Westminster representatives to participate in literacy education conference hosted by Israeli college

Current and retired faculty members from Westminster College’s School of Education will be participating in a virtual international conference, “Engagement: Literacy Bridges for Diverse Students, Families and Cultures,” on Tuesday, Jan. 17, from 7:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The conference is free and open to the public.

Organized by Dr. Vered Vaknin-Nusbaum, head of the Literacy Education Center at Western Galilee College in Akko, Israel, the literacy awareness conference will feature Westminster College’s Dr. Gwen Deger, assistant professor of education; Dr. Amy Camardese, professor of education emeritus; and Dr. Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, retired professor of literacy education, all of whom will present their research inquiries. Dr. Rene Pico, associate professor and chair of Westminster’s School of Education, will serve as the conference discussant leader and moderate the sessions “Relevant Literacy Practices” and “Literacy Texts Across Sociocultural Contexts.”

Other invited literacy faculty from U.S. universities, as well as colleagues from Germany, Israel and Morocco, will share their research focused on avenues for investigating and cultivating literacy learning with PreK-6th grade students.  

“I am thrilled to offer this virtual international conference with an array of prominent literacy educators and researchers who will inspire teachers, preservice teachers, parents, and educational support personnel, committed to the future of our children and families,” said Vaknin-Nusbaum.

Westminster College and Western Galilee College have a long collaborative history. More than a decade ago, a partnership was formed to build American-Israeli academic connections. Faculty from both schools have participated in several conferences, collaborated on multiple joint research projects and publications, and supported student research projects in Israel. Western Galilee’s Dr. Yehuda Peled, head of the information studies department, was a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Westminster College, and Dr. Randa Abbas, served as a visiting scholar-in-residence in 2013.

“What a journey and what a powerful evolution to the Western Galilee Literacy Conference,” said Camardese.

For more information about the conference, click here.

To register for the conference, which will be presented via Zoom, please visit this link.
 

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