Randall Jonas MA, BEd, BA

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Notes from a Wandering Bard  

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My name is Randall Jonas. Over the past fifteen years I have had the pleasure of world travel by backpack, many repeat visits to the university and professional experiences that can all locate themselves in one way or another in social sciences and language and literacy. Speaking French and Swedish has also helped me to  "see" my own language in a new light. As a professor, teacher trainer, corporate instructor, high school and elementary teacher and distance educator, I have taught people of all ages, numerous cultures and very different socio-economic situations.

I have worked with and taught the disenfranchised,  highly educated and wealthy executives and students with learning disabilities amongst other audiences. Each student is treated as an individual, with a unique life and encouraged to relax and believe in their success. My goal is to foster a trusting atmosphere and one where the student can calmly open their mind.

The very human experiences I have had in university, the classroom, world travel and publishing have taught me more than I could ever only read about people and how they learn. And that essentially we all need to be cared for and motivated when it comes to education.

Writing, editing, research and publishing take up most of my professional life now. And I still teach at colleges and universities to stay in touch with my audience. I think this is of key importance. I love writing and editing when it occurs both in hardcopy and online formats. The ICT revolution impresses me with its virtually limitless capacity for creativity, communication, education and enjoyment: I embrace technology and it serves me and my purposes.

Some of the places I have worked for are Canada's National Research Council, The University of British Columbia's Public Knowledge Project, Barron's Education, Macmillan UK, Liber SE, Natur och Kultur SE, Pearson Longman, and Klett of Germany. I am presently writing a new book. And I also work as a consulting English specialist as an editor, reviewer, curriculum designer and writer.

In the past 5 years I have published numerous text books as an author and consulting English language editor. As a social scientist I have published with both The University of British Columbia and the University of Hong Kong.

Literacy is a very large field and I don't limit myself. And as a writer I am a hired gun - writing what is asked of me and researching the content is an adventure. For example, I have written radio broadcasts, reading and listening comprehension texts, factual documents about cities, sports, famous people, business, technology and many other topics. It's fun because I often learn new things in the process too. 

When free -- what I like best -- I enjoy writing poetry and prose, being in deep woods, and being in the present. Being with my best friend and wife since 1993 and traveling with her is something I am thankful for every single day. We are off to somewhere again soon ...

Randall Jonas

Education 

The University of British Columbia

2003 – Master of Arts

 Concordia University

1997 - Bachelor of Education (TESL\TEFL)                                    

1997 – Minor: English Literature

1991 - Bachelor of Arts: Philosophy with Honours and Distinction 

University of  Ottawa

1992 – Graduate Studies in Philosophy

 McGill University

1990 – Undergraduate Studies in Philosophy

 Vanier College

1989 – Diploma of Collegial Studies (Language, Literature, Fine Arts) 

Publishing: editing, authorship, research

Natur och Kultur, Sweden (2006 – present)

Barron’s Educational Series, USA (2006 - present)

Macmillan Publishers, England (2006)

Ernst Klett Schulbuchverlage Germany (2006 - 2007)

Liber AB, A Wolters Kluwer Company Sweden (2005 - 2006)

Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, China (2005)

Academic Experience 

• Montreal, Canada

 Montmorency College (2006 – present)

GoFluent, English Distance Education (2005 – 2006) 

• Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

 The United Arab Emirates University (2004)

 • Vancouver, Canada 

Pacific Rim College (2002 - 2003)

Dorset College (2001)

The University of British Columbia (2001)

The English Language Institute        

 • Boras, Sweden

 University College of Boras (2001)           

School of Education and Behavioural Sciences

Adjunct Professor and Course Designer

Sven Erikson Gymnasium (1999-2001)

Folkuniversitetet, Utbildningcentrum, (1998 –2001)               

 • Montreal, Canada

 Ecole Anjou (1997-1998)                                                            

YMCA Language School (1997)

Languages: English, French, Swedish  

Computer Skills: web design, basic networking, systems building, online instruction, Word, Excel, Coffee Cup, Photo Shop, Wiki, and many more 

Interests and Hobbies: Poet, Painter, Photographer, Gardner, Cook, Outdoorsman, Fantasy Buff, Computer Gamer, Philosopher, Computer Geek 

Travel: Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thailand, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Belgium, England, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, USA, Canada