true.” 

Rachel’s father had a bad wound from the hawk’s 

talons, but he felt he was no longer in any danger. 

“What gives, hawk? Your kind attack but don’t talk. Is 

this some kind of trick?” asked her father. 

“No trick, my weighty friend. Since you won’t be joining 

me for supper, I may as well give you and your fellow 

striped simpletons some advice. You all would be 

better off moving far away from here,” the hawk replied, 

impressed by his own magnanimity. 

Her father wanted the hawk to elaborate, for he was 

keen to know why he should follow the advice of an 

enemy. Rachel’s father was from the older generation 

who had it drilled into them to never question 

“authority.” Rachel’s father had resigned himself to 

listen to Red-Tailed 



Hawk’s lecture because he was curious about the hint of 

a mysterious and present danger. 

The hawk’s feathers were no longer ruffled, and he 

continued in a patronizing tone, “As you are keenly 

aware, procyon lotor has long sustained raptors, so I’d 

like to repay you this once. 

Knowing my penchant for good deeds, my relatives tell 

me I’m too generous for my own good. 

You may have noticed they’ve all but left for the city.” 

Rachel’s father had stopped paying attention when the 

hawk started spouting Latin and words like “penchant.” 

He hinted he had mouths to feed and would be moving 

on, but the hawk suddenly swooped down to the ground 

within striking distance of Rachel’s father. This time, 

the hawk made sure to speak slowly because it was 

common knowledge in hawk circles that raccoons had 

heads as dense as wood. 

“Beyond that growing perimeter of Yellow Caterpillars 

you’ve conveniently ignored,” the hawk took pains to 

explain, “is the city where the strongest and tallest grey 

trees scrape the Sky.” 

Rachel’s father lingered just long enough before 

the twitch of the hawk’s eye scoped out its next 

unsuspecting prey. The hawk professed no love for the 

raccoon and pointed out bluntly that hawks saw fit to 

execute lives that suited their needs. Raccoons, on 

the other hand, were sadly predisposed hoarders with 

underwhelming figures as proof. It was why the hawk 

felt the city was a good fit for raccoons – creatures there 

had a tendency to store things in structures that were 

hardened and impermeable and full of compartments. 

This hawk was the last to join his brethren afar in the tall 

grey trees, which provided the perfect vantage point to 

pluck tenderlings from their nests or dens. Hawks have 

a wicked sense of humour by nature, and he shared this 

macabre detail with his unlikely friend. 

“Raccoon, I tell you the truth because it’s enlightened 

self-interest to respect the hierarchy of the food chain. 

I let you go and you propagate. Your children feed my 

children. It’s rather elegant by design, don’t you think?” 

Rachel’s father thought the hawk was rather in love with 

the sound of his own voice, but before he could reply the 

hawk lifted off as quickly as he had landed in front of 

him. The last words Rachel’s father heard from the hawk 

was a fading and chilling shrill in the distance, “See you 

in the city... or you die-e-e-e-e-e-e.” 

As he watched the hawk fly towards the horizon, 

Rachel’s father began to think about “the perimeter 

of Yellow Caterpillars” that were located in the same 

direction but not too far off in the distance. He had 

heard faint rumblings before and felt the earth quaking 

from time to time, but he had never connected the noisy 

and unsettling onslaught with the clever creatures who 

stood upright on their hind legs. 

Rachel’s father knew better than to impulsively bring 

news of this encounter to Rose. He tried to settle into 

the task of fishing at a familiar stream, but he could 

scarcely concentrate on bringing home sustenance for 

his pregnant partner, Rose. 

“Yellow Caterpillars?!” Not only did Rachel’s father scare 

away all the fish, but also he startled himself with his 

sudden exclamation. 

To read the first chapter of these series, you may refer to 

Writers Unblocked, Vol. 1, No. 2 (pp. 18-21) 

“Chapter 2: Paradise Lost” is from the young adult novel, 

Arai Guma by Marc Yamaguchi, copyright© 2023. 


