
Shaila Shams
Shaila Shams is a sessional instructor with the University Access Program at University Canada West. She is pursuing her doctoral studies in the Languages and Cultures program in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University.
Shaila holds an MA degree in Applied Linguistics with TESOL from the University of Sheffield, UK, an MA in Applied Linguistics and ELT from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and a BA (Hons) in English literature from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Shaila believes in learner-centric pedagogy, and her teaching philosophy is informed by a sociocultural understanding of education. She likes to think of herself as a lifelong learner and embraces opportunities to learn along with her students.
Expertise and Experience
Shaila has been working at Simon Fraser University (SFU) since 2018 as a sessional instructor and teaching assistant. She is also a writing facilitator at SFU’s Student Learning Commons, where she helps students with their academic writing. Previously, she worked as a sessional instructor at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Shaila also taught at the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) for six years as a lecturer and senior lecturer before she moved to Canada to pursue her PhD. She has experience teaching high school in Bangladesh. Besides her teaching role, Shaila has worked as a research assistant at SFU on various exciting projects.
Publications and Scholarly Activity
Shaila’s research interests include but are not limited to second language acquisition, multilingualism, globalization, migration, language and identity and the intersectionality of identity categories.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Shams, S. (2022). Nation, Religion and Language Ideology: The Case of Postcolonial Bangladesh. Special Issue of the Journal of Belonging, Identity, Language and Diversity, 6((1), 97-110.
- Shams, S. (2015). Linguistic Imperialism Revisited: An Analysis of the Role of English in Bangladesh. Crossings: ULAB Journal of English Studies. 6, 238-247.
- Shams, S. (2014). Efficacy of Online Social Networks on Language Teaching: A Bangladeshi Perspective. IAFOR Journal of Education. 2(2), 117-148. DOI: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1080362.pdf
- Shams, S. (2012). The Role of Teachers in ESP. Chaos: IUB Studies in Language, Literature and Creative Writing. 1 (1), 61-66.
Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings
- Muhfuz, M. & Shams, S. (2018). Addressing students’ needs in foundation level English courses at private universities in Bangladesh. In F. Alam, M.S. Haque & Z. Ahmed (Eds.), English Studies in the Marketplace: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference at East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 19-20 February 2016 (pp. 97-119). East West University Press, Dhaka, Bangladesh. https://www.ewubd.edu/storage/app/media/English%20Dept/2018-english-studies-and-the-marketplace.pdf
- Shams, S. (2015). English in Bangladesh: is there a Bangladeshi English creeping in? In J. Angouri, T. Harrison, S. Schnurr & S. Wharton (Eds.), Learning, Working and Communicating in a Global Context: Proceedings of the 47th Annual Conference of the British Association for Applied Linguistics. Warwick, UK, 4-6 September 2014 (pp. 165-178). Scitsiugnil Press. London, UK. https://www.baal.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/proceedings 2014.pdf
- Shams, S. & Mostafa, S. (2014). The standards of teaching and testing in English and the barriers faced in Bangladesh for further education. In W. Savage (Eds.) Language and Development 2009 Conference: Language and Development: Socio Cultural Issues and Challenges: Proceedings of the 8th International Language and Development Conference. Dhaka. 2009. Retrieved from https://www.langdevconferences.org/publications/2009-DhakaBangladesh/09018TheStandardsofTeachingandTestingandTestingofEnglish.pdf
Non-Refereed Publications
- Shams, S. (2021, Spring). Book Review: Language Acquisition and the Multilingual Ideal: Exploring Japanese Language Learning Motivation. British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) Newsletter, 118, 31-33. https://www.baal.org.uk/news/newsletter/
Conference Presentations (Concise list)
- Guo, J., Moghaddam, M.H., & Shams, S. (2023, May 24-26). Uncentering Monolingualism: Claiming our Voices as Multilingual Writers [Panel Discussion]. Canadian Writing Centres Association Conference. [Virtual]
- Shams, S. (2023, May 27-June 1). Migrant communities, inter-group dynamics, and “white gaze”: Stories of Bangladeshi Muslim migrants in Vancouver [Conference Presentation]. Annual Conference of Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) Association. Toronto, Canada.
- Shams, S. (2023, May 3-6). I want to speak English like Canadians: Bangladeshi Migrants in Vancouver and Their Language Learning Journey [Conference Presentation]. Canadian Centre for Studies and Research on Bilingualism and Language Planning (CCERBAL) 2023 Conference. University of Ottawa, Canada.
- Shams, S. (Accepted but did not present). Analyzing Visuals to Understand Meaning Making: A Visual Grammar Approach to Studying Immigration Webpages. American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2022 Conference. Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
If you would like to know more about her research, please feel free to email her. She loves talking about her research.
Awards
Shaila has been awarded with a faculty-nominated grant at SFU and a research fellowship from SFU’s Institute for Environmental Learning (IEL) and the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association.
Shaila is a member of many scholarly and research organizations. She actively participates in research activities and has acted as a conference proposal reviewer for organizations such as the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) and the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL).
Contact her on LinkedIn.