An Interview with Centennial College Teacher Max Salonine
Introduce yourself and the courses you teach. What, in your opinion, is the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial College?
Hi, my name is Max Salonine. I have been at Centennial for 10 years: 2 as a Learning Specialist and 8 as a teacher. I teach Psychology and all the Methodology classes: Quantitative Methods, Research Methods, and the Integrative Activity. In my opinion, the best thing about being a teacher at Centennial College is the fact that we have small classes. This allows teachers to build a better rapport with students, which translates into a better academic performance.
What differentiates the college from other colleges/CEGEPs in Quebec in terms of the approach and the educational frameworks that we use at Centennial?
For the past few years, we have implemented the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework at Centennial, which consists of designing courses in a manner that reaches the highest number of students, regardless of their learning profile.
Describe a typical classroom experience or a typical day at Centennial College?
I start the lesson by presenting a list of topics/tasks that students will accomplish during the class. The first half of the lesson is usually theoretical (a PowerPoint presentation), followed by a practical activity.
What is C-Space and what are the advantages of having this in college?
C-Space is a mandatory 1-hour session where students engage with course material to either preview or review important information (e.g., creating and answering review questions for an upcoming test). The advantage it gives is that students are encouraged to adopt effective academic behaviors that later on translate into better performance.
What is the culture like at Centennial College?
One word – collaboration. Since we have a small staff, we constantly exchange ideas in terms of how to better engage our students, address academic/behavioral problems as they arise, etc.
Tell me about one of your favorite teaching memories/story?
It is hard to choose just one! For me, every time a student achieves a breakthrough in class (however small it might be), that tiny moment is what validates my job as a teacher – one small victory at a time.