Marc Yamaguchi is an English professor and 

Foundations Coordinator with the School of 

English and Liberal Studies, Centennial College. 

Marc did his Masters in Environmental Education 

and Communication on community-based, Low- 

Impact Development. Arai Guma is his first book 

he has submitted for serial publication. 



Stratford’s New Much Ado 

by Ilana Lucas 

A giant glowing ring, suspended from a massive tree, 

presides over the set (designed by Julie Fox) of director 

Chris Abraham’s uproarious Much Ado About Nothing at 

the Stratford Festival. Sometimes spinning, sometimes 

still, it’s not the One Ring that Frodo must consign 

to the fires of Mount Doom, but a representation of 

the contract of marriage and premarital demand of 

chastity, themes which also constantly dangle over the 

proceedings. 

The ring also denotes a big fat zero, as in the trifle 

that sparks a nearly life-ending predicament, or the 

happy nothing that results from its villain’s scheming. 

And, of course, in Shakespearean English, “nothing” 

(pronounced more like “noting”) is slang for a woman’s 

private parts, around which much of the play’s gossip 

is concerned. In this updated Ado, the hoop also made 

me think of the proverbial “brass ring” we all reach for to 

achieve success — because Stratford’s production is a 

winner. 

Shakespeare’s gloriously grouchy and reluctant lovers, 

Beatrice (Maev Beaty) and Benedick (Graham Abbey) 

have formed the template for many a successful 

romantic comedy. He swears he’ll never get married; 

she’s been burned before, and wants to preserve her 

personhood. Their bitchy brouhahas both entertain and 

exasperate their families and friends, who decide to 

fake them out into catching and declaring feelings for 

each other. Meanwhile Benedick’s current BFF, Claudio 

(Austin Eckert), finds himself desperately in love with 

Beatrice’s dear cousin Hero (Allison Edwards-Crewe), 

and hopes squad leader Don Pedro (a commanding 

André Sills) will make the match. 

Don Pedro’s sniveling bastard brother Don John 

(Michael Blake) wishes to depose his brother in any way 

possible, and fakes out the fake-outers, convincing Don 

Pedro, Claudio, and even Hero’s father Leonato (Patrick 

McManus) that she is unfaithful, an accusation that will 

essentially remove her value as a mate, narrowing her 

life to — that’s right — nothing. It’s now up to Beatrice 

and Benedick to stop squabbling and preserve Hero’s 

honour. The word honour is key here, yet another thing 

about which there’s much ado. The show pokes fun at 

the façade-like nature of honour, easily punctured and 

riding on appearance, rather than deed. 

One of the most significant unique aspects to the 

production is Erin Shields’ added text at the beginning 

and near the end of the play, both of which give the 

women more agency. In a new opening monologue, 

that dangling ring also represents the mirror into which 

Hero stares, as Beatrice contemplates the nature of a 

woman’s situation in a patriarchal world, along with our 

inability to really know the lives of others or even fully 

understand ourselves. 

Shields later deals with the lingering question of whether 

Hero really should forgive Claudio, given his ability to 

go from a dopey-eyed placer of women on pedestals 

to pedestal-pusher and incel at a moment’s notice. 

Shields gives Hero a beautiful speech which explains 

her rationale and breaks the character’s silence, and 

Edwards-Crewe brings true depth and passion to it, 

elevating the character from simply a wronged, chaste 

bride. While you’ll likely notice the more modern ideals 

of the additions, Shields does an admirable job of 

capturing Shakespeare’s cadence so that they flow 

into the rest of the play. The play may have received a 

feminist upgrade, but that doesn’t mean it’s didactic. 

