Teacher, coach and director with over a decade of professional and volunteer experience teaching in diverse contexts to a wide range of ages, from young kids and teens to young adults and adult practitioners. Experienced in a variety of teaching methods, including experiential learning, group learning, mentoring and facilitated learning.
Novice or an expert, student or a professional, young or old - sometimes it just happens. Here is Death by Math, a reflection on some conference talks (and perhaps some didactic classroom methods too...).
I sat upon the shores of know
And viewed the sage present his show
The title I understood most clear
A topic to my heart most dear
The contents told a useful flow
The problem addressed a common foe
The idea seemed sound, the motivation pure
But then the method I did endure
Imagine a screen with information aglow
A heading in words but then symbols in tow
X equals Y, Y equals Z(ed)
Sigmas and epsilons in black and in red
Another screen follows as the equations grow
The sage happily laser-pointing each row
A droning sound as each squiggle is said
A drowning groan as my mind cringes in dread
Five minutes pass, and hope starts to go
Ten, then fifteen and my soul shouts ‘NO!’
After twenty minutes of being mathematically bled
The crowd claps and cheers, as I sit slumped and dead.
by Talib Hussain
July 25, 2010
The divisions and fractures we see around us often seem puzzling. And they take so much unnecessary effort to maintain and perpetuate. Shouldn't life be simpler than that? We have so much to learn from each other, after all. Here is Life's Algebra.
X
X stands alone.
X leads a busy life.
Everyday X sees many Y's.
They act different, look different, and
it seems they think different.
They are alien and X avoids them,
but X stands alone.
Y
Y lives alone
Y leads a simple life.
Y was always told,
"Stay away from those X's.
They are no good. Watch out."
Y is dutiful and always listens,
but Y lives alone.
X=Y
It's a day like every other.
X sees Y and tries to evade, as usual.
Y sees X and moves away, as usual.
An accident: X and Y meet.
"Hmm. Y really isn't that strange," thinks X.
"Wow, so this is X close up," thinks Y.
It's a day not like every other.
X+Y
X and Y stand together.
X and Y share much in common, but
X and Y also enrich each other.
X learns from Y; Y learns from X.
They both see the world anew.
X and Y stand together, not alone.
We and they, he and she, you and I.....
by Talib Hussain
Oct 11, 1994
(See Research page for Research and Development experience)
2021-date Faculty, Computer Science, John Abbott College, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC
Taught multiple courses at multiple levels of 3-year professional program (App Development II using Kotlin/Compose, Web Programming II using MERN stack, Web Programming III using ASP .Net Core, Object-Oriented Programming using C#) as well as complementaries (Introduction to Programming, Enhancing Computer Knowledge). Mentored students each year in their stage/internship. Led after-school Dev Club (2022-23) and taught after-school AI Mini-Course (2023-24).
Created concept of Innovation Hub program in 2024 and piloting the program in Winter 2025. In the Innovation Hub, students from different years of the Computer Science professional program participate in student-led projects to help their local community. The goal is to provide students with the experience of participating in a team-based project over multiple semesters and earn specialization certificates based on their experience. Initial projects include a ticketing website for the John Abbott Theatre Department and an Active Portfolio website for the Computer Science Department that will allow all students in the program to post about their accomplishments as they proceed through the program.
2021-2023 Instructor (Occasional), Continuing Education, John Abbott College, Ste Anne de Bellevue, QC
Taught three intensive courses: Programming III (Object Oriented Programming) using Spring Boot; Web Programming II using MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React.js, Node.js) with focus on front-end; and Multiplatform Mobile Technologies using Kotlin Multiplatform/Compose Multiplatform as well as Flutter with Cloud Firestore.
2021-2022 Lecturer (Part-Time), School of Information Studies, McGill University, Montreal, QC
Taught course on Information Retrieval using Python, Google CoLab, PyTerrier and Anvil to build IR systems. Fall 2021 and Fall 2022
2009 Lecturer (Part-Time), Computer Science Dept., Tufts University, Medford, MA
Designed and taught a course on Serious Games and one on Web Programming (CSS, XHTML, PHP, Javascript, Ajax) that incorporated group learning.
