John Peter Portelli

John Peter Portelli

John Peter Portelli (1954) is a professor, poet and novelist from Malta who resides in Toronto, Canada.

Life[]

John P. Portelli was born in Malta where, after completing a B.A. (Philosophy & Maltese, 1975), he taught history and modern languages at a secondary school and philosophy at a sixth form. In 1977 he was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship and commenced his studies at McGill University from where he obtained an M.A. (1979) and a Ph.D. (1984) in Philosophy. Currently he is a professor in the Department of Social Justice Education, and the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at OISE, University of Toronto. He is a member of the Centre for Leadership and Diversity and a fellow a St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto.

Before joining OISE in 1999 as a full professor he taught in several universities: The University of Malta (1980), College Marie Victorin (1981-1985), McGill University (1982-1985), Dalhousie University (Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow, 1985-1986), Mount Saint Vincent University (1986 – 1999). He was a visiting professor at the University of Malta (1992), Acadia University (1997), the University of British Columbia (1998), and the University of Verona (2010, 2011).

He has extensive administrative experience including the position of program coordinator, associate chair of department, and Director of Graduate programs at OISE.

He has published 22 books including six collections of poetry, two collections of short stories and a novel, and over 100 articles and chapters in books. He has also made over 100 presentations at national and international conferences. Two of his books won the American Educational Studies Association Critic Award, and another of his books won the Canadian Association for the Foundations of Education Book Award.

His research includes theoretical and empirical studies. He has led several national research projects in Canada and elsewhere. In total he has been awarded $1.4 million for research projects.

Available on Amazon.ca Everyone but Fajza starts off with conflicting media reports in Toronto about aserious incident involving Fajza. The major characters narrate their relation withFajza and offer their construction of events. The novel provides a multi-layered storythat involves two immigrant families. Tensions between traditional and progressivebeliefs, together with the complexities of life within a multicultural context are atthe heart of this novel. Will Fajza survive the incident and ensuing family struggles?

He is an excellent and engaging speaker and instructor with international reputation and proven record. In 2005 he received the . In March 2013 he was awarded the at the University of Toronto He has given keynote addresses and lectures in Canada, U.S.A., Italy, England, Malta, Bahrain, Morocco, Austria, Greece, France, Portugal, Ireland, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Lithuania, Israel, Palestine, Greece, and Hungary. He is frequently invited to give keynote addresses and workshops in his areas of research and teaching which include: continuous professional development, quality assurance, student engagement; students ‘at risk’; democratic education; teaching controversial issues; leadership, equity and diversity; intercultural education and dialogue; educational policy and equity; neoliberalism and education; social justice education; reflective practice; and ethical issues in educational leadership.

Since 1982 he has worked closely with teachers and school administrators in Canada and internationally. He has been a member of the Board of the National Commission for Higher Education of Malta (2006-2017), a Lead Expert for the European Mediterranean University, Slovenia (on issues of quality assurance), Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee for Further and Higher Education in Malta (2014-2018) and now a regular member of the Committee, and a senior policy advisor to the Ministry of Education and Employment in Malta. He has carried out Quality Assurance work in several countries including Malta, Slovenia, Turkey, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Works[]

Academic Books[]