Indeed, this production is joyful and high-energy, with 

plenty of music courtesy of Thomas Ryder Payne (the 

onstage band is an effective presence throughout, 

often following and highlighting the action) and physical 

comedy. Highlights of the latter include Beatrice and 

Benedick’s attempts to stay stealthy behind gossipers 

who are plainly aware of their presence. Whether it’s 



Abbey falling out of the foliage or Beaty carrying a table 

on her back like an Atlas who’s also in charge of the 

buffet, the pratfalls are performed with ease for huge 

laughs. 

The production also makes great use of the aisles of the 

large Festival Theatre, blooming out to involve entrances 

and exits, including an impressive tumble from Jakob 

Ehman’s swaggering Borachio. Much Ado’s success 

rides or dies on its leads, and both Abbey and Beaty 

have the chops to make their flawed couple likeable, 

including appealing chemistry, a sense of ebullience 

in the language they use so cleverly, and a care for the 

people around them that causes their jabs to land truly 

but more softly. Beaty, in particular, brings a fire to her 

character, especially in her devotion to her cousin, that 

makes it hard not to be #TeamBeatrice all evening. 

One might, though, hope to feel more of the vulnerability 

and desire to be loved that fully fleshes out the 

characters, particularly Benedick. For example, the 

choice to frame his initial joy at believing Beatrice 

is hopelessly in love with him as over-the-top male 

posturing is very, very funny, as is her reaction. However, 

in focusing on a more stereotypical type of humour, it’s 

missing a layer of almost childlike giddiness and wonder 

at the thought of being seen and loved for who you really 

are. Without this choice, though, we would lose a chance 

to see the reactions of Hero’s attendants Margaret and 

Ursula (Déjah Dixon-Green and Akosua Amo-Adem), 

who take every opportunity to deflate Benedick’s ego 

with glee. Where Abbey really shines is in his interaction 

with the audience, involving unsuspecting patrons in 

prop business and dropping the occasional delightful 

metatheatrical comment. 

These fourth-wall-breaking references are not only 

entertaining, but serve to remind us that while tension 

is high, the stakes are low. Beaty and Abbey aren’t the 

only two to watch. Sills as Don Pedro projects warmth, 

authority, and a sense of melancholy that gives him a 

touch of Cyrano de Bergerac as he brokers matches 

between his subjects without one himself. Eckert’s 

Claudio is a young pup with sad eyes, making his 

heel turn towards Hero all the more reprehensible, 

and Josue Laboucane, Glynis Ranney, Dante Prince, 

Kevin Kruchkywich and John Kirkpatrick get right down 

to milking every laugh out of their props, costumes, 

and gratuitous bird calls as the rude mechanicals 

that are the incredibly incompetent Dogberry and the 

Neighbourhood Watch. Even the smaller parts have 

notable business, such as the limping Antonio (Anthony 

Santiago) backing up his more vocally incensed brother 

Leonato in his threats to Claudio by dropping his cane 

to get into fighting stance with what strength he has left, 

changing a wedding ring to a boxing ring. Abraham’s 

production, in its unapologetic new content and its 

fighting spirit, is a ringing success. Shakespeare purists 

might make much ado about the changes. But they can 

watch one of the thousands of other productions of this 

play. This one adds up to a lot more than nothing. 


Ilana Lucas holds a BA in English and Theatre 

from Princeton and an MFA in Dramaturgy 

and Script Development from Columbia. For 

Centennial, she has developed The Power 

of Communication, The Show Must Go On: 

Theatre Studies, and Professional English 

Communication. She writes for Intermission 

Magazine and BroadwayWorld Toronto, and is 

the current President of the Canadian Theatre 

Critics Association. Her most recent play, “Let’s 

Talk,” won the Toronto Fringe Festival’s 24-Hour 

Playwriting Contest. 



Sleeping Bag Transfer 

by Dr. Catherine Raine 

was stored away in a perpetual coil in my Missouri 

childhood home. 

Not long after the 20th century spiraled into the 

current one, the sleeping bag was unearthed from 

the depths of storage and given to me. Following its 

passage from Missouri to Ontario, it continued its 

dormant, unfurled existence. Out of active service 

for 61 years, it seemed unlikely to be recruited for a 

second mission, and if the pandemic had not struck, it 

might have lain in limbo for another decade or two. 

