Lexia Announces 2023 Emergent Bilingual Week

WHAT: Five-day no-cost webinar event for school and district leaders, teachers, and education technology leaders working with Emergent Bilingual students

WHEN: Monday, October 23 – Friday, October 27; 12PM – 1PM ET

REGISTER: https://home.edweb.net/lexia_ebw/

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are now 5 million Emergent Bilinguals (also known as English Language Learners) in U.S. schools. To help educators deepen their understanding of how to celebrate the assets these students bring to the classroom and realize equity for all students, Lexia is holding the fourth annual Emergent Bilingual Week from October 23 to 27.

The five-day event consists of a series of webinar sessions, interviews and panel discussions that explore important aspects of supporting Emergent Bilingual and multilingual students on their literacy journeys. Each session will take place between noon and 1 p.m. ET, and they will provide educators with the research, strategies, and tools they need to achieve educational equity for their students.

Monday, October 23
How diverse language experiences shape learning: The cognitive outcomes of bilingualism and literacy development
This panel will feature Young-Suk Kim, Senior Associate Dean of the School of Education at the University of California at Irvine; Dr. Gigi Luk, researcher in McGill University’s Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology; and Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, President of the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas.

Rajendra Chattergoon, Lexia’s Director of Efficacy Research, will facilitate the discussion as the three panelists examine bilingualism as an interactional experience that shapes cognition. Attendees will learn how young learners develop oracy and academic English as well as how to apply scientific findings on bilingualism to improve K-6 education. In addition, Kim, Luk and Cárdenas-Hagan will discuss how bilingualism and executive functions interact to influence literacy outcomes.

Tuesday, October 24
Supporting diverse multilingual learners: An asset-based approach
Dr. Jose Viana, Lexia’s Senior Education Advisor, will join two other panelists: Lizzy Cashiola, Associate Director of Regional Research at the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC); and Andrea Bittner, an educator, author, and speaker.

Breanna Guzman, Lexia’s Senior Language Product Specialist, will facilitate the panel discussion of academic and non-academic approaches, insights and perspectives that support experienced multilinguals (also known as LTELs), dual-language learners, newcomers, and students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE).

Wednesday, October 25
Keynote Presentation: Cultivating Belonging for Multilingual Learners with Denise Soler Cox
Cassandra Wheeler, director of LETRS State Success at Lexia, will introduce Denise Soler Cox, an award-winning activist filmmaker, top podcaster, speaker, and author, as the keynote speaker. One of the topics of Cox’s speech will be fostering multilinguals learners’ sense of belonging to help them thrive.

Thursday, October 26
Measuring success: Defining quality education for multilingual students
Viana will be speaking with Linda Cavazos, Executive Director of ELLAS Consulting (English Learner Leadership Advocacy Support), and Martha Hernandez, Executive Director for the Californians Together coalition of education, civil rights, parent/caregiver, community, and advocacy organizations.

Guzman will facilitate as teachers learn how to implement English language development (ELD) practices in the classroom. Principals and other administrators will discover how to implement ELD strategies on a higher level. The panelists will also discuss how oral discourse holistically supports literacy skills, how much time in an ELD block is devoted to listening and speaking, and teacher-led resources for creating language frames on a practical level.

Friday, October 27
What's different about teaching reading to multilingual learners
Panelists will include Beth Skelton, co-author of Long-Term Success for Experienced Multilinguals; Tan Huynh, an author, podcaster, consultant, and a secondary school teacher specializing in English language acquisition; and Guzman.

Viana will facilitate as the panelists discuss implementing science of reading and instruction for Emergent Bilinguals and multilingual learners as well as the importance of comprehensive literacy and language instruction for all students. Attendees will also learn about the following:

• How to integrate sound instructional strategies at the classroom, school and district level.
• Why it’s critical to explicitly and systematically teach both foundational skills and oral language development.
• How to effectively prioritize both language and literacy development.
• How to implement an asset-based approach to students’ capacities.
• Why educators should consider culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy

There is no cost to attend these webinars, but registration is required. For more information, please go to https://home.edweb.net/lexia_ebw/.