Magali Forte

I am a PhD candidate in the Languages, Cultures, and Literacies program in the Faculty of Education. I am also a K-12 teacher in French immersion schools in Vancouver, and, more recently, I have been gaining experience as an instructor and a mentor in teacher education programs. I am passionate about languages and curious about teaching/learning practices that unfold in different environments (home, school, community spaces) and that involve different languages and multimodal practices. In the past four years, I have become interested in posthumanist/new materialist theories and the philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari. I am also learning about Indigenous perspectives and try to acknowledge them respectfully in my thinking and in my writing.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

I chose to come to SFU because it was the only institution in BC that was offering a Master's program in French within their Faculty of Education at the time I was looking for one. The program focused on plurilingualism, multimodal literacy practices, intercultural education and teaching/learning in French in a minority context and was taught by renowned and respected scholars/professors in these fields and I am grateful I could learn so much from them.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?

My research focuses on the ways in which school-aged children and teenagers negotiate their identities and engage in creative practices with digital technologies when several languages are involved at home and in school. I observed and participated in the story creation practices of different groups of students and looked both at the social discourses (about languages, classroom cultures, etc.) and at the material conditions (space configuration, objects participating in story creation, etc.) entangled in their environments. So far, this has compelled me to consider the notion of identity differently, acknowledging the important role played by the material world.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I really enjoy working with a supervisor I trust and have a lot of respect for, having a chance to work as a research assistant, and, therefore, developing important skills as an emergent scholar, and also building strong relations with other professors/scholars, peers, colleagues and students. I am fortunate to have found a wonderful and supportive community!

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.

I currently hold a SSHRC doctoral fellowship. Recently, I have also been a grateful recipient of the President's PhD scholarship at SFU, and of the donor-funded International Reading Association Scholarship.

Contact : magalif@sfu.ca