But today your Navy sleeping gear is needed again, 

recommissioned by the Community Director of a 

downtown Toronto church. He recently requested 

emergency donations of sleeping bags, water, and 

shampoo for people who have pitched their tents 

against the sheltering bricks of the Church of the 

Holy Trinity. So, I plucked your bedroll from its dusty 

cupboard and ran it through the washer and dryer. 

Then I carefully spun it around itself — a ritual winding 

prior to resurrection into relevance — before bundling it 

into a large Foody World bag for transport. 

Dad, I’m giving your military sleeping bag to the Anglican 

Church of Canada. The last time you unrolled this large 

pocket for sleepy cadets and folded your tall frame into 

it, Eisenhower was president, and your younger brother 

was still in high school. 

You were serving in the US Navy, whose officers were 

training you to become an air traffic controller. From 

Midway Island, you witnessed atomic testing in the 

Pacific, received a gooseberry pie in a package from 

home, and wrote long letters to your sweetheart. 

After returning to civilian life, you kept this olive-green 

souvenir of your time at Midway’s Naval Air Facility 

and following your death in 1995 the bedroll that once 

padded your barrack’s bunk remained unclaimed. It 

On the designated donation day, I arrived fifteen 

minutes before the doors of Trinity opened. To pass 

the time, I walked the nearby labyrinth with a loaded 

dolly that trailed behind like an unsteady pilgrim who 

carted your sleeping sack, a case of bottled water, 

hand sanitizer, and a blanket. As I twisted and turned 

according to the guidelines of an ancient pattern, 

I meditated on the evolving, looping journey of the 

sleeping bag — from Midway Island to the Midwest, 

United States to Canada, Cold War to global pandemic, 

Navy to non-military encampment, father to daughter, 

car trunk to dolly, labyrinth to arched door. In the 

gentle maze of my mind’s centre, images related to the 

transfer of Dad’s military property appear: my father is 

in the sleeping bag, 21 years old and having just seen 

the ocean for the first time, and now it’s 2020 and a 

new person is snuggling into the bedding, someone 

who needs it. 



Dad, I see your spirit in the sleeping bag gift. I remember 

how you volunteered as a job counselor at a local 

shelter and as a listener for a cancer hotline. I still 

see you in acts of service and care, the unrolling of a 

temporary bed, its careful placement in a tent, a shelter 

during a time of pain. If you could send a message to 

your brother or sister in sleep, I believe it might go like 

this: Take this donation with my blessing and heartfelt 

prayers for your well-being. May it provide a protective 

layer between you and the hard ground below as well 

as the cold air above. Like you, I have known struggle. I 

fought a cold war, lived with epilepsy, and battled for my 

very life, surviving two bouts of cancer before the third 

one got me. I was vulnerable. I was scared. I often felt 

alone. But suffering passes. You keep smiling. You keep 

making jokes. May this old but sturdy bedroll of mine 

help you sleep through the night, giving you strength to 

face the morning. May it contain some of my optimism, 

fight, and love to match yours. May it not let you down. 

Sleep well, dear comrade, and may sanctuary enfold you 

always. Be warm. Be well. Be safe. Be at peace. 


Dr. Catherine Raine is a writer, artist, and tutor 

at the English Tutoring Centre. She loves writing 

poetry, making collages, and creating blog 

posts that combine images and words. Inspired 

by nature and mindfulness, Catherine enjoys 

writing journal entries and facilitating journalwriting 

workshops at the ETC. In 2020, she 

self-published Visualizations for Heartbreak, 

which is a series of illustrated meditations that 

are devoted to anyone seeking comfort after a 

deep loss. Catherine’s writings and artwork can 

be found on her website, www.c-raine.com. 



Toronto 

by Prabha Jerrybandan 

The winds had cooled from an unusually hot summer. 

