By: Allyson Reynolds
The Journal of Language & Literacy Education (JoLLE) will host its annual winter conference themed “Language and Literacy Through Intercultural Citizenship Education” virtually on Hopin on March 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and March 6 from 9-11:30 a.m.
The conference aims to evaluate injustices in language and literacy education. Keynote speaker Irina Golubeva sponsored the event, granting free tickets to attendees. To register, visit JoELLE@UGA’s website.
The schedule consists of an introduction, keynote speeches from Manuela Wagner and Irina Golubeva, breakout sessions with lead discussions, panel presentations, roundtable sessions and a mentoring session from graduate students.
Wagner’s speech will highlight language education in intercultural dialogue, while Golubeva’s speech will focus on students’ preparation for culturally diverse societies. JoLLE@UGA Winter Conference Chair Olumide Ajayi said the conference will attempt to widen educators’ understanding of how culture should be defined.
Jennifer Ervin, a graduate student at the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia and a speaker at the 2021-22 JoLLE conference, said she learned about culture disparities from her time teaching in Vietnam and Costa Rica.
Since her curriculum primarily featured white characters, Ervin said it is important for education communities to have conversations about race, identity and culture. The upcoming conference highlights social justice and professional ethics.
“We’re creating these situations where teachers feel like maybe they’re not allowed to have conversations about equity or that they’re not allowed to have conversations about identity,” Ervin said. “I think that’s really harmful both to the teaching profession but also to the students.”
Ervin said different life experiences bring new understanding into the classroom. When discussing reading and writing, she said it is valuable to keep an open mind because there is no right answer.
“I always kind of talked with my students about how I’m learning with them,” Ervin said. “Their experience is going to be unique from anyone else’s.”
How I Wrote The Story
Through researching education events in Athens, I found JoLLE Winter Conference to have great value to the community. The 2022 JoLLE Winter Conference, themed “Language and Literacy through Intercultural Citizenship Education,” will be held virtually on March 5-6. Event speakers will discuss injustices and sociocultural awareness in education to provide value for students, educators, researchers and policymakers. I interviewed JoLLE@UGA Winter Conference Chair Olumide Ajayi to gain a better understanding of the event details to write a preview story. After, I reached out to Jennifer Ervin to understand the importance of the theme. Ervin shared her experience as an educator and her dedication to social justice in the classroom.
Allyson Reynolds 