Resources, support and advocacy to engage your bilingual learners.
Biliteracy is
an advantage.
Full stop.
(test scores be damned.)
Our bilingual learners have incredible sociocultural and economic value in how language has wired their brains, and it is imperative that they strengthen those thought modalities to become their most effective selves—for their own communities and the world.
To their teachers:
Supporting these learners in a way that complements and expands that neurological wiring is a true act of social justice. Thank you!! We need these students in our future.
Whole heartedness +
metalinguistic awareness +
cultural competence =
success for bilingual learners
Language Matters invites teachers on a journey of self-discovery to unearth and delight in the life experiences that influenced their decision to become a bilingual or ESL teacher. Too often, our pathways to certification deny us the opportunity to bring our whole, messy bilingual selves into the classroom. Es una pena inmensa.
So Lillian works at the intersection of whole-heartedness, bi and multi-cultural awareness, and structural linguistics to highlight her fundamental belief that these components are the foundation for successful outcomes with bilingual learners. In fact, many teachers already do some of this great work, albeit under the radar or without knowing why it works.
Our aim is to refine and amplify those techniques through a healing and reflexivity pedagogy—unlike most PDs on the market.
Meet Dr. Lillian Ardell
¡Hola! Estoy encantada de conocerte.
I’m a bilingual ed coach, staff developer, and biliteracy advocate with 20 years in the instructional trenches.
From living in Latin American countries in my youth, to studying Spanish language and culture in college, I spent 8 years in the Bronx as a Dual Language teacher and Biliteracy Coach before pursuing my doctorate with a focus on linguistics, pedagogy and teacher cognition.
My instructional background + thousands of qualitative research hours allow me to quickly assess an educator’s decision making, core identity markers and any blind spots. From there, I provide small, easy recommendations with big impacts.
Learn with Lillian on Linkedin
The monolingual bias and how to combat it
A new way to teach paraphrasing: The GPS Tool
Academic language and why it matters
The full download on biliteracy
Bilinguify your assessments
All workshops are offered in English and Spanish
todos los talleres se ofrecen en inglés o español
Foundational Workshops
Bilingual Ed 101
Linguistic Scaffolds 101
Translanguaging 101
Core Workshops
Biliteracy FTW
Language Ideology Reframe
Close Reading & Juicy Sentences
Hear Lillian Speak
Talks on making small, brave choices that matter and building better bilingual habits.
“Lillian inspires everyone to embrace their own bilingualism and own their bilingual story,.. her research-based strategies not only work, but they can be implemented immediately in your classroom at all levels for all teacher levels.”
Myriam, Bilingual Instructional Coach
“The content was meaningful and relevant to my work and gave me a wealth of knowledge …and I feel so confident to bring that back to my teachers. I can’t even begin to tell you the excitement and the momentum you will feel going back to your district.”
Jennifer, Director of TESOL Support, Newark Board of Education
“En cada una de las sesiones que he tenido con ella he podido crear una colección de estrategias y herramientas de enseñanza que he podido aplicar directamente al día siguiente.”
Sandra, Early literacy Coach, Oakland ISD
