Understanding Multilingual Learners with Dana Gastich French

Dana Gastich French is the founder and lead consultant for UpRiver Education, a company focused on multilingual learners and the educators who teach them. She joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how an asset-based, inclusive understanding of English language learning is the key to overcoming the challenges that ESL continues to face in the US and beyond.

We hear Dana’s origin story which begins with studying abroad in Chile where she learned how it felt to not be comfortable with the language of record. From there, she connects her experiences as an ESL and bilingual teacher, instructional coach and school and district-level administrator to what’s emerging in the field today. We conclude with Dana’s thoughts on the role of technology and the importance of building trust through culturally sensitive practices. It’s a free-wheeling survey of what’s new in the English Language Learning ecosystem you don’t want to miss.

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