On May 12, we had the pleasure of hosting a free Community Learning Day for Educators on Multilingualism, Multiliteracies, & Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices alongside Teachers College Professors: Dr. Kay James, Dr. María Paula Ghiso, Dr. Patricia Martínez-Álvarez; the Office of the Vice President for Diversity & Community Affairs; and the whole Advancing Literacy Team.
One standout moment of the day was a workshop titled, "Reading in the Brain: The Neuroscience of Reading and Multilingualism" led by Dr. Kay James, Director of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Education at Teachers College, alongside Alexandra Roman, the Director of Multilingual Learning at Teachers College Advancing Literacy. This workshop was a powerful reminder of what happens when research science meets classroom expertise in an atmosphere of collaboration. Both presenters worked seamlessly together to bridge hefty neuroscience research with practical classroom applications. Here are a few key takeaways from our time together. .
Understanding How the Brain Processes Language and Reading:
Dr. James began by sharing information about how the brain processes language and the implications for what happens in the bilingual brain (or multilingual, as the case may be) when the brain is navigating more than one language. Some notable insights include:
The human brain uses language networks, which have evolved to connect brain regions that specialize in related functions. For example, Wernicke’s area, which processes speech sounds and meanings, works alongside Broca’s area, this allows for speech production and articulation.
Language develops naturally with exposure during childhood. The human brain is primed for language development.
However, no brain network is specifically evolved for reading, which means that for people to learn to read, they must be taught.
This means that brain structures must co-opt existing neural networks to support learning to read. Put another way, reading uses parts of the brain that are designed for other things. This is a big part of why reading doesn’t develop naturally.
Because of this, language supports reading and reading in the brain builds on structures and networks that serve related functions.
.
What about Language and Reading for Multilingual Learners?
Dr. James went on to share some of the key research findings that pertain to multilingual learners. Not only were these fascinating, but the implications are powerful when it comes to teaching and learning:
fMRI studies show that bilingual speakers tend to activate the same language networks regardless of which language is being used.
This happens even with very different languages (for example, Japanese and English)
Even more interesting is the finding that additional brain activation occurs when bilingual speakers switch between languages—for example, the anterior cingulate cortex (involved in cognitive control) shows increased activation during language switching
This suggests that not only do multilingual speakers demonstrate the ability to navigate more than one language, but that they might even have some cognitive advantages, related to practice in inhibiting language systems.
Additionally, while learning to read is not a natural process, the brain handles reading in any language in basically the same way—it links visual symbols with sounds and meanings by co-opting existing brain structures.
.
What does that mean for the classroom?
If you’re like us, it’s easy to get caught up in how deeply fascinating all this is—it’s so seriously cool that we can learn all of these things from neuroscience. However, the real power of this work is in thinking about how this knowledge can help shape the way we serve the children, particularly the multilingual learners in our care. Here are some significant takeaways that Dr. Kay James and Alexandra Roman highlighted:
For all readers (both monolingual and multilingual), provide explicit support for students to build up their reading neural networks and skills. This comes from the understanding that reading does not develop on its own, but rather builds on other cognitive systems.
Centering an asset-based perspective on multilingualism is essential and is supported by neuroscience. Help students understand that multilingualism is a deeply powerful cognitive trait and center that belief in pedagogical decision making. Learn about and embrace children’s pre-existing language skills and leverage them for new language learning opportunities.
Understand that all children bring funds of knowledge based on their own lived experiences and community and cultural knowledge. Take the time to learn about and recognize all that students bring to the classroom and to centralize this knowledge in the creation of new learning experiences.
Create space for children to build metalinguistic awareness through explicit discussion about language and reading systems and how they work. Create opportunities for students to transfer existing language skills and knowledge to support literacy acquisition, including building on students’ phonemic awareness, phonics, and grammar knowledge, and highlighting similarities and differences between languages in these domains.
Adopt classroom practices that leverage students’ full linguistic repertoires, rather than suppress them, including creating space for and embracing translanguaging and for students to use all they know to think, develop ideas, and learn.
Recognize that the skills that students develop in one language can benefit literacy development in other languages.
.
Bridging Forward
One particularly powerful aspect of this workshop was its bridging function in creating a shared space where neuroscience research and classroom wisdom could inform each other. For research to truly impact learning, we need more of these bridges. It’s so powerful to have researchers, like Dr. James and Alexandra Roman, who can translate complex findings into digestible content and facilitate conversations that help form those findings into actionable insights. Moreover, it was particularly powerful to be in conversations with administrators and teachers who value professional learning opportunities that center students and value research-practice connections such as the educators who joined up for this symposium.
Most importantly, we need community—spaces where we can collectively grapple with new research and understandings and unpack the implications for practice.
What communities support your professional learning? How do you stay connected to research in your classroom or school? We’d love to hear your thoughts via our Instagram. If you’re interested in learning more about ways you can support multilingual learners in your school community, we’d love for you to join us for our Two-Day Summer Institute: Innovations in Multilingual and Bilingual Literacies on July 28-29, 2025.
About the workshop: "Reading in the Brain: The Neuroscience of Reading and Multilingualism" was facilitated by Dr. Kay James, Ph.D., and Alexandra Roman, Director of Multilingual Learning at Teachers College Advancing Literacy, as part of the TC Advancing Literacy Multilingual Symposium: Multilingualism, Multiliteracies, & Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices.