Project Team

Nord University

Ruta Andreassen, Practicum Coordinator

Dr Janice Bland, Professor of English Education, Project Coordinator

Dr Nayr Ibrahim, Associate Professor

Charlotta Langejan-Candelin, International Coordinator

David Valente, Research Fellow

Bishop’s University

Wendy King, Teacher Educator

Dr Sunny Man Chu Lau, Local Project Coordinator

Lindsay Tolton, Master’s Student

Nord University
Ruta Andreassen is a university lecturer and the Head of Praxis for the MA Teacher Education Programme (MAGLU) at Nord University, Norway. Her previous responsibilities as an assistant principle at Bankgata ungdomsskole in Bodø, included coordinating the bilingual subject education for foreign students to facilitate their subject learning, recruiting bilingual teachers, and coordinating the educational programmes for the newly arrived school students from abroad. Ruta is originally from Lithuania and has a 5-year degree as a teacher of English and Norwegian as a second language from Vilnius Pedagogical University (now Vytautas Magnus University, VMU). In 2002 she received her MEd from the University of Leeds.
Janice Bland is Professor of English Education, Nord University, Norway, where she prepares student teachers for the teaching of English language and literature at the primary and secondary level. Her core interests are concerned with creativity in ELT: creative writing, children’s literature from picturebooks to young adult fiction, visual and literary literacy, critical literacy and global issues, intercultural learning and drama methodology. Janice has been plenary speaker in the UK, Turkey, Germany, Greece, United Arab Emirates, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Finland and Japan. Janice is editor-in-chief of the open access journal Children’s Literature in English Language Education (CLELEjournal).
Nayr Ibrahim is Associate Professor of English Subject Pedagogy at Nord University in Norway. She has over 25 years of experience in English and bilingual education in Portugal, Paris, Cairo, Hong Kong and now Norway. Nayr holds a PhD in trilingualism, triliteracy and identity from the University of Reading. She has participated in various EU projects on multilingualism, including reviewing the EU’s Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning (2018). Her publications include Teaching Children How to Learn with Gail Ellis, and her research interests are early language learning, bi/multilingualism, multiple literacies, language and identity, learning to learn, children’s literature and children’s rights.
Charlotta Maria Langejan is International Coordinator at the Faculty of Education and Arts, Nord University. A Finnish citizen, born in France, she has worked in Venezuela, the Netherlands, Finland and Norway as a teacher and project leader for different NGOs. As International Coordinator, she informs Norwegian and foreign students about the possibilities of studying abroad and at Nord University. Contact with partner institutions and building bridges with new partner institutions is a central part of her work. Charlotta holds a MA in Pedagogics from Åbo Akademi, Finland and is a qualified teacher. She also holds a MA in International Relations from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

David Valente is a PhD research fellow in English language and literature teacher education at Nord University. His research explores intercultural citizenship learning through picturebooks in the context of English teacher education. He is the communications director for the recently established international Early Language Learning Research Association (ELLRA). He is also the reviews editor for the diamond open-access online journal, Children’s Literature in English Language Education.

Bishop’s University

Wendy King is a Contract Faculty professor as well as Supervisor of student teachers at Bishop’s, teaching various courses. She worked with the Eastern Townships School Board, as a teacher, and then as the Board’s Language Arts Consultant, responsible for support and professional development of teachers. Wendy has worked with the Quebec MEES (Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur) on committees responsible for providing professional development for in the area of English Language Arts (Response to Literature being an area of much focus). Wendy served on the provincial Languages Network, a committee FSL and ELA Consultants for the English School Boards.
Sunny Man Chu Lau is Associate Professor in the School of Education at Bishop’s University in Quebec, Canada. She is the recipient of the 2012 International Society for Language Studies’ Founders’ Emergent Scholars Award for her scholarships in critical language studies. Her research interest and expertise include bi/plurilingual education, critical literacy, literature and language teaching, intercultural education, etc. As  principal investigator of three recent funded projects, she engages teachers in action research to examine the use of translanguaging pedagogies to promote students’ critical bilingual learning. She is co-editor of Critical Inquiry for Language Studies.

Lindsay Tolton is a Master’s student in Education at Bishop’s University. She has worked teaching English as a Second Language in a variety of settings, including 10 years as Professor of English at Universidad de Concepcion in Chile. She holds a B.A. from Drew University in English Literature. Prior to her work in teaching English as a second language, she held a BCaBA (Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst) and worked supporting individuals with developmental disabilities.