Illinois is home to one of the nation’s largest and most diverse populations of speakers of languages other than English. Nearly one in four Illinois residents over the age of five speak a language other than English at home. The Bilingual Advantage Starts at Home project aims to raise awareness of the tremendous value of bilingualism and to encourage teachers and parents/guardians to make decisions that will best foster bilingual children’s cognitive, academic, and social growth.
FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL K-12 ILLINOIS EDUCATORS
OCTOBER 9 AND OCTOBER 16 (Choose 1 or 2 dates)
(2-4 clock hours ISBE PDH)
Sign up for one or both webinars or the webinar wait list here.
Got questions? Email us at uofillinoisbilingual@gmail.com
Webinar 1: The Power of Dual-Language Education
What? This webinar will discuss how dual-language programs contribute to both linguistic and academic achievement advantages for children. For language minority students, it has been shown to be the most successful model for learning English while simultaneously developing students’ first language. For English speakers, it provides a rich environment in which to acquire another language. After exploring a few myths about multilingualism that plague the U.S. and that serve to curtail these programs and squander the many non-English languages spoken in communities across the country, we show how these programs lead to high levels of academic achievement for all students
Who? This webinar is ideal for teachers in schools where there is a critical mass of home language speakers of one language, where a dual-language program is or could be offered.
Webinar 2: The Benefits of Home Language Maintenance
What? This webinar will discuss why it is crucial for bilingual children to continue to use their home language while they are learning English.
Who? This webinar is designed for teachers in schools where there are smaller numbers of home language speakers of languages other than English, or speakers from a wide variety of different languages, where it would not be feasible/practical to offer a dual-language program. This webinar could also be valuable for teachers from any school who are interested in reaching students from languages that are not as widely spoken.
Sign up for one or both webinars here
