Events

Welcome to a new endeavor for ATLAS – open office hours! Join the zoom on Friday, August 28th, between 9:30-10:30am, for the inaugural virtual “ATLAS Lounge.” This first office hour is dedicated to language teaching, and Patsy will be sipping coffee, awaiting a conversation with you! (Learn more about Patsy Egan and her language experience below)

What is the ATLAS Lounge? ATLAS Lounge time is meant to be an informal, drop-in conversation with an ATLAS staff member. Each of us holds interests and expertise in different areas, and we are eager to talk about teaching and learning with you. Come to connect with others doing similar work and chat with ATLAS folks! Bring your questions, new resources, & frustrations. We’re eager to hear more about your classroom and program.

[Note: CEUs not available for these informal, drop-in events]

Patsy Egan, PhD, is the ATLAS Director. She has been involved with language teaching & learning in various ways since she began teaching English in Russia in 1994. She holds a BA in Russian, an MA in ESL, and a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction in the area of Second Languages & Cultures. After her time abroad, Patsy returned to her homebase in Nebraska and worked as the Refugee Coordinator for the Lincoln Literacy Council. After relocating to Minnesota in 1998, she taught English and composition at the U of M in the late 90’s, and she taught adult ESL in the early 2000’s at Lao Family Community Center and Metro North-Brooklyn Center. While she is enamored with all things related to ESL, her particular wheelhouse is lower levels, those who with emergent print literacy.

Fun fact: Patsy just returned from Brno, Czech Republic, where she attended the LESLLA Symposium! (www.leslla.org) This year at LESLLA, Patsy and colleague Janet Issleris (Brown University) offered a workshop on the legacy and learnings from Dr. Heide Wrigley, a beloved LESLLA colleague who passed away last December.

Fun fact #2 – Patsy was the first President of LESLLA.