Book a talk
We offer, talks, training workshops and other bespoke supports to develop inclusive linguistic and cultural strategies. Our talks focus on
- parenting bilingual children
- multilingualism and interculturalism in the workplace
- multilingualism and interculturalism in early childhood
- breaking language barriers
You can see some of our main themes below. Contact us if you would like to discuss a specific topic for a talk or workshop in your workplace, school or parents’ group. To book a talk, fill in the form below or contact soraya@mothertongues.
Topics:
Target audience: Parents / carers.
Why do some bilingual children prefer one language over the other? Is it true that bilingual children start speaking late? How can I help my child to develop two languages at the same time? How long will it take for my child to start speaking the school language? Is it too late to start speaking my mother tongue to my child?
These and other questions will be addressed in this informative talk. Parents will learn about bilingual language development and about some of the most common strategies to support their child’s linguistic development throughout childhood. Parents will also find out more about the cognitive, social and educational benefits of bilingualism across the lifespan.
Target audience: Parents/carers of children between the ages of 0 and 6.
In this talk we will discuss some of the key tips to successfully raise bilingual children, learn about methodologies to boost children’s language skills in each language, with practical examples.
This talk will address parents’ doubts, concerns and curiosities in a lively Q&A.
Target audience: parents / carers of children aged 7-10
This talk offers useful tips and techniques for cultivating cultural connections and using different languages in the home. For non-Irish families who are considering sending their child to an Irish medium school, we will touch on the ways parents can pass on a language that may not be their native language.
Target audience: any professional working with multilingual families with children aged 0 to 6 years old (home visitors, social workers, PH nurses, etc)
This session walks you through the different types of “bilingual”, what to expect at different stages of the child in terms of language development, typical phenomena and the best advice to give parents based on the latest research-based evidence. This session will address professionals’ doubts, concerns and curiosities in a lively Q&A.
Target audience: parents / carers / Also available for early childhood educators
In this talk we will discuss some of the key tips to successfully raise bilingual children,as well techniques to introduce a new language to a young child and/or keep up the mother tongue. We also discuss how children learn a second or additional language and what parents and the staff in the education setting can do to support their children in developing a new language while maintaining the one they have already developed.
Target audience: employees / managers /teams working in multilingual/multicultural environments
As the world’s multilingual population grows, we can hear more and more languages, dialects and accents in our work environment, but are we fully embracing the potential of linguistic diversity and multilingualism? In this talk we will discuss some of the most intriguing facts about how language shapes the way we think and behave and how it impacts the nature of our ever-evolving society. We will talk about some of the challenges of the multilingual workplace and we will learn about why multilingualism benefits you, your colleagues and your company.
Target audience: employees / managers /teams working in multilingual/multicultural environments
In this interactive online course, participants will learn about linguistically and culturally responsive strategies that will help them to bridge language barriers and build connections in their work. During the session, participants will get to reflect on their use of language for different purposes and they will draft a plan to address language barriers in the workplace.
About the speakers
Dr Francesca La Morgia
Dr Francesca La Morgia is a linguist with more than 10 years of experience delivering training in the area of bilingual language development and bilingual education. Francesca has an MPhil in Applied Linguistics from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in bilingual language acquisition from DCU. Francesca has lectured in this area at the University of Reading, Trinity College Dublin, Ulster University and Maynooth University. Francesca has delivered training to mainstream teachers, EAL teachers and teacher trainers in Ireland, Belgium the UK, Germany and Switzerland.
In 2019, together with Prof. Pádraig O’Duibhir and Dr Bozena Dubiel, Francesca delivered a webinar on childhood bilingualism hosted by the Teaching Council. She recently contributed to the toolkit that formed part of the Primary Language Curriculum and she produced a toolkit for using the first language in English medium instruction for Oxford University Press.
Francesca’s publications include articles in international peer-review journals and books.
Soraya Sobrevía
Soraya Sobrevía has worked in education and training for over 10 years. She is a linguist, she holds an Honours degree in English Philology from Universidad de Zaragoza, an MA in Translation Studies from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from University College Dublin. Soraya delivers talks on raising bilingual children and on supporting multilingual families. She is also the trainer and mentor in our community outreach programme, Language Explorers.
Soraya loves language and the relationship between language and identity is a passionate subject that has guided much of what she has done in her professional life. She is the mother of two daughters who are being raised multilingual.
Testimonials
Our talks 2017-2022
Microsoft
Parents at LinkedIn
