Educators can receive 6 hours of professional development credit approved by the Arkansas Department of Education by attending the 12th annual English as a Second Language Symposium scheduled for Feb. 21.

The symposium, sponsored by the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions, will focus this year on a language-based approach to content instruction for educators who work with English learners.

Luciana de Oliveira, a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami, is the featured speaker for the daylong conference. Her research focuses on issues related to teaching multilingual learners at the K-12 level, including the role of language in learning the content areas and teacher education, advocacy and social justice. Currently, de Oliveira's research examines scaffolding in elementary classrooms and secondary teacher preparation for academic literacy development. Her latest book, Handbook of TESOL in K-12, published by Wiley in 2019, is the first handbook focused on K-12 TESOL. She is the author or editor of 24 books and over 200 publications in various outlets.

The symposium will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fayetteville. Registration may be completed online.