Center for bilingual Studies
Spring 2021-newsletter
3 CBS Bilingual Story Hour
Location: Zoom Meetings
Co-Sponsors: BESO
Celebraciones culturales de invierno
ENERO 7, 2021
Dos miembros de BESO leyeron la historia en español: Celebra la Navidad y el Dia de los Reyes Magos con Pablo y Carlitos. La hora del cuento interactiva contó con los miembros de BESO. Los lectores, Carolina De Anda y Daniela Guzmán analizaron la lectura y planearon preguntas interactivas para promover la participación de los niños y las familias participantes. ¡El evento salió muy bien!
Celebrando La Amistad
FEBRERO 16, 2021
Dos miembros de BESO se les dio la oportunidad de leer la historia en español: Querido Primo: Una Carta a mi primo” by Tuncan Tonatiuh. La hora del cuento interactiva conto con los miembros de BESO. Los lectores, Mayra Hernández y Patricia Fuentes analizaron la lectura y planearon preguntas interactivas para promover la participación de los oyentes.
Celebrando el Día del Niño
ABRIL 27, 2021
Dos miembros de BESO se les dio la oportunidad de leer la historia en español: ¡Book Fiesta! Celebramos el día de niños/El día de los libros. La hora del cuento interactiva conto con los miembros de BESO. Los lectores, Daniela Guzmán y Patricia Fuentes analizaron la lectura y planearon preguntas interactivas para promover la participación de los oyentes.
Estos fueron los lectores que participaron en la hora de cuentos bilingües.
HISTORIAS AMERICANAS
Shaping the Future of Social Studies by Honoring Our Mexican American Past Through Innovation in Teaching and Learning in the Present
APRIL 28, 2021
Location: The National Association for Bilingual Education 2021 Conference
Presenters: Drs. Martiza de la Trinidad, Stephanie Alvarez, Joy Esquierdo, and Francisco Guajardo
Historias Americanas: Engaging History and Citizenship in the Rio Grande Valley is a US Department of Education grant aimed to provide professional development to Social Studies and History teachers in two large districts in deep South Texas, Edinburg CISD and Brownsville ISD. This American History and Civics Education National Activities Grant supports a professional development program that enhances current and historical understandings of Mexican American history using Place Based Education and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to promote biculturalism component of UTRGV B3 guiding principles. The session described the different workshops provided by Historias Americanas and how teachers have developed culturally relevant lesson plans based on the content from the workshops.
CBS Scholars: Fostering Bilingual Pedagogies at UTRGV
AY 2020-2021
Location: Monthly Zoom Meetings
During AY 2020-2021, the Center for Bilingual Studies continued to evolve as a research hub for bilingualism, bilingual P-16 education, and bilingual communities by working with a small cohort of faculty who are leveraging their students’ cultural and linguistic abilities by using flexible bilingual pedagogies to help UTRGV become a B3 (Bilingual, Bicultural, Biliterate) University. Along with Dr. Esquierdo (Bilingual & Literacy Studies) and Dr. Stehn (Philosophy), these four CBS Scholars represent diverse colleges and disciplines: Dr. Teresa Feria Arroyo (Biology), Dr. Katherine Christoffersen (Writing & Language Studies), Dr. Hiram Moya (Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering), and Jose Saldivar (University College).
The CBS Scholars meant monthly to learn from each other, discuss relevant scholarship on bilingual pedagogies, and contribute to the scholarship on bilingual education in higher ed. Each scholar is currently drafting manuscript that, after being submitted for peer review in July 2021, will most likely be published in a special edition for the Journal of Bilingual Education Research and Instruction (JBERI). Each scholar is writing about how they use bilingualism in the courses they teach to promote the learning and success of their students. Next year, the CBS Scholars will present their research in the CBS Scholar series.
Region One ESC: Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Virtual Institute
MAYO 5, 2021
Location: Zoom Meeting
Region One ESC hosted their annual parent conference on May 5, 2021. Drs. Joy Esquierdo, Mariana Alessandri and Alex Stehn delivered presentations focused on the benefits of quality Dual Language Education programs in public schools for bilingual students. Dr. Esquierdo’s presentation was titled Los Beneficios de la Educación en Dos Idiomas. La presentación cubrió los beneficios del bilingüismo que incluye un desarrollo cognitivo más fuerte, rendimiento académico y, lo que es más importante, un sentido de identidad. Ella compartió lo importante que es para los padres compartir historias familiares, historia local e historias de la comunidad con sus hijos. Todas estas herramientas ayudarán a los niños a hacer conexiones con el contenido académico en la escuela.
Drs. Alessandri and Stehn shared the story of their bilingual family and the vision of RGV PUEDE (Padres Unidos para una Educación Dual Excelente) for getting parents involved to support, improve, and extend dual language programs from Pre-K to 12th across the Rio Grande Valley.
McAllen ISD DL Parent Group Presentation
MAY 7, 2021
Location: Zoom Meeting
Dr. Esquierdo presented to parents of Dual Language students and the teacher coaches on the ways parents can support their children’s bilingualism, biliteracy development, and biculturalism. Her ideas included ways the family can watch family-friendly movies together in Spanish, read a culturally relevant children’s book in Spanish, and listening to a story in Spanish. Another suggestion was for parents to follow Language of the Day at home. The Dual Language program in McAllen ISD designated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as Spanish days and Tuesday and Thursday as English days. Parents were encouraged to follow those designations at home as well. These ideas are to further support.
UTEP Coloquia presentation with B3
APRIL 14, 2021
Location: Zoom Meeting
Drs. Dania Lopez-García and Joy Esquierdo presented on a panel to a group of graduate students and faculty at the University of Texas El Paso. Patricia Ocaña, a doctoral student in the Teaching, Learning, and Culture Ph.D. program at UTEP and professor, Dr. Katherine Mortimer, organized the event. They studied UTRGV’s B3 Institute initiative to learn about how we are developing into a bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate institution. As educators and graduate students in a borderland Hispanic serving institution, they wanted to share how they deeply respect the values reflected in the B3 initiative and how it promotes social justice and equity for all students. They wanted advice on developing a proposal for a bilingual language policy for our Teacher Education Department, and wanted Drs. Lopez-García and Esquierdo to share their experiences developing the B3 Institute. The panel presentation focused on the principles, approaches, and the partnerships that have supported the University’s goal to be a bilingual, biliterate and bicultural institution.
CONTACT US
Dr. J. Joy Esquierdo, Director
Dr. Alex Stehn, Associate Director
Samantha Lopez, Program Coordinator
Rebecca Gonzalez, Graduate Assistant
rebecca.n.gonzalez01@utrgv.edu
Paola Hernandez, Undergraduate Assistant
Website: https://www.utrgv.edu/center-for-bilingual-studies/en-us/index.htm
Location: Center for Bilingual Studies EEDUC 2.216
Phone: (956) 665 3213
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbsutrgv/