Supporting bilingual students in the classroom

“One of the biggest misconceptions in education is that “good teaching” is good enough for all learners.” Margarita Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of the literacy education program at Loyola, weighs in on the importance of supporting bilingual students in the classroom in response to a recent Baltimore Sun story. She expresses the need for Maryland’s school systems to invest in specific tools to improve outcomes for bilingual students and educators to recognize the value of students’ native languages. 

Gomez is an associate professor of the School of Education’s literacy education program. She teaches courses in assessment and instruction of literacy and second language and literacy development. Her research aims to better understand how classroom contexts play a critical role for culturally and linguistically diverse students’ writing development.

Loyola’s Master of Education literacy education programs prepare educators to help children develop critical reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing skills and knowledge necessary to navigate their worlds both inside and outside school. The programs’ courses enhance teachers’ understanding of the reading-writing-learning connections that allow students from diverse backgrounds to become confident, successful learners.