Academic Background & Research Interests

Dr. Laura Hamman-Ortiz is an Assistant Professor of TESOL and Bilingual Education in the Feinstein College of Education at the University of Rhode Island. She has spent her career supporting multilingual learners and their teachers, first as an elementary and secondary English teacher in the U.S. and Chile and now as a teacher educator and educational researcher. Across her teaching, research, and service, she is committed to cultivating more affirming and inclusive learning spaces for multilingual learners.

Dr. Hamman-Ortiz’s research is situated at the intersection of applied linguistics and education and explores how language practices, policies, and ideologies shape learning experiences for multilingual learners. Much of her research has focused on translanguaging as critical pedagogy, particularly within dual language bilingual education (DLBE) contexts. In this work, she has advanced understandings of translanguaging pedagogy as situated, mediated, and justice oriented. She is also interested in students’ (co-)construction of bilingual identities, teacher learning and agency within accountability-driven policy contexts, and designing for equity in DLBE programs.

Personal Interests & Fun Facts

I love language learning and traveling and try to do both as often as I can. I speak Spanish fluently, have basic proficiency in Portuguese, and am working on learning Polish (the language my grandmother spoke). I am also an avid runner with the goal of running a marathon in every U.S. state.