2027 TALGS Keynote Speaker
Dr. Joan Lachance
Dr. Joan Lachance is an Associate Professor of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she directs the TESL graduate programs and undergraduate TESL Minor. A related proud moment is the newly added ML strand in the Curriculum & Instruction PhD program for which she will direct. Joan is the co-author of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards and the Director of the CAEP Specialized Program Association in Dual Language Education called “EMMA: Education for a Multilingual Multicultural America.â€�Â
Her research agenda and professional learning service across the nation support collaborative dual language teacher preparation and program development, cross-linguistic transfer, and authentic assessment with multilingual learners. As part of the focused workto further address the crucial, national needs related to collaboration and co-teaching for multilingual learners in the dual language context, she is a core team member of a National Professional Development Grant which will result in nearly 500 newly trained and certified dual language educators in the states of New Mexico, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Joan co-authored a book with Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld titled Collaboration and Co-Teaching for Dual Language Learners: Transforming Programs for Multilingualism and Equity and has also co-authored several book chapters and journal articles on the topic.Â
Another notable accomplishment includes Joan as the newly added co-author with Drs. Virginia Collier and Wayne Thomas for the second edition of their book titled Educating English Learners for a Transformed World (Fall 2025).Finally, Joan supports dual language education for the preservation, revitalization, and reclamation of Native American languages, most-honorably collaborating with a dual language program serving the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians [EBCI].


