Personal Site of Prof. Mila Schwartz
A Life of Learning
Mila Schwartz's story
Mila Schwartz is a Full Professor of language and education and the Head of
Research Authority at Oranim Academic College of Education (Israel). Her current
research focuses on theorizing the phenomenon of interactions between child
language-based agency, teacher agency, and parents' agency in early language
education.
Her academic distinction at the international level is based on 24 years of extensive
research and exemplary achievements in academia and at top-tier research
organizations such as the International Symposium of Bilingualism, where she held
the position of Secretary of the Steering Committee from 2015 to 2019, the European
Early Childhood Education Research Association network and Multilingual
Childhoods, where she acted as Convenor from 2019 to 2022. She is now a Convenor
of a new international network called ELLMEnet ("Future Challenges in Early
Language Learning and Multilingual Education").
She has edited seven books, recently completed editing the First Handbook of Early
Language Education, and published a monography entitled Ecological Perspectives in
Early Language Education: Parent, teacher, peer, and child agency in Interaction.
About Prof. Mila Schwartz
She received her first degree from the Pedagogical State University of Saint-Petersburg in Linguistics and Literature. She completed an MA and a PhD in the University of Haifa in Learning Disabilities and Literacy Development among Bilingual and Trilingual Children, conducted her Post-Doc studies in Ben-Gurion University, Israel (the Kreitman Foundation Fellowships), and in Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of University of Toronto.
Published Books
Current issues in bilingualism
Leikin, M., Schwartz, M. & Tobin, Y. (Eds) (2012). Current issues in bilingualism: Complex approach to multidimensional phenomenon. Series Literacy Studies, Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Successful family language policy
Schwartz, M. & Verschik, A. (2013) (Eds). Successful family language policy: Parents, children and educators in interaction. Series Multilingual Education. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Recent Books
Ecological perspectives in early language education: Parent, teacher, peer and child agency in interaction. Routledge.
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Preschool Bilingual Education
Schwartz, M. (Ed.). (2018) Preschool Bilingual Education: Agency in Interactions between Children, Teachers, and Parents. Series Multilingual Education. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Handbook of Early Language Education
Recent Publication
“Not giving up on parents and children”
Schwartz, M., Kaplan Toren, N., Dror, O., & Levi, S. (2024). Towards inclusive leadership in meeting linguistic and cultural diversity in language education policy: “Not giving up on parents and children”. International Journal of Leadership in Education.
“When I see them - I think it’s me”
Schwartz, M., & Dror, O. (2024). “When I see them - I think it’s me:” Multilingual teaching staff’s agency enactment in a linguistically and culturally diverse classroom. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching.
Professional development of preschool teachers
Schwartz, M. & Konchiki, A. (2024). The role of teachers’ funds of knowledge and identity in the linguistically and culturally diverse classroom. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education.
Guardians of the Circassian Heritage Language
Schwartz, M. & Shogen, M. (2024). Guardians of the Circassian Heritage Language: Exploring a Teacher’s Agency in the endeavour of Endangered Language Maintenance.
“Today, I do leave room for all the languages”
Schwartz, M. (in press). “Today, I do leave room for all the languages”: Teacher agency enactment during continuous professional development in the multilingual classroom. Journal of Multilingual Theory and Practice.
The role of teachers
Schwartz, M. & Konchiki, A. (2024). The role of teachers’ funds of knowledge and identity in the linguistically and culturally diverse classroom. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education.