While most felt relief, Kaya moved with trepidation, 

hugging her thin windbreaker that her boss had given 

her when she began working in the spring of that year. 

She welcomed the shelter of the hairdressing salon 

where she worked all week except for Mondays when 

it was closed. Voula gave her a slight smile as she 

entered and she immediately removed her jacket to 

bare her crumpled off white blouse, covering it again 

with a black, canvas apron that was hanging on the door 

of the washroom. She began sweeping the short, grey 

hairs that were falling off the almost bald gentleman 

that Voula had been grooming. He came in every three 

weeks for a trim although there was not much to cut. 

Kaya could not understand what the three homesick 

Greeks were saying, but she knew from Voula’s 

husband, Sotiros, that over fifty years before, he and his 

wife had left their home in Athens and travelled by ship 

to Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

the hot coffee that she had emptied from the carafe 

used to serve clients. She had finished cleaning the 

floors and toilet earlier, but wanted to stay as long as 

she could. Kaya liked it there. When she remembered 

that it was Saturday, she relaxed her lips and smiled at 

Voula who was counting out her pay. 

The young woman looked smaller and smaller as she 

moved towards the red and rusted bridge. It was dark 

enough, so she carefully looked around to make sure no 

one else was nearby before she ducked under the steel 

structure. Her blanket was intact on the blue tarpaulin 

that lay in the corner. As she let herself fall lightly to the 

ground, she took out her phone to look at the toothless 

smile of her Isabella. 

On days when there were no clients filling up the two 

chairs in the salon, Sotiros would tell Kaya about his 

childhood in Kalamata. 

“The sea near. Ah! So nice!” 

His dark brown eyes looked dreamy as he fixed the 

oxygen tube under his nose. Coughing intermittently, he 

sputtered, “They no want me to go—the children.” He 

pursed his lips and looked somewhat lost. Kaya felt her 

phone vibrating in the pocket of her apron and glanced 

down to see “Hija” on the screen. Moving close to the 

front door, she whispered, “Hola, mi amor.” Her face 

looked much older than the picture on her passport. It 

was taken just one year ago before her move to Toronto. 

Back home, her mother promised to look after her 

six-year-old daughter. After all, Kaya was going to send 

money for them and eventually they would all move to 

Canada. Kaya would go back to school and get a job. 

She would make lots of money and buy a house. As 

the hands of the clock on the wall moved to seven and 

twelve, the street outside looked dark. Kaya drank down 


Prabha Jerrybandan holds a PhD. in 

Education. She is a Professor of English and 

ESL at Centennial College. She is particularly 

interested in immigrant stories, Caribbean 

literature, women’s studies, and incorporates 

autoethnography and other life history research 

methods into her academic work. Prabha’s 

research surrounds experiences of marginalized 

people, especially in the Caribbean, who are 

at risk of being silenced or forgotten in the 

published literature of the region. 



If and When 

by Golam Dastagir 

We use and consume water from the jar 

More than what we need and desire. 

Can we ever know the scarcity of water 

If and when we are lucky to dip in the river? 

You feel the scald of the burning sand 

While you walk in the scorching Sun. 

No one can ever feel a sufferer’s torment 

Only the Sahara knows its own lament. 

When our life is blessed with love and care 

We forget to cherish our time together. 

Can a lover ever know the true love’s power 

If and when they’re imbued with excessive care? 

Sweet, cute, handsome, hot they hear a lot 

But they don’t care how we make much effort. 

One realizes how a lovelorn dies every moment 

If and when the lover is lost, but the love is not. 

We are hemmed in by radiant light 

No matter whether it is day or night. 

Can he ever know how the hungry feels 

If and when he only wastes and eats? 

Your table is overfilled with delectable beans 

While millions cry without any necessary means. 

The rich may never feel the financial stress 

Only the poor know of a pauper’s distress. 

You are privileged with unearned opportunities 

But we see millions of prejudiced communities. 

