Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia College of Education is offering a one-day workshop designed to enhance a teacher’s ability to understand and work effectively with Spanish-speaking students and their families on Dec. 2 at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel.
“Spanish for Non-Spanish Speakers: What Every Georgia Educator Should Know,” will include topics such as writing letters to Latino students’ parents, family customs and how they can relate to school and classroom environments, cultural celebrations and holidays, and working with translation.
Participants will:
• learn key Spanish language and cultural knowledge for use in the classroom;
• apply knowledge about second-language learning to classroom instruction;
• acquire strategic Spanish language abilities to nurture meaningful relationships with Latino students and their families;
• learn how to find and use materials in Spanish for use in the English language classroom; and,
• become role models for all students by starting a lifelong language-learning journey.
No prior knowledge of Spanish is necessary. All participants will receive a certification of completion.
Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor, an associate professor in the college’s department of language and literacy education, will lead the workshop, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cahnmann-Taylor has worked with bilingual youth and their families in Georgia for several years. Previously, she was a researcher and teacher among Latino communities in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston and Mexico City. She is the author of two books about language learning and teacher education. She trains pre-service TESOL and foreign language teachers and offers courses in Spanish children’s literature, bilingualism and bilingual education.
The cost of registration is $250, and the deadline for registration is Nov. 28. For more information, see www.coe.uga.edu/events/ and click on Conferences and Workshops.
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