The 15th annual U of A English as a Second Language symposium will focus on partnering to serve multilingual learners in classrooms, schools and communities.

The event, sponsored by the College of Education and Health Professions, will have a nominal registration fee of $25 and $15 for students. The virtual symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, over Zoom. The keynote speakers are Trish Morita-Mullaney, Ph.D., associate professor of language and literacy at Purdue University, and Richard Gómez Jr., Ph.D., co-creator of the Gómez and Gómez Dual Language Model.

The agenda also includes a community resource panel with Gina Gómez, El Centro Hispano Jonesboro; Rey Hernandez, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Springdale; and Srividya Venkatasubramanya, Ra-Ve Cultural Foundation, Bentonville.

Morita-Mullaney's keynote is titled, "Foregrounding Multilingual Learners: Educators at the Nexus of Creativity and Resistance." Drawing from research and practice, Morita-Mullaney will share a framework for leadership that participants can use when working with multilingual learners. She is a teacher, coach and administrator with experiences in California, Arizona and Indiana. Morita-Mullaney has been instrumental in changing the Indiana language policy landscape for emergent bilinguals, leading to more robust licensure and training requirements for teachers of emergent bilinguals.

Gómez's keynote will focus on how gifted and talented instruction is valuable for all children. He will offer tools for effectively pairing learning and teaching in classrooms. Gómez has been a professor for nine years at Texas Tech University in Lubbock and the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. He has also served as Washington State's State Director for Bilingual and Migrant programs for five years and has been elected to numerous education organizations. Gómez is best known for his co-creation of the Gómez and Gómez Dual Language System, which has been implemented in more than 1,000 elementary and secondary schools across 13 states.          

Participants may apply for 3.5 hours of continuing education, depending on their professional designation. All participants must register. The online registration deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 21. If you would like to register for the symposium after that date, email the registrar.

Contact Diana Gonzales Worthen, Janet Penner-Williams or Alissa Blair in the College of Education and Health Professions for more information about the symposium. Visit the website for more information.