Teacher Appreciation: Spotlight on Multilingualism

This podcast features a listening session moderated by Montserrat Garibay, the Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director of OELA. The panelists are four educators from around the country. This conversation focuses on the experiences and expertise of multilingual teachers in supporting English learners and their families. The podcast highlights resources to promote multilingual education and the maintenance of Native languages.

Panelists -

Carol Pagan is from Providence Public Schools and the Providence Teachers Union in Rhode Island. She is a Bilingual Literacy coach at Leviton Dual Language School. 

Rodrigo Rodriguez-Tovar is a fourth-grade dual language teacher at Cook Elementary School in the Austin Independent School District. He is a National Board-Certified Teacher and holds a master’s degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. 

Sonia Águila is a second-grade dual language teacher at Canalino Elementary School. Aguila has been named Teacher of the Year by both the California Association of Bilingual Education and – most recently – the National Association of Bilingual Educators (NABE), for her work advocating for bilingual students and their families.

Rebecka Peterson is the 2023 National Teacher of the Year. She teaches Math at Union High School in Oklahoma. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a Master of Arts in Mathematics at the University of South Dakota.

Teacher Appreciation: Spotlight on Multilingualism

Elizabeth Judd, an Education Program Specialist at OELA talks with Martha Castellón Palacios, Senior Program Associate at WestEd about the Integrated Language and Science Content Teaching Brief produced by OELA. This teaching practice brief draws upon recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2018 report titled English Learners (ELs) in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives.

The podcast explores five key practices presented in the brief: (1) Embracing asset beliefs that position and support ELs as full participants in disciplinary learning, (2) Engaging ELs in disciplinary practices, (3) Providing scaffolding as a way of supporting students’ engagement and comprehension of challenging content, (4) Engaging ELs in meaningful interactions with other students and teachers, and (5) Providing an explicit focus on how language functions in the discipline.

OELA Podcasts

Integrating Language While Teaching STEM

Integrating Language While Teaching STEM (Science)

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) provides national leadership to help ensure that English learners (ELs) and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success.

The OELA Podcast Series is based on teaching practice briefs that highlight promising practices in EL instruction related to science, mathematics, and early childhood education. Each episode features an interview between an OELA staff member and the author of the teaching practice brief.

Visit ncela.ed.gov for more EL resources.

Teacher Appreciation: Spotlight on Multilingualism

OELA Podcast Series

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