33: Inclusive Language Learning with Dr. Jennifer Preschern

Dr. Jennifer Preschern, CCC-SLP is a USA born speech-language pathologist/learning disabilities teacher. She has spent most of her professional life working in diverse USA public school settings with students from ages 3-15 with various additional needs such as dyslexia, autism, ADHD, and speech/language difficulties.  While serving as a pre-school SLP for a school district outside of Chicago, she obtained grant funding to start the first-ever public school LENA program, which has been proven to be a successful method for increasing child language skills and preventing future academic problems. 7 years ago, Jennifer had the opportunity to move to Linz, Austria where she was hired at an International Baccalaureate school as an English teacher. Upon arrival, she was surprised to see that the school had no additional support teachers, making it difficult to include all students. This sparked Jennifer's interest in how or if other IB schools were including students with additional needs. As a result, Jennifer went back to school, obtaining a PhD in literacy from St. Johns University. Her dissertation analyzed International Baccalaureate Primary Years teachers perceptions of dyslexia. Jennifer moved back to Austria where she now works at Johannes Kepler University, teaching English courses. Jennifer has a continued desire to advocate for access to education and currently holds several volunteer positions with global organizations. In this episode we discuss the barriers that teachers and students face in providing an inclusive language learning environment, disagreements within language learning academia, and why we need more than just content to spark learner’s interest.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER: Jennifer’s experience with the lack of actionable inclusivity for students with dyslexiaThe unfair criticism that teacher’s often faceMajor barriers in supporting students with dyslexiaThe battle between phonics and whole language learningHow the LENA Program helping strengthen early language learningWhy education should be more than learning content   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn or send her an  emailRead Jennifer’s dissertation  hereVisit the Speech Language Literacy Lab  for free resources to support speech, language, and literacy developmentCheck out jenniferpreschern.com for more information and links to free online courses about teaching all readersVisit Lena.org to learn more about the improving child outcomes through early talkLearn more about Rebel Educator, explore our professional development opportunities for educators and students, and check out our project libraryVisit us at UP Academy to learn more about our personalized and inclusive learning environmentConnect with Tanya and UP Academy on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and learn more about her journey here  MORE ABOUT THE REBEL EDUCATOR PODCAST: In each episode of the Rebel Educator podcast, I deconstruct world-class educators, students, and thought leaders in education to extract the tactics, tools, and routines that you can use as teachers and parents. Join me as we discuss how to shift the classroom, the learning environment, the mindset, and the pedagogy, to resist tradition, reignite wonder, and re-imagine the future of education. This podcast is dedicated to all of the educators who work thankless hours to make our next generation the best it can be.  It was designed to begin conversations on how we can redesign education for the future of work and the success of our students.  It is meant for teachers, students, administrators, home schoolers and anyone who interacts with and teaches youth. SHOW NOTES & LINKS: https://www.podpage.com/rebel-educator/episode33/
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