As an experienced educator, I bring a diverse range of training and experience in teaching for post-secondary, co-curricular, and community-based environments.
My teaching philosophy is premised on two major principles: namely, that effective teaching is learner-centred rather than instructor-centred, and that teachers have a responsibility to address equity and access issues in the design and delivery of their courses. I have received professional development training in instructional techniques that have enabled me to address both principles in my teaching.
Post-Secondary Teaching
As a course instructor for the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto, I have designed and delivered undergraduate-level courses in Qualitative Methods; the Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender; the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity; and Gender, Politics, and Society.
On average, students rated my course instruction 4.6 on a 5-point scale on formal course evaluations. I have also shown consistent improvement in my teaching: in the four times that I taught Qualitative Methods, my course instruction rating improved from 4.6 to 5.0 out of 5.0
Contact me for a copy of my Course Syllabi
Through my roles as a Trainer and Curriculum Development Consultant at the University of Toronto, I have worked closely with teaching faculty and graduate students to support the implementation of best practices in teaching across courses in the Social Sciences and Humanities. This includes training and experience in Active Learning Strategies, Accessible Course Design, Critical Pedagogy, Experiential Learning, and Writing Instruction (i.e. Writing Across the Curriculum and Writing in the Disciplines).
Contact me for a copy of my Teaching Dossier
Co-Curricular Education
I bring previous experience developing, delivering and evaluating co-curricular education at York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Career Centre. This included working with faculty to design training for experiential learning and fieldwork courses, as well as working with career counsellors and specialists in the delivery of career exploration, internship, and employment support for graduate and undergraduate students.
Community-Based Education
My commitment to equity also extends beyond the academic classroom, where, as a community-based educator, I have delivered training in qualitative research methods to young Muslim women as part of a youth-led initiative at the Barbra Schlifer clinic for women survivors of violence in Toronto.
I also currently sit on a community advisory board for a training development project funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario, which will design and deliver training to service providers on the intersections between race, gender, and immigration status.
Salina Abji 