INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
FOSTERING LITERATURE: CHILDHOOD, IMMIGRATION AND READERSHIP
17, 18 and 19 November 2011

The inclusion and reception of newcomer children and young adults has been a challenge for the educational community for a long time. In this context, the research Group GRETEL has been focusing on exploring the huge possibilities of literature as an instrument to integrate newly arrived children and young immigrants to the classrooms, to reconstruct their identity and their cultural representation during this process.

There are several central aspects of this debate: teaching performance in newcomers’ classrooms, the production of children's books that address this issue and provide a representation of multicultural societies, the different uses of literature in integration activities, and the children response to them, especially in the discussion and interpretation of picture books.

Thus, Group GRETEL organises an International Symposium to show research results in this field, as well as to share specific intervention tools and strategies to improve teaching and educational tasks in multicultural contexts.

Objectives:

• To present and discuss recent educational research advances on using literature in the process of integrating newly arrived immigrants, particularly on activities regarding interpretation of picture books.

• To present several analyses of children and youngster's literature contemplating migration process, which might be an example of newcomers’ integration.

• To share experiences using children and youngster's books in classrooms and non scholar contexts in order to promote the process of cultural and linguistic integration.

• To promote research on literary education in multilingual and intercultural school situations.

The Symposium fee will be 50€ (30€ for students with accreditation) including technical equipment, coffee breaks and a CD-ROM containing the Symposium folders.

The Symposium is located in Casa de Convalescència – UAB, a beautiful building which is part of the modernist Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau complex in down-town Barcelona. See more details following this url: http://www.uab-casaconvalescencia.org

Registered teachers will be certified by the Department Educació de la Generalitat de Catalunya under the Pla de Formació al Professorat.

The Department of Language, Literature and Social Sciences Education of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona will certify the authors submitting abstracts and presentations. Moreover, all registered participants will receive a document certifying their attendance.

This Symposium is sponsored by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia and is part of R&D project EDU 2008-0213/EDUC.

Keynote Speakers:

Evelyn Arizpe (University of Glasgow)

Carmen Martínez Roldán (University of Columbia, NYC)

Michèle Petit (University Paris I)

Ignasi Vila (Universitat de Girona)

Najat el Hachmi (Writer)

Gonzalo Moure (Writer)

Ana Teberosky (Universitat de Barcelona)

Scientific Committee

 Evelyn Arizpe

Teresa Colomer

Ana Maria Margallo

Michèle Petit

Neus Real

Organising Committee

Brenda Bellorín

Teresa Colomer

Mireia Manresa

Ana Maria Margallo

Neus Real

Symposium Convenor

Teresa Colomer

Ana Maria Margallo

Neus Real

Technical support

Cristina Correro

Alfons Valenzuela

Antonia Mª Carrascosa

For additional information about the Symposium please email gretel@uab.cat.