Author: Rusul Alrubail

My name is Rusul, I founded Parkdale Centre in early 2017, to fill the accessibility and inclusivity gap to innovation, tech and entrepreneurship, especially for underrepresented groups: women, newcomers and those from low-income backgrounds. Before Parkdale Centre, I co-founded The Writing Project, a student publishing platform used in the U.S. by educators and students to amplify student voice and help students become better writers. During that time, I worked as an Educator-in-Residence, supporting community engagement at a design thinking agency that works with organizations on strategy and design. I taught English composition and literature at Ryerson University and Seneca College for a combined 10 years experience. I have written with Edutopia, Education Week, The Guardian, PBS Newshour, The International Literacy Association, EdWeek Teacher, Teaching Tolerance, ASCD's Educational Leadership, Edsurge, Annenberg Learner Foundation, and Medium which I helped to grow its largest education community from 7000 to 47000 readers! I was recently named as one of Canada's 2020 Top 100 Most Powerful Women for WXN's Awards. I am a three times published author, keynote speaker and an advocate for equity and inclusion. You can connect with me on twitter @RusulAlrubail, or reach out via email at rusul@parkdaleinnovates.org

On Ferguson: Voices from our Future

~ Rusul Alrubail ~ Leave a comment

sarahdateechur's avatarSarahdaTeechur

I began a blog post this morning about Ferguson:

The grand jury reached a decision in the Michael Brown case. The police officer who killed him gets to walk free.

I had to pry myself off the Ferguson hashtag a few minutes ago because I was feeling sick. Not only did this injustice occur (again), someone got off scott-free (again).

Frustrated, I stopped my writing there.  I have blogged about this topic before, and felt like it was pointless to do so again.  There was nothing new that I could say that would fix anything.  It was an exercise in futility.  Dejected, I prepared for work.

On the daily commute, I vented a bit to one of my Voxer groups.  In talking to members of my PLN, the idea struck me to have my eighth-grade students blog about their thoughts collectively, for multiple reasons:

  • To allow my students space to process and…

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Teaching Literary Analysis

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Previously published on Edutopia. Literary analysis is a vital stage in the development of students' critical thinking skills. Bloom's Taxonomy illustrates that analysis should come at the fourth level, right after comprehension and application. What this means is that students must be able to understand and describe the text before they are able to analyze … Continue reading Teaching Literary Analysis

Empathy & Inclusion for ELL Students

~ Rusul Alrubail ~ 1 Comment

Previously published on Edutopia. Being an English Language Learner in the classroom can be a very overwhelming experience for students regardless of age. It’s important for educators to build an atmosphere that fosters a safe and empathetic environment for ELL students. Being an ELL student myself in grade 5 was very overwhelming experience in the … Continue reading Empathy & Inclusion for ELL Students

6 Elements to Design and Deliver your own Course

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Previously published on Edutopia. Designing and delivering a course of your own is a special milestone for many educators. It is often indicative of professional autonomy in one's institution and the classroom. It's also a very fun and exciting process, especially when it relates to a subject you feel passionate about and enjoy. If you're thinking … Continue reading 6 Elements to Design and Deliver your own Course

Scaffolding Student Reflection+Sample Questions

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We might all agree that reflection is a powerful tool but how can we help students to reflect in the classroom. Of course reflection should be a component that builds onto knowledge they have acquired throughout the lesson. So why is reflection so important if it is an "added" component? Benefits of Reflection: SIGNIFICANCE: It … Continue reading Scaffolding Student Reflection+Sample Questions