Facing a language barrier, Mary is trying to deepen her relationship with her Cantonese-speaking mom. And Sarah J. Shin, a scholar who studies bilingualism and heritage language education, speaks with Juleyka about  expanding our vocabulary through low-stakes activities, using technology to express our feelings in our parents’ first language, and modeling for future generations.

Mary Chan hosts The Podcaster's Guide to a Visible Voice.

Featured Expert: 

Sarah J. Shin is Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Shin completed her Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Michigan and joined the UMBC education faculty in 1999. She served as co-director of the TESOL graduate program from 2003 to 2016 and has established an international reputation as a scholar in bilingualism, heritage language education, and TESOL teacher preparation. She is the author of English language teaching as a second career (Multilingual Matters, 2017), Bilingualism in schools and society (Routledge, 2018), and Developing in two languages (Multilingual Matters, 2005). She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education and The International Multilingual Research Journal. Dr. Shin is the 2017-2020 UMBC Presidential Research Professor. Learn more about her work here. 

If you loved this episode, listen to Mom is Upset About Her Gift (Hint: It's Not About the Gift) and She's Opening Up to Mamí for the First Time.

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