Podcasts

Cultivating Competence in English Learners with Margarita Calderón and Lisa Tartaglia

The Be Podcast Network, an organization of more than four dozen engaging shows dedicated to education, and Reading Is Fundamental are partnering during National Literacy Month to share high-impact conversations about literacy with more than 40 unique episodes featuring conversations about the state of children’s literacy nationwide, best practices for reading instruction and engagement, strategies to foster the joy of reading in school and at home, and much more.

Today’s guests, Margarita Espino Calderón and Lisa Tartaglia, are co-authors of Cultivating Competence in English Learners: Integrating Social-Emotional Learning With Language and Literacy.

Dr. Calderón, born and raised in Juárez, is a Professor Emerita/Senior Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University. Her research and development projects have been funded by US Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Labor, and State Offices of Education. One of her empirical studies “The Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (BCIRC)” is featured in the What Works Clearinghouse. 

Ms. Tartaglia is a high school assistant principal with Loudoun County Public Schools with over 20 years of public school experience. She has been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and coach at the elementary and high school levels. She is also a Senior Associate for Margarita Calderón and Associates, and provides training on instructional strategies for ELLs, language and literacy, instructional coaching, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

They discuss:

  • “Laymen’s definition of SEL”
  • Identifying the English Learners and multilingual learners in our schools 
  • How the core tenets of the CASEL framework apply to English learners’ relevant needs
  • Common reasons why English Learners’ needs aren’t met 
  • Why it’s critical for core content teachers to engage with these strategies
  • Schoolwide culture shift to SEL — where to start?
  • Assist English learners and multilingual learners in developing their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills

Visit the official episode page here.