Instructors

I have worked with Lenna for a number of years and she is a very knowledgeable about Special Education. She has always been kind and understanding with not only her students but also her colleagues.

"Diane works in the Developmental Disability classroom at Poplar Road where she serves students with the highest tier of need in our Board. Her love for her students, and her determination to provide access to education, however challenging is truly inspirational" Nicole Miller, Principal at Poplar Road Jr. P.S.

Our instructor, Kristin, was wonderful. She was extremely knowledgeable, personable and helpful. Our group collaborated well and had a strong sense of community - which I attribute to Kristin. I really enjoyed this course and learned many new things. The "in the VP's chair" day was also very helpful. Overall, an excellent experience and I would highly recommend the York PQP course to any of my colleagues.

Jonathon was very approachable, kind and encouraging. Jonathon cares for the success of all his students and goes above and beyond as an instructor to ensure students meet deadlines and can reach course goals.

Kelly is a true professional who walks the talk. Makes time for her students, teachers and fellow administrators. I enjoyed hearing her scenarios and real life based case studies.

"Sheri’s program fully embraces the essence and intention of the FDK program. Students create their learning through carefully planned tasks and activities that are based on student interest and a culture of inquiry. Sheri’s classroom is a hive of activity through which students view themselves as capable and competent directors of their own learning as well as members of a collaborative and cohesive whole group on the same journey. The classroom environment provides a strong learning foundation that will support students growth and development in their early years, and as life-long skills. Sheri is a reflective practitioner, expertly leading the team in her classroom by collaborating on all aspects of the individual and group needs of her students, continually refining and rethinking programming based on formative assessments. She is adept at navigating the relationships with her team based on mutual respect, and shared responsibility. Sheri’s leadership extends beyond the classroom to our entire school in her role as the school’s literacy coach, through which she lends her expert pedagogical and programming expertise to all staff."

"It was an overall great experience. Adam was a delight as an instructional leader. He was enthusiastic, present and encouraging and offered his expertise and feedback in a positive manner. I am walking away with confidence in the the subject area of coop and have transferable skills that will support me in whichever subjects I teach. I can honestly say he's been the most enjoyable prof I've had. Kudos, Adam!! Thank you for your kindness, and for your love of the subject. "

"Thank you, Charlie, for a wonderful experience in Special Education Part 2. Would definitely take a course with her or York U again!" "The feedback from the course instructor was useful in understanding and getting a full grasp of expectations. " "Charlie was an amazing course instructor. Always responded back to emails in a timely manner, always willing to help and provided feedback on lessons. Will definitely take another AQ with York U would love to have Charlie Craig again if she is teaching other AQ's." "Thank you SO much for answering all of my questions, so quickly, and for the rubrics, weblinks and the picture/website instructional sheet that you sent. I really, really appreciate it! This is the first time that I have experienced an AQ course where ALL of my questions have been answered, and where I feel that my individual needs are considered."

The instructor Lesley was fabulous and very knowledgeable on every topic. I wish she did all of the online AQ's! Reading Part 1 was very worthwhile. Lesley Davidson is an insightful and approachable instructional leader. She has so much to share and is always willing to take our opinions and expertise into account.

"Big shout out to Elisa. Her leadership of the course was excellent. Her tone was always supportive and encouraging. Her thorough responses to questions along the way was really helpful. I really appreciated the efforts she made to respond to my inquiries and all the meaningful assessment feedback she provided. I really hope to take another course with her again."

«Karen was an incredible instructor during this course! She acted as a facilitator who sparked many meaningful discussions, provided insightful thoughts and links for further reading, and shared her passion for teaching French as a Second Language Merci Karen!»

Robert's patience and commitment to student and teacher learning is inspirational.

Andrea went above and beyond as an instructor for Dance, Part 1. She came to each virtual session with enthusiasm and energy, offered fantastic resources, modelled tangible lesson ideas, and built upon our ideas to make them richer for our students. I am most grateful for the mentorship that she extended to us even after the course was over.Her interest and assistance “inside the classroom” and beyond is a testament to the caring and high-quality leadership she provides in dance education.

Tina was phenomenal. She was very approachable. The course work was very well layed out and manageable, having the weekends to "catchup" was helpful. We had many professional, engaging and meaningful professional discourse conversations. There are many strategies and resources to take away in this short amount of time. I can't thank you enough!!!!

Dom, amazing experience! You have made this learning experience rich, authentic, and engaging. Thank you for taking time out of your summer to lead us and encourage us on our journey. You truly made the course a great experience.

Thanks, Lee! You motivated and inspired me to do my best by giving such positive feedback every time. You are an amazing teacher and I would like to thank you for sharing such awesome resources which has helped me to gain immense knowledge…. Please do let me know if you plan to teach any other course as I would love to do it if you are the instructor.”

