James Elliott BSc (Hons), MT CV

1235 Rue St Germain, Ville Saint-Laurent, QC H4L 3S5

+1 514 743 5581

jameselliott100@hotmail.com

Profile Relevant Skills & Expertise

An enthusiastic and motivated teacher with particular experience in the field of special educational needs
Has worked for a variety of institutions in Canada, the United States & the United Kingdom.
Special interest in the Autism Spectrum; pursued through both academic and hands-on roles
Adept at identifying the special interests, talents and strengths of students with special needs and using these to
develop meaningful relationships which allow learning, reflection and understanding to occur.
Calm under pressure and when handling individuals in crisis.
Proficient at the simultaneous preparation & execution of diverse projects with multiple objectives.
Languages: native English speaker with fluent French, conversational German and basic Spanish skills.

Direct Experience Education & Special Needs Intervention

Location

Dates

Bishop
Strachan
School
Toronto, ON,
Canada

Feb-Mar
2016

John Ross
Robertson
Junior
Public
School
Toronto, ON,
Canada

Oct-Nov
2015

Wedgewood
Junior
School
Toronto, ON,
Canada

Feb-Mar
2015

Queen
Victoria
Public
School
Toronto, ON,
Canada

Oct-Nov
2014

Initial Teacher Education: Practice Placements

Grades &
Subjects
Responsibilities, Details & Highlights,
Taught
Provided learning support to students across the primary & junior
Learning
program in all academic areas.
Resource
Supported Grade 5 students in a media literacy project designing
Centre
cereal boxes for specific demographic and psychographic groups.

Conducted levelled literacy intervention with small groups of students

(Kindergarten
in the primary grades focusing on phonemic awareness and general
to Grade 6)
text comprehension.
Worked with over 300 students on a twice weekly, rotary lesson
schedule
Music
Taught a unit examining composition and climate change; following a
Specialist
detailed discussion of the emotional power of music, Grade 5 & 6
students created a short musical score to accompany a video(Grade 2 to
documentary on the Alberta Tar Sands oil industry.
Grade 6)
Created a 2 by 4 metre musical staff on the carpet from rope and
curtain rods in order for students to physically explore pitch and
rhythm by changing their position relative to each other.
Mathematics - Taught a complete unit on geometry and
measurement; examining time to the nearest millisecond and
calculating the volume of 3D shapes. Incorporated extensive handson opportunities for students to use stopwatches and tape measures
etc to investigate their surroundings and quantify their activities.
Grade Five
Media Literacy - In small groups, students invented a fictional
product to appeal to their peers before scripting, shooting and editing
a video advert. Their adverts and products were then examined
through a mock-up of the Dragons Den tv format. Through this lens,
the children discussed the concepts of responsible investment and
social enterprise.
Language Arts - In a unit aimed at retelling the traditional Hindu story
of the Ramayana, the class put together a 12 minute video. This
incorporated stop-motion animation, dance, costumes, artwork and
drama, culminating in a screening for families.
Kindergarten Mathematics & Science - Students conducted an inquiry into
pumpkins, gourds & squashes; measuring their circumference using
standard and non-standard means then representing these findings in
graph form. They also drew pictures to predict what the insides of the
vegetables looked like before dissecting and inspecting the contents.

