August 31, 2005
Lecture series to focus on helping English-language learners
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Four experts in the area of learning English as a new language will be the featured speakers for the inaugural Literacy Network Project Lecture Series at Purdue University.
The four-part Saturday morning series Supporting English Language Learners is targeted toward a wide audience, said Katrena Leininger, director of the Professional Development Initiative for the Purdue Literacy Network Project.
The lectures are open to the public. The cost is $30 for one lecture or a discounted price of $100 for all four.
"We hope to attract not only teachers who are facing the issue of how best to support children learning English as a new language, but we also feel that each of these speakers will appeal to those in the community who work with people learning English, such as social service providers and pre-service K-12 teachers."
She said idea for the lecture series stemmed from the Summer Literacy Institute, sponsored by the Purdue Literacy Network Project in July, which offered workshops for elementary educators to support children's language development with a special emphasis on English-language learners.
The summer institute was geared toward teachers, but this series will be of interest to all groups, Leininger said. Gaining knowledge on how to support English-language learners is especially relevant because the number of limited English proficient students in Indiana has tripled in the last five years, according to statistics kept by the Indiana Department of Education.
"These experts were chosen because they are interesting, dynamic speakers who will draw on their own experiences with learning English," Leininger said. "These speakers can serve as an inspiration to those learning English, as well as provide tools to professionals who would like to help these individuals."
The presentations, which will be held 9 a.m. to noon in Stewart Center, Room 214, are:
• Sept. 17 – The Language of Learning. Yvonne Rodriguez, assistant professor of reading at Texas Woman's University, will discuss language-acquisition issues that impact literacy attainment.
• Oct. 29 – English Learners and No Child Left Behind: Language, Literacy and Testing. Lily Wong Fillmore, professor emerita and Jerome Hutto Professor of Education at the University of California at Berkeley, will discuss what kind of instructional support English-language learners need to demonstrate academic progress in school.
• Feb. 18, 2006 – Language, Culture and Identity: Teaching Literacy to English Language Learners. Maria Estela Brisk, a professor of education at Boston College, will discuss the knowledge English-language learners need to be able to read and write in English. She will provide strategies that foster the development of academic oral language.
• April 22, 2006 – The Challenge and Joy of Learning English: Personal Experiences. Francisco Jiménez, the Fay Boyle Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Cruz University, will illustrate the positive role teachers can play in the education of students whose native language is not English. More information about Jiménez and his work can be found on his Web site.
For registration information on the lecture series, contact Lisa Harker, program coordinator for continuing education, at (765) 494-2973. A downloadable brochure is available from Purdue Literacy Network Project Web site.
The Purdue Literacy Network Project offers three programs for teacher professional development: Literacy Collaborative, Reading Recovery and the Professional Development Initiative.
The Professional Development Initiative includes the Summer Literacy Institute, as well as the Professional Development Series, which provides classroom teachers the opportunity to study the theories and best practices of balanced literacy, a method of teaching reading that includes learning about letters, sounds and phonics, as well as reading and writing, to create a richer experience for students.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Sources: Katrena Leininger, (765) 496-2119, georgekl@purdue.edu
Lisa Harker, (765) 494-2973, laharker@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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