"Shamsi's passion for fitness is unparalleled. She brings a wealth of theoretical and practical knowledge from both an educational, and health and wellness perspectives. She is a rising star within the TDSB Health and Physical Education department. She has a unique ability to bring the best out of her students in a fun and engaging manner. This is evidenced by the waitlists to get into her courses, and the overwhelming student and staff support for her school-wide wellness initiatives."

Al was a really wonderful instructor, whose kindness and knowledge permeated through the virtual learning space. Excellent leadership, a safe, inclusive community of colleagues and learning opportunities and material that were conducive to my role as a primary/junior music teacher. I will be taking part 2 and 3 in the following months. The instruction, the material, resources and guest speakers were all excellent. One of the best summer AQs I've ever taken.

"As a SERT, Community Class teacher and as he supports colleagues with technology and programming. He understands the In-School Team and IPRC processes, IEP writing requirements, and, knows and effectively implements differentiated instructional strategies for identified and non-identified students. He works collaboratively with school staff, community partners, and families. He works diligently to discover and access appropriate resources for students, families and educators."

"... It was obvious that Diana's enthusiasm, many years of experience and personal connections in her community, played a major role in how informative, multifaceted and valuable this course was. We all learned a great deal from Diana, the positive learning environment she cultivated and from the dynamic course she created."

Chelle Martindale is an incredible Instructional Leader who has a genuine and heartfelt passion for Dance. She goes above and beyond, and is committed to helping candidates to develop both personally and professionally. She gives valuable feedback that challenges you to reflect, diversify, include, modify and to make Dance accessible, engaging and meaningful for your students. Meghan

I really enjoyed the course in terms of learning new techniques, learning from other's experiences, learning information from resources, learning by mistakes/correction method and learning by self directed goals. Excellent way to learn with active participation of instructor. I am so inspired with the course experience that I am planning to sign up for Primary Basic in near future.

Hello Rob I just wanted to say that I am extremely grateful to you. Your constructive feedback, helped me gain a good understanding of the course material, but more importantly, it helped me become more confident. A few weeks ago I had an interview and I walked in knowing what to expect. This is only because I took the two History courses that you led. Yesterday I got my answer, and I'm very happy to say that after years of trying, I finally managed to get on the supply list. I truly enjoyed my learning experience and I hope I will have the opportunity to learn with you again.

Laurie is a dedicated educational professional with years of experience in leading learning and professional development system wide. As a knowledgeable math expert, Laurie’s support in school wide math initiatives was invaluable to our schools and to myself as a school principal. Her gentle guidance, collaborative nature, and ability to know ‘just when to push forward‘ with staff and students alike was greatly appreciated as we we worked to meet our goal of improving math instruction.

"Oldridge does a fantastic job of challenging our thinking in regard to math education!"

"You've helped me think differently about how to teach reading...how to teach literacy skills in all subjects."

Instructor was excellent and responded with feedback in a timely manner. The instructor was extremely flexible and understanding, he made the online learning space more engaging by giving the students the power to interact with one another freely.

Adrienne's commitment to centering Indigenous Education while supporting student and educator learning is inspiring.

Joana is passionate about professional learning, and works collaboratively to ensure success.

I want to let you know the positive influence that you have had on my math thinking. A lot of my crucial math learning came from you. It is amazing how the skills that I have developed have made me a better math teacher and math lead at my school. It is incredible how often I refer to, and use the resources that I learned with you. You are amazing at what you do.

"I have never taken an AQ like this before. Liam has changed how I see my work.... This course gave me permission to be better as a teacher and for the students I work and learn with."

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Joanne was excellent about giving us useful feedback and guiding us along the way. I learned a lot from her as well as many of the other people taking the course. It had great content and I learned a lot.

I want to say that the Instructional leader was amazing! He was motivating, inspirational and a fantastic role model for any HPE teacher or specialist! Daniele's knowledge & experience in the field of Physical Education definitely inspired me to continue learning and finish my specialist in H&PE.

"Exceptionally deliberate and purposeful. Sara's work is founded in a clear sense of the curriculum and in instructional strategies that benefit students." / "Progressive, forward thinking, and inclusive. Tirelessly committed to innovation and disruption of barriers to learning."

"Ryan is an enthusiastic, creative and supportive educator who brings leadership experience as an assistant curriculum leader, a coach and an AQ instructor of 10 years."

You are awesome. Thanks for being so professional, supportive and resourceful but also being a human! It's nice not to feel so much pressure while learning. / / Thank you for your consistent support, encouragement, and feedback throughout the course. This was one of my most enjoyable AQ experiences, largely due to your guidance and flexible and understanding approach. You provided valuable insight and always shared your experienced perspective while allowing us to feel comfortable.

It was extremely useful to have Instructors who currently practice and have a range of experience. The shared approach of Principal and Employee Services Senior role (with the experience of Principal) was excellent and gave us the opportunity to consider actual practice. In conjunction with the above, the combination of professional readings with the practical group work, individual work, and different formats for all learning was wonderful. Thirdly, I felt directly supported and valued as part of the group and that made a big impact on me.