Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM (Hong Kong Time)
Format: Online in English
Registration: https://eduhk.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_etTah9Da64opLAW
Inter-Conversations Forum 12 “Bilingual Development in the Early Years” brings together educators, researchers, and parents from around the globe to explore the multifaceted aspects of raising and educating bilingual children. We have invited experts in different domains of bilingual education of young children to share their knowledge and experiences to empower participants with strategies and tips to nurture bilingualism in young children, ultimately contributing to their cognitive growth and cultural awareness.
Register to attend live or to be notified when the Zoom recording is available for viewing.
Biography of Moderators
Dr. Zhou Yanling
Dr Zhou Yanling has been an Assistant Professor at The Education University of Hong Kong since 2014. She has led research and teaching projects that make positive impacts in the field of bilingual language and literacy development. She holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from CUHK, an MEd in Psychology of Education from the University of Bristol, and has 23+ years of educational leadership and research experience. Her research interests include early language and literacy acquisition, Chinese and English as first and second languages, bilingualism and multilingualism, and dyslexia. She has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals and received grants for her work. She has designed and produced the educational card game Bumper Cards. She also leads the MEd program in ECE and courses on child development, pedagogy, early childhood education, language, literacy, and research methods. She is passionate about enhancing the quality of ECE in Hong Kong and beyond.
Dr. Michelle Neumann
Associate Professor Michelle M. Neumann (PhD) is an academic and researcher in the field of early childhood education, early literacy development, and digital technologies (e.g., tablets, apps, social robots) in the Faculty of Education, Southern Cross University, Australia. Michelle has over ten years of experience as a university lecturer and primary and secondary school teacher.
Biographies of Discussants
Ms. Karin Ann
Karin Ann is a native of Hong Kong who grew up in a bilingual Eurasian family. After a career in Finance and Consulting, she decided to pursue her true calling in Education, and founded the International Montessori School in 2001, pioneering the use of the multisensory Montessori approach to the learning of Chinese. IMS is now considered one of the world’s leading Montessori bilingual programs.
Karin holds Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees from Stanford University. A TEDx speaker, she has also been awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year award by the American Chamber of Commerce and the Jessica Most Successful Women Award. She currently serves on several government committees, including the Commission on Children and the Committee for the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund, and is on the Board of the Stanford Alumni Association (Hong Kong Chapter).
Ms. Chan Wing-ki, Kate
Ms. Chan has professional training in social work, family education, and early childhood education. For over ten years, she participated in academic studies regarding social work intervention and asset building among low-income families with young children in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Ms. Chan joined Sun Island in 2015 and was actively involved in front-line management, coordinated all social services, and organized home-school collaboration activities at all Sun Island kindergartens. Since 2017, Ms. Chan has coordinated the services for supporting non-Chinese speaking children and families and has established different strategies in schools to help non-Chinese speaking children learn Chinese. Ms. Chan became the School Supervisor of Sun Island in August 2021. With her rich early childhood education experience, she has led the teaching teams to optimize the school’s curriculum, actively promotes schools to serve as bridges and collaborate with families and communities to help children move from home into the community, and enrich different learning experiences for children.
Dr. Sun He
SUN He is a senior education research scientist and assistant director at the Center for Research in Child Development at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her major interests are 1) child bilingualism and eBook reading, 2) individual differences in early bilingualism/second/foreign language acquisition, and 3) harmonious bilingual experience. Her work has appeared in journals such as Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Child Development, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and has been featured by media, such as Straits Times and CNA. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Child Language and an Executive Committee Member of the International Association for the Study of Child Language.
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/He_Sun6
Dr. Low Hui Min
Associate Professor Dr. Low Hui Min (Special Education) is the Chairperson of the Special Education Program at Universiti Sains Malaysia. With over 15 years of teaching experience, her work centers on autism, inclusive education, and childhood multilingualism. She has also served as the Chairperson for the Doctor of Education and Master of Education programs. Currently, she is Research Portfolio Head at the Malaysian Association of Speech, Language, and Hearing. Dr. Low has contributed nearly 50 papers to journals such as Autism (Sage), International Journal of Inclusive Education (Taylor & Francis), and Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development (Taylor & Francis). Her research and collaborations have helped enhance practices in special education. She has been honored with awards, including the Southeast Asian Special Education Innovation Award in 2022, reflecting her commitment to supporting learners with diverse needs.
Dr. Elizabeth Barrett
Elizabeth Barrett is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education. With a passion for teaching and a commitment to student engagement, Elizabeth supports undergraduate programs in the Faculty by serving as Assistant Dean (Learning & Teaching) and Faculty Academic Advising Coordinator. Elizabeth is an instructor on programs that train speech language pathologists and early childhood educators. She teaches courses in childhood bilingualism, language and cognitive development, evidence-based practice, and interprofessional practice. Elizabeth enjoys collaborating with students and colleagues to develop interprofessional learning experiences for pre-service teachers and speech therapists, equipping them with the skills and attitudes needed to cater to the diverse needs of their future students.