Dulani Suraweera

Dulani has over 15 years of teaching experience, primarily working with students who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) in Canadian and international post-secondary institutions. While instructing at UTM, she concurrently teaches at Sheridan College, where she aids students in honing their academic communication abilities. Before relocating to Canada, she held a tenured faculty position at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, where she taught language courses focusing on developing English language proficiency in undergraduates. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dulani is a passionate social justice advocate and a dedicated critical educator. She strives to improve the engagement and motivation of learners by incorporating course materials and learning tasks that recognize and value the linguistic and epistemic diversity that students bring to the classroom. She has conducted workshops and presented research papers on ELT (English Language Teaching) methods and curricula, sociocultural issues, and educational equity. Her doctoral research focused on challenging epistemological and institutional racism within Canada's ESL/TESL field, contributing significantly to critical TESL literature in the Canadian context. Her latest publication is Plurilingualism in a Constructively Aligned and Decolonized TESOL Curriculum.

Dulani aims to foster global partnerships to advance inclusive EAL education worldwide. Being a transnational scholar, she collaborates with various higher education institutions across the globe. Her fact-finding visit to the University of Cambridge, UK, signifies a noteworthy accomplishment in her global collaborations. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Linguistics from Sri Lanka. She furthered her studies in Canada, earning a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics from York University and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Adult Education and Community Development from OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) at the University of Toronto.