1999 – 2000 Adjunct Faculty, Computer Science Dept., Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
Designed and taught six core courses, from introductory computing science to advanced data structures. Designed each to use Java and group learning.
1999 – 2000 Instructor (Part-Time), Continuing Education Dept., Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
Designed and taught several courses on Java, Web Design and Artificial Intelligence to high school students visiting the university (grades 7-13).
1991 – 1998 Teaching Assistant, Computing and Information Science, Queen's University, Kingston, ON
Tutored students and marked assignments for 8 courses (mostly 4th year).
2023 Badminton Coach - Parent Volunteer, Beaconsfield High School, Beaconsfield, QC
Helped teach badminton to youths aged 13-17 in Badminton league
2022 – 2023 Curling Coach, Baie-D'Urfé Curling Club, Baie-D’Urfé, QC
Helped teach curling to youths aged 10-15 in Juniors Program
2018 – 2022 Scout Leader, Scouts Canada, Baie-D’Urfé, QC
Helped guide Scouts aged 11-14 in learning diverse outdoor and personal achievement skills. Taught web programming to 11 Scouts in 6-session course in Spring 2019.
2013 – 2019 Producer/Director, Musical Imaginations, Arlington, MA (until 2018), then Baie D'Urfe, QC
Produced and directed seven musical theater shows with K-5 students in after school program. Founded this program that taught acting, singing, choreography and stagecraft with an emphasis on fun and collaboration. (Arlington)
Produced and directed a community musical theater show with kids, teens and adults. One production in 2019 (Baie D'Urfe).
2019 Head Baseball Coach, Lakeshore Baseball Association, Kirkland, QC
Coached 1 season of boy’s baseball team at Mosquito level (ages 10-11). Taught core technical skills in a fun-based, experiential manner while ensuring all kids continually gained experience with all positions on the team.
2015 – 2018 Cub Scout Den Leader, Boy Scouts of America, Arlington, MA
Planned and led den meetings for ages 7-10. Helped the den complete the Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova STEM Award in 2017, the first awarded in region.
2014 – 2018 Head Soccer Coach, Arlington Soccer Club, Arlington, MA
Coached 9 seasons of girls’ soccer team (ages 8-12) and 8 seasons of boys’ soccer team (ages 6-10). Taught core technical skills in a fun-based, experiential manner while growing their skills in all positions on the team.
2012 – 2015 Tutorial Instructor, Orlando, FL
Taught annual full-day tutorial on “Serious Games Design” to professionals at Interservice/ Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC).
1988 Teacher's Assistant, Public School Board of Greater Montreal, QC
Full-time assistant in intensive summer computer science course which introduced supply teachers to computers, word processors and spreadsheets.
1987 After-School Teacher, Westpark Elementary in Dollard des Ormeaux, QC
Supervised and taught chess to 15 elementary school students after school.
Oct 1-2, 2022 Competition Coach-Introduction, Curling Quebec, Baie-D'Urfe, QC
Feb 4, 2020 Baseball Coach Clinic, Baseball Quebec, Pierrefonds, QC
June 14, 2019 Baseball Coach Clinic, Baseball Quebec, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC
July 15-18, 2018 Broadway Teachers’ Workshop and Director's Workshop, Broadway Teaching Group, New York City, NY
Aug 24, 2017 Heads Up Concussion Training for Youth Sports Coaches, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Arlington, MA
Mar 20, 2016 U.S. Soccer Federation E License and F license
Jan 30, 2016 Youth Protection Training course, Boy Scouts of America
Mar 28, 2015 Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association F License
Mar 2, 2015 Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association G License
Aug 24, 2014 Heads Up Concussion Training, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Arlington, MA
1998 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 1-term course, Queen’s Univ. Instructional Development Centre and School of Graduate Studies.