Can he ever feel the pang of poverty 

If and when he only lavishes on property? 

Our life may be full of pleasure and happiness 

While others are besieged by sorrows and pains. 

The affluent never faces the situation of fight-or-flight 

Only the destitute knows a starveling’s plight. 

We are proud of our opulent lifestyle 

While millions can’t afford a simple smile. 

Can he ever feel the chagrin of wearing rags 

If and when he longs for only the new and brands? 

We annually waste almost 40% of our foods 

That amounts to $27 billion worth of goods. 

The top 20% Canadians own 70% of the total wealth 

While one percent of the bottom 20% is not worth it. 

The haves often ignore the famished one 

While the impoverished succours someone. 


Golam Dastagir has been involved with teaching 

and research at different universities and 

colleges over the last 33 years in many places 

across the world. His areas of interest include 

Global Peace, Intercultural Philosophy, Applied 

Ethics, Mental Health and Addictions, and 

Comparative Religions with a specialty in Sufism 

on which he writes extensively in journals, 

encyclopedias, books, and social media. Three 

of his books are catalogued at the library of 

the University of Toronto. Dr. Dastagir teaches 

Global Citizenship at Centennial. 


SELS Dialogues Editors 

Sherry Hejazi 

Sherry has been with Centennial College since 2014, teaching COMM courses 

in the School of English and Liberal Studies. She has been an educator for 

the past 20 years, and her research interests include program development, 

incorporating EDTech tools in teaching and learning, gamifying education, 

enhancing student engagement and student knowledge production. Sherry 

is a TESL Ontario Blog Team member/writer and a TESL Ontario Conference 

presenter. For Centennial, she has initiated COMM Dialogues, now known as 

SELS Dialogues , piloted new COMM courses, conducted SoTL projects, and 

edited ENG 250 OER “Writing in a Technical Environment”. She is also the 

managing editor of SELS Dialogues. 

Marcel Cundari 

Marcel Cundari has been teaching in the ESL industry for over 15 years. He 

started his career overseas teaching English in almost every format in Korea, 

Japan, and France. On returning to his hometown of Toronto, he transitioned 

from teaching to administration and has been in a leadership role in different 

DLI organizations for over 5 years. Marcel’s current focus is on the role of 

technology in language acquisition and how it can be leveraged to improve 

learning outcomes. He truly believes in the value that learning another language 

can bring and finds fulfillment in helping students reach their education and 

career goals. 

Paula Anderton 

Paula Anderton is a professor in the department of Humanities and Social 

Sciences where she has taught and developed general education courses. She 

was project lead and chapter contributor to the current Global Citizenship OER 

and course revisions. Before joining Centennial, Paula worked as a professional 

magazine writer and editor for 17 years, covering a variety of subjects including 

globalization, green technologies and equity issues. She is currently working on 

a book of poetry. 


Philip Alalibo 

Philip is the interim Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social 

Sciences and had been a professor in the department for the past 14 years. 

Philip has participated in several curriculum development initiatives, including 

the development of several courses. Philip is a published poet and author of 

six books and co-author of a college textbook and children’s story book. He is 

a founding member of Centennial’s Writer’s Circle. 

Zafar Khan 

Zafar Khan is an Academic Upgrading Professor at the School of English 

and Liberal Studies (SELS). He teaches passionately, advocates for student 

success. He has created and delivered ACE (Academic College Entrance) 

Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry courses over the last 15 years. 

As an Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) alumnus he actively 

participates in the OISE mentorship program and is an active member of the 

Ontario College Mathematics Association (OCMA). 

