Laura is a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in ESL & bilingual education. Her dissertation research explores how the language practices and pedagogies within dual language classrooms shape student learning. She is particularly interested in critical approaches to translanguaging and using arts-based literacy methods to better understand how or why students “invest” in the process of becoming bilingual.

Laura’s diverse pedagogical experiences include K-12 teaching in the U.S. and Chile. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she teaches undergraduate courses in educational linguistics, SLA theory, and ESL methods and supervises practicing teachers in the ESL Masters program. In the summer, she teaches for the English as a New Language (ENL) program at the University of Notre Dame.