John Peter Portelli, Professor and author

• Confronting Educational Policy in Neoliberal Times: International Perspectives. New York: Routledge, 2019. (With Stephanie Chitpin).
• Key Questions for Educational Leaders. Burlington, ON: Word & Deed Publ. and Edphil Books, 2015. (with Darrin Griffiths).
• Philosophy of Education: Introductory Readings. Edmonton: Brush Books, 4th. revised edition, November 2013. (With William Hare).
• Student Engagement in Urban Schools: Beyond Neoliberal Discourses. North Carolina: Information Age Publishers, 2012. (With Brenda McMahon).
• Leading for Equity: The Investing in Diversity Approach. Toronto, ON: Edphil Books, 2009. (With Rosemary Campbell-Stephens).
• Journal of Thought (U.S.A.). Special issue on “Critical Democracy and Educational Leadership Issues: Philosophical Responses to the Neoliberal Agenda, “ 42,1, 2007.
• Key Questions in Education (U.S. edition). San Francisco, CA: Caddo Gap Press, 2007. (Won the AESA Critics' Choice Award in 2008). With William Hare.
• Key Questions in Education. Halifax, NS: Edphil Books, November 2005. With William Hare.
• The McGill Journal of Education, 38, 2, Spring 2003, 151pp. Special issue on “The Challenge of Student Engagement: Beyond Mainstream Conceptions and Practices”. With Lynn Butler-Kisber.
• What To Do? Case Studies for Educators. Halifax: Edphil Books, 3rd. revised edition, 2003. With William Hare.
• Journal of Thought (U.S.A.), 37, 1, Spring 2002, 96pp. Special issue on “Ethics and Educational Leadership.” With Douglas Simpson.
• Philosophy of Education: Introductory Readings. Calgary: Detselig Ent. Ltd., 3rd. revised edition, 2001. With William Hare.
• The Erosion of the Democratic Tradition in Education: From Critique to Possibility. Calgary: Detselig Ent. Ltd., 2001. (Won the AESA Critics’ Choice Award in 2001). With Patrick Solomon.
• What To Do? Case Studies for Teachers. Halifax: Edphil Books, 2nd. revised edition, 1998. With William Hare.
• Philosophy of Education: Introductory Readings. Calgary: Detselig Ent. Ltd., 2nd. revised edition, Fall 1996. (Won the CAFÉ Book Award in 1998). With William Hare. Translated into Persian by Saeed Beheshti (2004).
• Children, Philosophy, and Democracy. Calgary: Detselig Ent. Ltd., 1995. (Won the AESA Critics' Choice Award in 1997). With Ronald Reed.
• What To Do? Case Studies for Teachers. Halifax: Fairmount Books, 1993. With William Hare.
• Reason and Value in Education: New Perspectives in Philosophy of Education. Calgary: Detselig Ent. Ltd., 1993. With Sharon Bailin.
• Philosophy of Education: Introductory Readings. Calgary: Detselig Ent. Ltd., December 1988. With William Hare.

Literary Collection[]

• Everyone but Fajza (novel).  Burlington, ON: Word & Deed,  and Malta: Horizons, 2021.
• Tgħanniq Ieħor (ed. With K. Azzopardi and S. Inguanez, collection of contemporary Maltese poetry). Malta: Horizons, 2021.
• Imkien għall-kenn (poetry).  Malta: Horizons, 2020.
• The Lives of Yesterday. A collection of 40 poems translated into Greek. Athens, Greece: Oropodio, 2020.
• L-Ittra ta’ Osama u Stejjer Oħra (Osama’s Letter and Other Short Stories). Malta: Horizons, 2019.
• Everyday Encounters: Short Stories. Burlington, ON: Word and Deed Publ., 2019.
• Kulħadd barra Fajża (Everyone but Fajza). Malta: Horizons, 2018. Novel. Short-listed for the Malta Book Council Literary Prize, 2018.
• Inkontri ta’ Kuljum: Skizzi (Daily Encounters: Short Stories). Malta: Horizons, 2018. A collection of 55 existenial short stories in Maltese. Short-listed for the Malta Book Council Literary Prize, 2018.
• Migrant Desires/Xewqat tal-Passa ( a collection of 60 poems in Maltese and English translations). Malta: Horizons, 2017. Placed second for the Malta Poetry National Award for 2017.
• Luggage/Bagage (a collection of 33 poems in English with French translations). Burlington, ON: Word & Deed, 2016.
• Taħt iċ-Ċirasa/Under the Cherry Tree. Collection of 37 poems and 100 haiku in Maltese with English translations. Malta: PEG Publishers, 2008.
• Bejn Zewg Dinjiet: Malta u l-Kanada/In Between: Malta and Canada (Collection of poems in Maltese and the English translation. Toronto: Melita Books 2003.