Symposium 2025
Sixth Symposium of Southern Ontario Universities on “From Silos to Solidarity: Rethinking Languages and Literacies in Education through collaboration and care”
In a world that has increasingly become marked by tensions and divisions, breaking down silos and overcoming isolation is more important now than ever. Whether our work focuses on bridging boundaries, dismantling disciplinary silos, or fostering reciprocal relationships with others, a sense of belonging to the human community remains at the very core of all these endeavours, bringing us together in solidarity and resistance. The 6th Symposium of the Southern Ontario Universities invites scholars, students, and practitioners to share and critically reflect on the role and impact of collaboration and care within the field of languages and literacies in Education.
The Symposium of the Southern Ontario Universities will be in its sixth edition this year and is the result of ongoing collaborative efforts between different universities and post-secondary institutions in the region. The symposium seeks to continue building community not only between participating institutions but, more importantly, among students, faculty, practitioners and all those interested in language and literacies education. By creating a supportive environment for all participants, the symposium challenges traditional academic hierarchies, encouraging meaningful connections and learning from one another. Following traditions of previous years, the symposium will feature two keynote speakers, one from a local and one from an international context respectively, to further strengthen discussion and dialogue not only within Ontario but also beyond. As a new addition to this year’s symposium, there will be an initiative to specifically support first-time attendees through mentoring and pre-symposium workshops, aiming to demystify what it means to attend or present at an academic symposium.
We are excited to announce that the sixth Symposium of the Southern Ontario Universities will take place October 24-25, 2025 at Niagara College’s DJP Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and we invite you to submit contributions to one of the three different strands (presentations, roundtable discussion, poster presentations) in which participants will discuss new research avenues, including:
- bi-/multi-/trans-/plurilingualism in language education
- multiliteracies and multimodalities
- teachers’ and students’ agency
- mobility, migration and inclusion
- impact of language policies
- innovation in language teaching methodologies and assessment
- artificial intelligence in language education
- language acquisition and language use
- technology-assisted language learning and teaching
- online learning and distance education
- antiracism, decolonization and social justice in language education
- newcomer language education
- indigenous and heritage language education
The Symposium offers a valuable opportunity for scholars, including faculty members, graduate students, activists and practitioners, engaged in languages and literacies education to connect, share insights, and discuss their research. It serves as a platform to establish and expand opportunities for academic networking for future collaborations.
Now in its sixth edition, the Symposium is hosted by Niagara College’s Centre for Research in Education and is jointly organized by the Center for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies (CERLL) of OISE-University of Toronto and Niagara College. The University of Toronto at Mississauga, Western University, York University, the University of Waterloo and Glendon College are also major collaborators in this initiative. The Symposium provides a unique opportunity to further strengthen collaboration and cultivate community both within and across institutional boundaries. The hybrid format will once again allow for broader participation, welcoming both national and international audiences, as was successfully achieved in previous editions. With a diverse program featuring plenary sessions, presentations, roundtable discussions, poster sessions, and social events, the Symposium offers participants from Ontario and beyond an excellent opportunity to engage with the wider academic community in language and literacies education.
Plenary Speakers
Sarah Mercer is Professor of Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Graz, Austria, where she is Head of ELT methodology. Her research interests include all aspects of the psychology surrounding the foreign language learning experience. She is the author, co-author and co-editor of several books in this area. She has served as Principal Investigator on several funded research projects, has worked on the editorial board of various journals, is co-editor of Multilingual Matters’ Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching book series, is currently president of IAPLL, and is an ambassador for IATEFL.
Title of plenary: Language education is interdisciplinary: Exploring the example of the psychology of language learning and teaching
Language education is interdisciplinary. That is not contentious but a statement of fact. Our field has always drawn on multiple lenses to understand the complexity of our practices: applied linguistics, education, sociology, and psychology among others. In this talk, I will discuss the joys and challenges of working in such an interdisciplinary space drawing on the example of psychology of language learning and teaching (PLLT). I will explain my reasons for engaging with both complexity and ecological theory and how these align with interdisciplinary thinking. I will argue why I believe we need to spend more time seriously engaging with the psychology of language teachers if we wish to improve education systems. To conclude, I will reflect critically on future agendas that acknowledge and engage with the interdisciplinary complexity of language education.
Geoff Lawrence is an Associate Professor of English language education and Applied Linguistics at York University in Toronto. His research and publications focus on digital, intercultural, and plurilingual approaches in language and teacher education, with particular attention to technology integration, teacher beliefs, and pedagogical innovation. He has led or collaborated on projects examining digital approaches in community-based English language teaching (ELT), French language education, virtual exchange, and intercultural, plurilingual, action-oriented teaching/learning. His current work is investigating the integration of generative AI in post-secondary English for Academic Purposes. Geoff’s research is grounded in his teaching practice in ELT, TESOL, graduate applied linguistics, and is informed by his experiences as an educator and learner.
Title of Plenary: Reaffirming ‘Heart’ in Language Education: Critical Reflections on Affect, Agency and Community in Digital Teaching
This talk explores the human dimensions - affect, agency and community - at the core of language teaching and learning, which are increasingly complexified in today’s digital/AI-mediated learning environments. Drawing on 25 years of research and practice, it calls for sustained critical engagement with emerging technologies to ensure that language education remains human-centred and responsive to the emotional, relational promise of ‘language’ learning.
Committees
- Ana García-Allén (Western University)
- Giacomo Folinazzo (Niagara College)
- Hang-Sun Kim (University of Toronto)
- Ibtissem Knouzi (York University)
- Geoff Lawrence (York University)
- Marie-Paule Lory (UTM)
- Faith Marcel (Niagara College)
- Ashley Moore (OISE)
- Enrica Piccardo (OISE)
- Gail Prasad (York University)
- Pablo Robles García (UTM)
- Barbara Schmenk (University of Waterloo)
- Shelley K. Taylor (Western University)
- Shawna-Kaye Tucker (OISE)
- Marlon Valencia (Glendon College)
- Zhaozhe Wang (UTM
- Catherine Bayless (OISE)
- Giacomo Folinazzo (Niagara College)
- Umme Kulsum (OISE)
- Lisa Lackner (OISE)
- Faith Marcel (Niagara College)
- Asad Iqbal (OISE)
- Enrica Piccardo (OISE)
Presented By
The Symposium 2025 is being presented by the the Centre for Research in Education at Niagara College and the Centre for Educational Research in Languages and Literacies (CERLL) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. This event is a collaboration with the Department of Languages and Cultures, the Faculty of Education at Western University, the Graduate Program in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics at the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics at York University, the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at the University of Waterloo, the Language Department at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
