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UTEP Professor Receives Fulbright Scholar Award to Teach Translanguaging Theories in Paraguay
Katherine Mortimer, Ph.D., an associate professor of teacher education at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award to spend four months in Asuncion, Paraguay. Her work will involve teaching about translanguaging theories and collaborative study of language practices with colleagues in Paraguay.
Katherine Mortimer, Ph.D., UTEP associate professor of teacher education, received a Fulbright Scholar Award to spend four months in Asuncion, Paraguay teaching about translanguaging theories and collaboratively studying language practices with Paraguayan colleagues.
Translanguaging theories offer a new approach to understanding language use among bilingual communities. Mortimer will collaborate with colleagues from Paraguay to study how these theories could improve bilingual education for Guarani- and Spanish-speaking children.
“We are so excited that Dr. Mortimer has received a prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award!” said Clifton Tanabe, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Education at UTEP. “We are looking forward to seeing how her teaching and research in Paraguay might impact her bilingual education work right here in our region.”
Working with colleagues from the Instituto Superior de Lenguas of the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, Mortimer will study the current practices of teachers and students using translanguaging to support learning. The team hopes that this research will inform bilingual education program design, curriculum, and teacher education.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity for collaboration with my Paraguayan and UTEP colleagues,” said Mortimer, who will spend two months in Paraguay’s capital city each summer in 2023 and 2024. “We hope that this collaboration will help generate dialogue about translanguaging theories and inform decision-making about bilingual education for bilingual regions like those in Paraguay and El Paso.”
About the Fulbright Scholar Program
The Fulbright Scholar Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the US government. Through the program, US faculty and professionals have the opportunity to teach, conduct research, and work on specialized projects in over 140 countries around the world. The program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually and supports academic and cultural exchange between the United States and other countries.
Last Updated on May 25, 2023 at 12:00 AM | Originally published May 25, 2023
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
