MIDDLE is led by principal investigators across Canada, Austria, Italy, and Czechia, supported by a coordination hub, Teacher Team Leaders, and research assistants.

Enrica Piccardo

Principal Investigator University of Toronto

enrica.piccardo@utoronto.ca

Dr. Enrica Piccardo is a Full Professor of Language Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. A collaborator with the Council of Europe …

Dr. Enrica Piccardo is a Full Professor of Language Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. A collaborator with the Council of Europe since 2008 and co-author of the CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2020), she has coordinated numerous international research projects both in Canada and in Europe. Her research spans language teaching approaches and curricula, multi/plurilingualism, creativity and complexity in language education, and assessment. She has presented and published extensively in multiple languages. 

Sunny Man Chu Lau

Sunny Man Chu Lau

Co-Director, Bishop’s University

slau@ubishops.ca

Dr. Sunny Man Chu Lau, Full Professor in the School of Education at Bishop’s University, Québec, is Canada ..

Dr. Sunny Man Chu Lau, Full Professor in the School of Education at Bishop’s University, Québec, is Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Integrated Plurilingual Teaching and Learning. She specializes in critical literacies, TESL, literature and language teaching, trans/plurilingual pedagogies, and participatory research methodologies. Lau serves on the Editorial Board for Advisory Committee for The Canadian Modern Language Review / La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes and the Review Board for TESOL Journal and the journal of Children’s Literature in English Language Education. She is co-editor for Critical Inquiry for Language Studies.

Marlon Valencia

Marlon Valencia

Co-Investigator, Glendon College – York University

mvalen@glendon.yorku.ca

Dr. Marlon Valencia is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Glendon College, York University, having ….

Dr. Marlon Valencia is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Glendon College, York University, having previously served as Department Chair of Global Communication and Cultures. His research and teaching focus on critical applied linguistics, plurilingualism, translanguaging, decolonial, eco-maker pedagogies, visual ethnography, language teacher identities and linguistic mediation. He is a co-investigator in MIDDLE and leads international ethnographic research initiatives exploring glocal linguistic ecologies and hemispheric knowledges.

Gisella Lange’

Gisella Lange’

Collaborator – HIGH SCHOOL HUB – Lombardy School Network

gisella.lange@istruzione.it

Prof. Gisella Langé is a Foreign Languages Inspector with the Italian Ministry of Education. A researcher, writer and consultant on …

Prof. Gisella Langé is a Foreign Languages Inspector with the Italian Ministry of Education. A researcher, writer and consultant on issues relating to curriculum development, CLIL, plurilingual/intercultural education, she has extensive experience of working as an expert on European Commission, Council of Europe, OECD/PISA assignments. She has edited TV Programmes with RAI (Italian public broadcast) on foreign languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, Spanish). She has also been instrumental in the realization of innovative language learning practices through international project development.

Belinda Steinhuber

Belinda Steinhuber

Collaborator, CEBS/VISION, Austria

belinda.steinhuber@cebs.at

Until recently, Belinda Steinhuber taught English and French at an upper secondary vocational college and was head of the …

Until recently, Belinda Steinhuber taught English and French at an upper secondary vocational college and was head of the language education department within CEBS, an institution affiliated to the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education. She designs professional development workshops and has a leading role in the promotion of plurilingualism and intercultural competence in vocational language teaching. She is involved in various projects, including the implementation of CEFR-CV based approaches in language education, curriculum design, exam design and materials development

Nicola Townend

Nicola Townend

High School teacher of German and French, UTS (University of Toronto Schools)

ntownend@utschools.ca

Nicola is a settler Canadian of British origin who has been teaching German and French at UTS, a grade 7-12 independent …

Nicola is a settler Canadian of British origin who has been teaching German and French at UTS, a grade 7-12 independent school, for 22 years. Most recently, she has written about and presented on topics like gender inclusive pedagogy, integrating Indigenous topics and perspectives, 2SLGBTQ+ inclusiveness and making plurilingual and pluricultural connections in language teaching. She was a proud contributor to the LINCDIRE project, led by Enrica Piccardo, and wrote for the 2022 book Activating Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Language Classroom for Springer International Publishing. Her school, UTS, is a proud partner institution of the MIDDLE project.

Giacomo Folinazzo

Giacomo Folinazzo

Collaborator – Niagara College, Canada
Higher Education Hub

gifolinazzo@niagaracollege.ca

Dr. Giacomo Folinazzo holds a PhD in Language and Literacies Education from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education…

Dr. Giacomo Folinazzo holds a PhD in Language and Literacies Education from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)- University of Toronto. With over 20 years of experience teaching languages across Canada, Italy and Japan, he has lectured on a diverse range of subjects, including language, culture, communication, second language learning and Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), at various post-secondary institutions. Currently, Dr. Folinazzo is a professor at Niagara College in the School of English Language Studies and the head of the Centre for Research in Education at Niagara College.

