PRH Education Hosts “Reading the World: Nurturing a Global Perspective for All Students”
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Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera and Laura Robb
Penguin Random House Education hosted “Reading the World: Nurturing a Global Perspective for All Students,” a virtual event featuring Laura Robb and Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera last month. Laura Robb, literacy advocate, teacher, and Classroom Libraries collaborator, and Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera, teacher, researcher, author, and co-collaborator of the upcoming PRH Education Translanguaging Collections, spoke about how to build better classroom libraries to meet the needs of all students.
The conversation began around a blog post Laura Robb wrote for the PRH Education elementary website about the importance of providing culturally relevant books that permit all students to read and learn about diverse cultures and lifestyles. This led to a powerful discussion on centering students in the classroom and the impact of reading volume.
“Books can help children process what they’re seeing outside their classroom doors and households. It’s a way to sustain their various experiences, identities, and language practices,” Herrera emphasized as she and Robb talked about the need for read-aloud books and how they build community both in and out of the classroom. They went on to talk about supporting children’s literature, dynamic languaging, and translanguaging to keep all students engaged. Translanguaging pedagogy is about creating a Reading Community between teacher and students. It refers to the creative ways bi/multilinguals use two or more languages to make meaning and maximize their communicative and academic potential.
The event ended with a discussion on the current conversations about critical race theory and banned books. Robb talked about including controversial books in the classroom and mentioned how crucial it is to support teachers and to also educate parents about why it’s important for children to read all perspectives.
Penguin Random House strives to support students and teachers by providing the most timely, engaging, and diverse authentic texts that harness the power of literacy and promote equity. It is because of this commitment that we continue to connect with and give a platform to education leaders to gain new insights and promote thought leadership to support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in schools.
To watch the full video, click on the play arrow below.