Don't miss our free, virtual IMPACT Conference! 🎉 Join us for a 3-day PD opportunity as we pave the way to strengthen spaces where EL students can thrive.
Promoting Bilingualism While Healing "La Herida Abierta" with Dr. Carolina Lopez
Promoting Bilingualism While Healing "La Herida Abierta" with Dr. Carolina Lopez
How are educators reaching ELs and bilingual students in a border district during a pandemic, both in addressing immediate needs for support and in looking ahead at the impact of learning loss on the future of instruction? What techniques can educators use to identify different types of bilingual learners and evaluate the effectiveness of their program and instruction? How might we transform the subtractive model of schooling that is rooted in generations of an “English only” mentality to celebrate bilingualism and encourage students to take pride in their native dialect? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Carolina Lopez.
As you’ll hear in our conversation, Dr. Lopez is a fierce advocate for bilingual education in a region that has struggled with a fixed mindset on English only programs - something which she sees as part of a larger issue she refers to as “la herida abierta”, or the “open wound”, which she believes educators can help to heal.
You can connect with Dr. Lopez by emailing her at calopez@wisd.us or find her on the Weslaco ISD Bilingual / ESL Department website.
During our conversation, we mentioned the following books and resources:
- The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies, by Patricia Gándara and Frances Contreras
- Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, by Gloria Anzaldúa
- Con Respeto: Bridging the Distances Between Culturally Diverse Families and Schools, by Guadalupe Valdes
- Educated, by Tara Westover
Finally, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This will help us continue bringing you the best topics and guests on Highest Aspirations.