Episode 28: Ana-Marija Petrunic
Andrew sits down with Ana-Marija Petrunic to discuss her work in post-conflict Kosovo in the late 1990's, how language & identity factor into teaching, and if there is such a thing as neutrality in education. Ana-Marija spent years in Kosovo after the war as part of a project with the aim of reconstructing an education system in the ethnically diverse region.
Ana-Marija is the Chair of the School of ESL at Toronto’s George Brown College. Previous to that, she spent more than a decade with the University of Calgary, serving roles as instructor, professional development advisor, and in education management. She is continuing her academic path with doctoral studies in the School of Management at the University of Bath.
In this episode, Ana-Marija delves into:
how her feeling of being "suspended in identity" led her to a career in ELT
her work in Kosovo - what it was, why she went, and how it happened
the challenges of re-constructing education in a post-war region
how identity impacts language learning and teaching
why she believes neutrality does not exist in education
why teachers need to embrace tension and discomfort in their classrooms, and have tough, meaningful, and impactful discussions with their students that will impart social change
About Ana-Marija:
Ana-Marija is the Chair of the School of ESL at Toronto’s George Brown College, a position she had held since 2018. Prior to joining George Brown College in 2018, Ana-Marija was the Manager of Teaching and Learning for the English Language Program in Continuing Education at the University of Calgary. She continues to teach in the Teaching Second Languages Certificate and Human Resources Certificate programs at the University of Calgary.
Ana-Marija's graduate work was in Educational Contexts - Comparative and International Education at the University of Calgary where she focused on the role of identity theory among educators in post-conflict Kosovo and its effect on the democratization of education as it relates to minority group rights. This research led to a two-year position with the Educator Development Program (a CIDA-funded initiative) in which she divided her time between Kosovo and Serbia working in the areas of in-service teacher training, youth and gender development and professional development of regional school administration offices.
She is continuing her academic path with doctoral studies in the School of Management at the University of Bath. Specializing in Higher Education Management, her doctoral research focuses on how the professional lived experiences of women in management positions in higher education institutions affect their self-perception of leadership development, namely the act of performing gendered leadership.
For more information on Ana-Marija:
Follow her: @ampetrun
Read her thesis from the University of Calgary
For more information on this episode, see our blog post on our website.
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