Perspectives on English Language Learning:
Aída Walqui in Conversation with Beverly Derewianka

A Meaning-Oriented Model of Language for the Classroom

 

This recorded session is the eighth in a series of online conversations, Perspectives on English Language Learning, that highlights scholarly perspectives on the education of students who are English learners across a wide variety of settings. Led by Aída Walqui, Senior Research Scientist at WestEd, the series highlights major research advances to help educators support learning and achievement for English learners. 

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The session features Beverly Derewianka, Emeritus Professor at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She has worked in the field of Language Education at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels and has spent over thirty years as a literacy/EAL teacher educator at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. 

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Dr. Derewianka has acted as consultant to various curriculum bodies nationally and internationally, contributing to policy design and assessment procedures. She has written a number of books for teachers based on her research into students’ literacy development. Her publications include Exploring How Texts Work, A Grammar Companion, School Discourse: Learning to Write Across the Years of Schooling (with Frances Christie) and Teaching Language in Context (with Pauline Jones).   

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Although officially retired, she currently works with schools in all states of Australia and overseas supporting teachers in raising students’ literacy outcomes.