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Kathryn Brillinger

Director of Teaching and Learning

Kathryn headshot's headshot. She is Director of Teaching and Learning at Conestoga
Kathryn Brillinger, Director Teaching and Learning

A journey across many colleges, courses, learning and growing brought me to my current position of Director of Conestoga’s marvelous team at Teaching and Learning. 

I started teaching ESL in 1986, added in courses such as intro to computers (Word Perfect and the slow blue line of pages loading) at a time when the classroom tools were chalkboards and Gestetners (a technology that allowed copies of handouts to be made using duplicator paper and a crank). Every student I taught came from a different culture an language background from my own. I learned every day! 

I loved teaching in the college system with its applied focus and taught part-time, partial load and sessional across the GTA until I was fortunate to obtain a full-time professor role at Conestoga in 2002.

With some students in the late 1990s
With some students in the late 1990s 
Me and my 4 daughters
Me and my 4 daughters 

Meanwhile I was raising my 4 wonderful daughters who had a huge influence of my knowledge of how students and families experience educational offerings. Coming as they did from a mixed heritage and being persons of colour their experiences were and are very different from mine. 

I bring an undergrad in “Exceptionality in Human Learning”, a Masters in Education (TESL) and a post-grad in Intercultural Studies” to my work as well as all my years of teaching at various credential levels. I have taught TESL, business and technical communication and various other courses. I was first seconded as a Consultant then became Associate Director and now Director.  

I have a lot of international experience and the experience of international students and internationally-educated faculty is a focus for me. I have lived in Tanzania, done teacher training twice in China and Saudi Arabia and had a chance to present on intercultural communication both at home and abroad. 

In China visiting a high school class to learn about Chinese education. 
In China visiting a high school class to learn about Chinese education. 

Conestoga has worked to assemble the largest faculty-focused support team in the college system. Separate from Curriculum and the Online Learning Centre (OLC) we work collaboratively with those teams to help faculty orient and develop for teaching at Conestoga. We strive to support you and to learn together to make the world a better place. 

Conestoga’s 1st Annual Indigenous Faculty Learning Event in 2022

Kathryn is an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Facilitator and Facilitator Development Workshop (FDW) Trainer. See ISW Network