Amber Warren and Natalia Ward began collaborating, presenting and publishing about pedagogy in 2007, while completing Master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. While working as English language teachers, they co-founded an after-school Book Club for English Learners, co-developed multimodal projects to connect students’ home and school communities, and promoted students’ use of digital technologies in content-based instruction.
Their passion for professional development and supporting teachers who work with multilingual learners has resulted in nearly one-hundred presentations, and numerous publications, including a co-edited book. Today, they continue their work with aspiring and practicing teachers who support bilingual students all over the world. Every educational context is unique and requires its own solutions, specific to the skills and resources within the school community. Amber and Natalia customize each session when working with educators to address their learning goals.
Their areas of expertise include:
- Developing productive academic conversations in the classroom, including purposeful translanguaging opportunities and questioning and discussion techniques for deep learning
- Promoting meaningful use of digital tools for multimodal learning and teaching
- Improving literacy outcomes for emergent bilingual students at all stages of language acquisition including students who are dually identified for special education (e.g., word study, fluency, comprehension, writing)
- Establishing culturally and linguistically responsive approaches to tiered literacy instruction
- Supporting specific populations (students with interrupted formal schooling, newcomers, etc)
- Designing instruction to develop independent, self-driven learners
Looking for professional learning targeted to your school, team, or district? Let us create a short- or long-term learning plan for you and your team!
Credentials:
Amber Warren holds a PhD in Literacy, Language and Culture from Indiana University, Bloomington, a Master’s in the Theory and Practice of Teacher Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a B.A. in English from Shenandoah University, Virginia. She has over 2 decades of experience in teaching and teacher education and has served as a K-6 English language teacher, teacher development, and accreditation support specialist in international and US classrooms, language schools, and universities.
Natalia Ward received a PhD in Literacy Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; a Master’s in the Theory and Practice of Teacher Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a B.A. in English as a Foreign Language Education, Linguistics from Kaluga State University, Russia. She has taught English as an additional language to children, adolescents, and adults; worked with schools to deliver professional development; and designed and delivered online and in person graduate and undergraduate university courses.