Meet the Team
Project Leader
Dr. Shawna-Kaye Tucker is an assistant professor of Applied Linguistics at OISE,
University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the language and literacy development of learners with English as an additional language, with a particular emphasis on writing. Born and raised in Jamaica, she carries out extensive work with children who speak dialects and Creole languages–– exploring how schools can best support English literacy development through evidence-based practices that validate learners’ linguistic resources.
Further information on her research projects and publications can be accessed here.
Team Members
Kanza is pursuing a PhD in Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), with a collaborative specialization in Comparative, International and Development Education. Her research focuses on the STEM experiences of migrant Pakistani students during their compulsory schooling. Having herself transitioned from science and math classrooms in Pakistan to those in Canada, she is dedicated to easing that journey for other students.
Michelly Peixoto is a Ph.D. student in the Language and Literacies Education program at OISE, University of Toronto. Her extensive experience in Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) education in both Brazil and Canada informs her research on the literacy development of DHH students. She is particularly interested in the multiple definitions of literacy within Deaf education, the reading development of DHH learners, and alternative approaches to fostering literacy in this population. Her work seeks to advance more inclusive and equitable understandings of literacy that reflect the diverse experiences of DHH students.
Rosalia is a PhD candidate at the department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning at OISE, University of Toronto. Drawing on her teaching and learning experiences both internationally and in Toronto, her research centers on the experiences of multilingual students in mathematics education. She investigates the factors influencing their performance on standardized math assessments and explores how leveraging students’ full linguistic repertoires, along with multimodal digital technologies, can support and enhance their achievement.
Kiende is a former graduate student from OISE in the University of Toronto who holds a degree in Master of Education focusing on Language and Literacies Education. With a rich multilingual background from Kenya, she speaks 6 languages and 2 dialects- an aspect that has given her a great passion in actively participating in the Caribbean Literacy Project where she worked on literature review. As a young researcher, she is looking forward to building her skills in the multilingualism and plurilingualism to better appreciate and understand the importance of embracing various repertoire in Education.