James Steele Appointed to the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers Board of Directors

Contract Lecturer James (Jimmy) Steele has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT).

As noted on the CASLT website, the Association’s goal is to foster and advance professional excellence in language teaching in Canada, “by creating opportunities for professional development, by initiating and disseminating research, and by facilitating the exchange of information and ideas among language educators.”

Jimmy has worked in second language education for nearly 20 years. He has taught secondary Spanish, German, French Immersion, Core French, ESL, and Portuguese over his career in the Toronto District School Board in Toronto. At the Faculty of Education, he is currently course instructor for the “French as a Second Language” course in the Intermediate/Senior division. He also worked for three years as a secondee to York University's Faculty of Education, where he delivered 10 undergraduate and BEd courses in French and English. He continues to facilitate Continuing Education courses for teachers at both Nipissing University and OISE/University of Toronto.

“Professional development is at the heart of lifelong learning for classroom teachers and education workers,” he says. “I truly believe that learning from experts and peers alike has a measurable, meaningful impact on our teaching, programming, and assessment. Because of this, I have been involved with several provincial organizations throughout my teaching career, including ten years with the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association and nine years as president of the Ontario Association of Teachers of German. When the call for interested candidates for the CASLT Board of Directors came out, I was encouraged to apply, and now, as part of the national team, having the chance to support teachers across Canada and help impact policy development in second language teaching is a very special experience.”

Congratulations on this appointment, Jimmy!