Libor Stepanek

Libor Stepanek

Masaryk University

libor.stepanek@cjv.muni.cz

Libor Stepanek is Assistant Professor in English and Director of the Masaryk University Language Centre, Brno, Czech Republic…

Libor Stepanek is Assistant Professor in English and Director of the Masaryk University Language Centre, Brno, Czech Republic. He is an author and teacher trainer in the areas of EAP, EMI and Creative Approach to Language Teaching (CALT), which is his main research focus. Libor also encourages CEFR-CV based approaches in language teaching and learning, close teaching-research cooperation and holistic continuous professional development for language teachers.

Monica Barni

Monica Barni

Sapienza Università di Roma

monica.barni@uniroma1.it

Monica Barni is Full Professor of Educational Linguistics at the Sapienza Università di Roma, where…

Monica Barni is Full Professor of Educational Linguistics at the Sapienza Università di Roma, where she is the Director of the University Language Center. Her research focuses on the teaching, learning and assessment of languages, with a special interest in Italian as an additional language in Italy, as a heritage and foreign language around the world, and on the impact of national and European language policies.

Silvia Gilardoni

Silvia Gilardoni

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

silvia.gilardoni@unicatt.it

Silvia Gilardoni is Full Professor of Educational Linguistics at the Faculty of Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literature ….

Silvia Gilardoni is Full Professor of Educational Linguistics at the Faculty of Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literature of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, where she is the Head of the University Language Centre (Servizio Linguistico di Ateneo – SeLdA). Her research interests include the teaching and learning of Italian as a second language, the CLIL methodology, playful language teaching, classroom discourse and plurilingualism, and terminology in specialized texts.

Fati Osuman

Fati Osuman

Project Manager, University of Toronto

fati.osuman@utoronto.ca

Fati Osuman is a postdoctoral researcher and instructor at OISE, University of Toronto…

Fati Osuman is a postdoctoral researcher and instructor at OISE, University of Toronto. She holds a PhD in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Ottawa, where she investigated student engagement and flow in online and in-person language learning. Her experience spans Spanish teaching, English instruction for adult newcomers, instructional design, and language assessment. She brings her own multilingual experiences to her teaching and research. Her current research explores the role of AI and plurilingual mediation in strengthening engagement and participation among refugee and immigrant learners.

Zhe Chen

Zhe Chen

Research Fellow/Graduate Assistant, University of Toronto

zeee.chen@mail.toronto.ca

Zhe Chen is a PhD candidate and graduate assistant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education …

Zhe Chen is a PhD candidate and graduate assistant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Her research interest focus on plurilingualism, plurilingual education and the action-oriented approach in the context of China.

Zhe Chen

Aisha Adebayo

Research Assistant/Web Developer, University of Toronto

aisha.adebayo@mail.toronto.ca

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tatiana jennifer antonia

Tatiana Jennifer Antonia Fimognari

Research Assistant, Higher Education Hub, UofT

tatiana.fimognari@utoronto.ca

Tatiana Jennifer Antonia Fimognari is a PhD candidate in the LLE program at OISE, UofT. Her research interests encompass a diverse range of areas in the field of Language and Literacies …

Tatiana Jennifer Antonia Fimognari is a PhD candidate in the LLE program at OISE, UofT. Her research interests encompass a diverse range of areas in the field of Language and Literacies Education, notably the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the Action-Oriented Approach, plurilingualism, mediation, and Italian as a heritage language preservation and promotion in the North American context.

Violetta Cupial

Violetta Cupial

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Toronto/Higher Education Hub

violetta.cupial@mail.utoronto.ca

Violetta Cupial is a language educator, curriculum developer, and doctoral student in Language and Literacies Education at OISE, University of Toronto.

Violetta Cupial is a language educator, curriculum developer, and doctoral student in Language and Literacies Education at OISE, University of Toronto. She holds a B.Ed. and is an OCELT-certified EAP/ESP instructor. Her interests span diverse areas of language teaching, including plurilingual pedagogies, cross-linguistic mediation processes, learner and teacher agency, language teacher education, and technology-mediated and AI-supported plurilingual academic writing approaches. She is particularly interested in research methodologies informed by complexity theory.

S M Sanzana Rahman

S M Sanzana Rahman

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Toronto

smsanzana.rahman@mail.utoronto.ca

Sanzana is a PhD candidate, research assistant and teaching assistant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) , University of Toronto. She is also an OCELT-certified ESL/EAP instructor.