Teacher
Peter Hall School, Montreal, QC, Canada: Apr Jun 2015
Taught in several classes on a mixture of long & short-term occasional replacement positions at this school for
students with severe special needs and behavioural challenges. Duties included:
Planning lessons & activities to develop lifeskills, emotional & behavioural self-regulation as well as basic
academic & prevocational skills.
Conducting ongoing assessments for, as & of students learning in all of the areas above.
Leading and collaborating with a team of two educational assistants in order to achieve individual and group
objectives
Regular liaisons and consultations with fellow teachers, school administrators and the in-house psychology,
occupational, speech and physiotherapy departments.
Animator
Spectrum Productions, Montreal, QC, Canada:
Summers (Jun-Jul) of 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 plus ongoing support
Provision of broad support to the founder-directors of this community-based special needs arts program in Montreal.
Via the principal medium of video-production; Spectrum Productions offers youth on the autism-spectrum the
opportunity to create unique projects and express their ideas freely through access to a range of technical
equipment (cameras, audio/video production software, and green-screen technology) along with training and
support in their use.
Attendant to Children with Disabilities
Peter Hall School - Elementary Campus, Montreal, QC, Canada: Sep 2013 Jul 2014
Supported and substituted teachers across this school for children with moderate to severe learning difficulties and
behavioural challenges. Floating between approximately 6 classes per day, implemented multiple aspects of
individualized education and intervention plans, collecting data and tracking students progress throughout the year.
Worked in close collaboration and consultation with the in-house team of psychologists, physiotherapists, speechlanguage pathologists and occupational therapists.
Special Educator & Integration Aide
Giant Steps School & L.I.N.K.S. High School, Montreal, QC, Canada: Nov 2011 Jun 2013
Both at the Giant Steps campus and through a secondment to L.I.N.K.S High School as part of an
integration/shadowing program; accompanied and worked with several students on the autistic spectrum
presenting severe behavioural and learning difficulties and a range of challenges to education. Demonstrated
great flexibility and an innovative approach to teaching, through the following key achievements:
Worked intensively with several severely behaviourally challenged students on moderating aggressive
outbursts, avoiding and overcoming crises/meltdowns and empowering them to express their frustration
through appropriate means.
Coached students on appropriate behaviour when using public transport and in public places by
accompanying them on work-placements and school outings.
Extensive involvement in the 2012 and 2013 summer performances at L.I.N.K.S. High school:

Using personal talents as a semi-professional musician to assist teachers in music lessons and working
with students on the musical elements of the performances
Teaching the guitar, as a volunteer in my spare time, to a novice student with a severe visual impairment
over a 6 month period. This student was able to include her first ever live performance in the 2013
production
Collaborating with students in adapting the script of A Midsummer Nights Dream to reflect their level of
comprehension and include their interests.
Clinical Office Manager
The Donald Berman Yaldei Developmental Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada: Dec 2009 Aug 2010

Responsible for all clinical administration matters in a centre for young children with a wide range of developmental
delays and disabilities. Worked closely with the Clinical Director to ensure the efficient delivery of services to a
large client pool receiving a wide range of intervention programs.

Education
Master of Teaching *in progress
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON: Sep 2014 to present
Registered full-time as a teacher candidate in the primary/junior stream of the Master of Teaching program studying
all aspects of elementary education. Courses include Child & Adolescent Development, Reflective Teaching and
Inquiry into Research in Education & Introduction to Special Education and Adaptive Instruction.

Master of Teaching Research Project (currently in process) provisionally entitled Celebrating the
individuality of students with ASD through inclusive integration in the classroom.
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
University of Hull, Hull, UK: 2004 2007

Studied psychology full-time and gained an upper second-class Bachelor of Science degree with honours. Focused
extensively on the academic study of learning difficulites, disabilities and autism in particular.

Completed a dissertation entitled An Investigation of the Perception of Attractiveness, Masculinity and

Femininity of Faces in the Autistic-Spectrum

Interests and Hobbies

Music: performing as multi-instrumentalist (jazz and contemporary in particular) & teaching the guitar.
Volunteer work.
Outdoor pursuits: sailing & hiking in particular.
Independent travel.

Qualifications, Membership of Professional Bodies & Awards

Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT) *Application in progress

Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) *Application in progress
Master of Teaching Degree *In progress
Psychology BSc (Hons) Degree
Recipient of the 2007 Hull University Students Union Derek Forster Award for Volunteer of the Year
A Levels: Psychology, Biology, Music, AS level Physics.
GCSEs: English, English Literature, Science, Mathematics, German, History, Music, Drama, Design &
Technology
CPI Non-violent Crisis Intervention training (courses completed in both English & French)
Canadian Yachting Association Basic Cruising Standard sailing certificate
Full Driving License (UK/Europe & Quebec)