July 7, 2025
Professor Paola Uccelli's visit to Brazil to teach the short course "Language Development, Comprehension, Communication, and School Performance: Promoting Reading for Learning Throughout Development" had repercussions beyond the classroom. The activity was the subject of journalist Renata Cafardo's column in Estadão and also from the most recent episode of the podcast Late Afternoon Eldorado.
In her column, Renata, who participated in the course, highlights one of the studies presented by Paola, who followed 42 families over ten years. The study shows how the way we talk to young children—listening to their ideas and encouraging exchange—directly impacts language development and can make a difference well into adolescence. Read the full column. here.
The reflection was also deepened in the podcast Late Afternoon Eldorado, hosted by the journalist herself. The episode discusses how families and schools can work to strengthen language skills from an early age, considering the latest scientific evidence. Listen to the episode here.
The mini-course was promoted by Labedu in partnership with the Harvard Office in Brazil and brought together leaders from the third sector, the press, academia and the public sector.