Shelley Steele 

Shelley Steele is an entrepreneurial educator, media producer, and personal 

development coach on a mission to inspire personal growth and change. She 

has produced, directed, and hosted award-winning educational documentary 

series , docu-dramas, and projects with TVO, Sick Kids Hospital, the Ontario 

Ministry of the Attorney General, the Ontario Ministry of Education, and a 

multitude of community organizations and school boards. Shelley is the 

founder and president of Heartspeak— powering community development 

through mentoring and coaching programs, training, and resources 

(heartspeak.ca). She is a professor in Centennial’s Inclusive Leadership 

Practices and Entrepreneurism Certificate programs; Healthy Lifestyle 

Management; and Global Citizenship. 


Jill McDonald 

For the past 30 years, Jill has been working at Centennial College in the 

administrative field in the English and Humanities and Social Services 

Department and Student Financial Services. Overtime, she has helped many 

students to achieve their goals and progress in their field of academic studies. 

Ivan Su 

Ivan is a professor in the EAP program and has been a language educator for 

the past 20+ years, teaching in Japan and Canada. He enjoys implementing 

new skills and innovation from EdTech in his courses, as well as researching 

new learning strategies in language education. His current research project is 

investigating the impact of mobile micro learning on language learning. 

BJ Jumnadass 

BJ Jumnadass has over 15 years of teaching experience both locally and 

abroad. He has worked and lived in many different countries like Malaysia, 

Indonesia, UAE, Qatar, Australia, and Brunei. He has held administrative roles 

and has taught at all educational levels ranging from primary, secondary 

and college/university. BJ has a Masters in Education, a BA with a Major 

in Psychology, TEFL/TESOL, Coaching levels 1 and 2 and has obtained a 

Fellowship. He is currently completing his second Masters in Applied Linguistics 

at York University. 


Call for Submissions 

SELS Dialogues accepts submissions on an on-going 

basis. Our goal is to publish twice a year, informing 

staff and faculty about school initiatives, sharing 

best practices, building community, and providing 

professional growth opportunities in the School of 

English and Liberal Studies. 

What’s in it for you? 

• Strengthening your resume as a published scholar 

• Increasing visibility within the college 

• Contributing to your Centennial family 

Journal Sections Open to Submissions: 

1. Pedagogy: Teaching Tips, Innovations in 

Pedagogy, Successful Classroom Practices, 

Classroom Management Techniques, 

Assessment and Learning, Reflective 

Practices on Pedagogy 

2. EdTech Tools: Reflections on Implementing 

EDTech Tool in Teaching and Assessment 

3. Critical Thinking: Teaching and Assessing 

Critical Thinking, Reflective Practices on 

Critical Thinking 

4. Research Initiatives: SoTL projects, 

Conference and Seminar Reflections, 

Research Practices, Building Research 

Capacity in Education, Reflective Practices 

on Research 

5. Creative Pursuits: Short stories, Arts, 

Paintings, Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Essays, 

Poetry,,Creative writing and Literary Reviews: 

Play Reviews, Movies Reviews, Book Reviews 

6. Other 

Newsletter Sections Open to Submissions: 

1. Beyond the Classroom/Academics: Off 

campus staff and faculty pursuits:staff and 

faculty travel, Engagement in Community, 

and Other 

2. Student Work: Student Emails written 

to Faculty, Student Achievements 

Written Submission Guidelines 

• Please follow the Publication Manual of the 

American Psychological Association (APA, 7th Ed). 

• Authors are requested to provide a biography (75 

words) and an image of themselves, and to sign a 

journal submission agreement. 

• Written Submissions should be between 500 

to 1000 words. 

In case a submission is not accepted, we are more than 

happy to connect with authors and provide feedback for 

future submissions. 

Please also feel free to contact our team of editors for 

brainstorming any ideas you might have before creating 

a piece. 

Copyright: Staff and faculty to their work will be 

reserved, and they may publish their work on other 

platforms. A waiver form will be provided once a 

submission has been selected. 

Please submit your paper to the link 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact 

• Sherry Hejazi: shejazi@centennialcollege.ca 

• Marcel Cundari: mcundari@centennialcollege.ca 


A1-01-NOV23

SELS Dialogues Journal Volume 3 Issue 1

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?