Sanzana is a PhD candidate, research assistant and teaching assistant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. She is also an OCELT-certified ESL/EAP instructor. Her research interest focuses on the intersection of plurilingualism and technology mediated language instruction.

Alyssa Furlan

Alyssa Furlan

Undergraduate Research Assistant, York University, Glendon College

af1019@my.yorku.ca

Alyssa Furlan is a fourth-year undergraduate Honours student at York University Glendon Campus, studying English. Her academic interests include research within education, pedagogy…

Alyssa Furlan is a fourth-year undergraduate Honours student at York University Glendon Campus, studying English. Her academic interests include research within education, pedagogy, and language learning, particularly the ways in which language and teaching practices shape classroom experiences. She hopes to further explore the relationship between educational research and practical approaches to teaching and learning through future research and teaching opportunities.

Silvia Rinaldi

Silvia Rinaldi

Graduate Research Assistant, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

silvia.rinaldi2@unicatt.it

Silvia Rinaldi is a PhD candidate in Linguistic and Literary Sciences at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, specializing in modern language teaching….

Silvia Rinaldi is a PhD candidate in Linguistic and Literary Sciences at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, specializing in modern language teaching. Her research focuses on plurilingual language education and mediation in educational contexts. Her interests include language teaching, plurilingualism, and linguistic and cultural mediation.

christina chang

Christina Chang

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Glendon College – York University

changc23@my.yorku.ca

Christina Chang is a bilingual, 4th year undergraduate student studying psychology and working towards her Bachelor of Science. She is currently completing her honours thesis examining the effects of agency and motivation on learning and memory.

Christina Chang is a bilingual, 4th year undergraduate student studying psychology and working towards her Bachelor of Science. She is currently completing her honours thesis examining the effects of agency and motivation on learning and memory.

Giulia Guadagni

Giulia Guadagni

Research Assistant, University of Toronto

giulia.guadagni@mail.utoronto.ca

Giulia Guadagni is a PhD candidate, Research Assistant and Course Instructor at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on foreign language education, with particular emphasis on the Action…

Giulia Guadagni is a PhD candidate, Research Assistant and Course Instructor at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on foreign language education, with particular emphasis on the Action-Oriented Approach, plurilingualism, pluriculturalism, and linguistic and cultural mediation. She is interested in developing inclusive teaching practices that value learners’ diverse linguistic repertoires.

Alexis Skopelitis

Alexis Skopelitis

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Toronto

alexis.skopelitis@mail.utoronto.ca

Alexis Skopelitis is an educator (OCT) and researcher whose work examines equity and inclusion within French as a Second Language (FSL) education in Ontario. She is an MA candidate in…

Alexis Skopelitis is an educator (OCT) and researcher whose work examines equity and inclusion within French as a Second Language (FSL) education in Ontario. She is an MA candidate in Language and Literacies Education (LLE) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, where she is affiliated with the Centre de recherches en éducation franco-ontarienne (CREFO). Her current research focuses on how pre-service and novice FSL teachers experience their relationship with French, including experiences of linguistic (in)security, and how these experiences relate to their language ideologies and their views of plurilingualism as a pedagogical framework. Her work bridges classroom practice with research, with the goal of informing more inclusive language and literacies education policy, pedagogy, and teacher education.

Guadalupe Sanchez Sandoval

Guadalupe Sanchez Sandoval

Research Assistant, University of Toronto

guadalupe.sanchezsandoval@mail.utoronto.ca

Guadalupe is a PhD candidate in Language and Literacies Education and a research assistant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. Her research examines…

Guadalupe is a PhD candidate in Language and Literacies Education and a research assistant at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. Her research examines plurilingual experiences and approaches in Mexican higher education and promotes critical learning communities of practice. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in applied linguistics. She has experience teaching English as a foreign language and coordinating language programs in public higher education in Mexico.

Maria Vittoria Lo Presti

Maria Vittoria Lo Presti

Research Assistant, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

mariavittoria.lopresti1@unicatt.it

Maria Vittoria Lo Presti holds a PhD in Modern Language Teaching and she is currently a research fellow at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. She is the didactic …..

Maria Vittoria Lo Presti holds a PhD in Modern Language Teaching and she is currently a research fellow at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. She is the didactic coordinator of the specialisation course in Teaching non-language subjects through the CLIL methodology and of the specialising Master programme in Teaching Italian as a Second Language at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Her fields of interest include teaching Italian as a second language, the impact of new technologies and AI tools in language teaching, plurilingual and pluricultural education, and language teacher training.

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