Growing With Proficiency The Podcast

Send us Fan Mail One Resource, One Activity, Endless Possibilities for Pre-Reading, Reading, and Post-Reading This episode is exactly what we need at this time of year! With our plates full and creativity hitting a plateau, it’s easy to feel stuck. But what if you could give your go-to activities a fresh twist without starting from scratch? That’s the focus of today’s episode! If you’re spending w...

Send us Fan Mail In this final installment of our three-part series, Elevating Intermediate Learners with Comprehensible Input, we’re tackling the questions YOU asked! From authentic resources to grammar instruction, writing support, and feedback, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you simplify and strengthen your classroom practices. Let’s remember that whatever strategy you’...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 121 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, Claudia dives into the second part of her series on intermediate learners, focusing on two major challenges: output and curriculum. Claudia shares actionable strategies on how to support student output meaningfully, reduce the overwhelm of curriculum, and keep learners motivated as they navigate this critical stage. This epis...

Send us Fan Mail ¿Te preguntas cómo ayudar a tus estudiantes de nivel intermedio a dar ese salto de comprensión y expresión en el idioma? En este episodio, exploramos estrategias efectivas para brindar el apoyo que necesitan en esta etapa crítica de su aprendizaje. Conversamos con Esther Galo, profesora de español con 15 años de experiencia enseñando AP Español Lengua y Cultura y 5 años en el Bach...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, The Podcast, we’re diving into the essentials of comprehensible input (CI) for intermediate and upper-level Spanish learners. Teaching these levels can feel overwhelming when expectations are high, proficiency levels vary, and the curriculum demands keep piling up! But, as always, no estamos solos – we’re in this together! In this first...

Send us Fan Mail After nine weeks of school, we all know our students are starting to feel tired, and listening just isn’t going as smoothly as it used to. But we also know how crucial listening is for language acquisition. That’s why I’m re-releasing one of our most popular episodes from Growing With Proficiency, The Podcast—Episode 5! In this episode, I share five simple, yet powerful strategies...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast , I sit down with the amazing AnneMarie Chase to talk about a topic that we can't avoid as educators—assessments! Together, we dive deep into the concept of low-stress assessments and how to shift the focus away from simply measuring language accuracy to building language proficiency in meaningful, stress-free ways. We...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m sharing five valuable insights from the recent Florida Foreign Language Association (FFLA) conference that can transform your language classroom. Discover practical strategies and fresh ideas to engage your students and elevate your teaching. Here’s what you can expect: Reading Strategies : Learn how to keep reading accessible while challenging students with h...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever hesitated to try something new in your classroom, convinced it would require too much work and too little control? That's exactly how I felt about using stations in my language class - until I tried it, and loved it! In this episode, I’ll share why I decided to try stations, how I set it up, and 10 ideas for different stations.  From small-group discussions to g...

Send us Fan Mail En este episodio, Claudia explora cómo las charlas del calendario van más allá de discutir el clima y la fecha.  Aprende a crear discusiones orgánicas y significativas en el idioma meta, abordando la vida de los estudiantes, eventos comunitarios y asuntos globales.  Descubre los beneficios de las charlas del calendario para fomentar la curiosidad, proporcionar input comprensible y...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Growing with Proficiency: The Podcast , I share lesson ideas for those days when you're not feeling your best, or your students seem disengaged. We've all been there—those moments when students are easily distracted, impatient, or simply not cooperating. And sometimes, as teachers, we’re the ones feeling drained. I'll talk about practical strategi...

Send us Fan Mail Join host Claudia Elliott in this insightful episode of 'Growing with Proficiency, the podcast,' as she delves into the importance of listening comprehension and skills in world language education with special guest, Marta Yedinek. Discover innovative strategies and the story behind the renowned podcast 'Cuéntame,' designed to aid Spanish learners. Claudia and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Claudia sits down with Nelly Andrade-Hughes, an outstanding Spanish teacher  and author of many comprehensible readers and educational materials for Spanish classes, to dive into the art of creating comprehensible texts for language learners. If you're looking to improve your students' engagement and comprehension, this episode is for you! Key Takeaways:...

Send us Fan Mail En este episodio de "Growing With Proficiency, The Podcast", hablamos sobre cómo apoyar a los estudiantes de herencia en clases de español regulares. Discutimos estrategias para evaluar su competencia lingüística, fomentar el orgullo cultural y adaptarnos a sus necesidades en el aula. Además, exploramos cómo utilizar contenido relevante y actividades interactivas que pro...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of "Growing With Proficiency The Podcast," we dive into five game-changing, low-prep strategies that can transform your world language classroom.  Whether you're looking to build stronger connections with your students, make reading more interactive, or boost student output with minimal prep, these ideas have you covered.  From using class passwords...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of "Growing With Proficiency The Podcast," I'm super excited to chat with two incredible language educators, Alicia Shoemaker and Ben Fisher Rodriguez. We dive into the magic of 'Aha Moments'—those lightbulb moments that bring so much joy and energy to both students and teachers. We talk about what the research says about why these moments...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we're offering an alternative to the traditional approach of classroom management. Instead of focusing on control, we'll explore how to cultivate a classroom culture that thrives on student engagement, responsibility, and collaboration. Join me as I share six practical strategies designed to help you create a positive and proactive classroom environment,...

Send us Fan Mail This is our first collaboration episode with the outstanding Dr. Liam Printer, host of the Motivated Classroom Podcast.  In this episode, we dive into the heart of language acquisition, motivation, and community-building in the classroom. We share practical strategies to inspire your students, enhance comprehensible input, and create a learning environment where every student feel...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Part 2 of our Back-to-School Series on Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast! In this throwback episode, we revisit Episode 43, "A Powerful First Day: Crafting an Engaging Back-to-School World Language Class for Success!" Why is the first day so significant? Because that initial encounter with your students sets the tone for the entire year ahead. Making...

Send us Fan Mail En este episodio de Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast , comparto cinco estrategias esenciales para establecer un manejo de clases positivo desde el primer día de clases. Descubre cómo las rutinas claras, un sistema eficaz para captar la atención de los estudiantes, reglas bien definidas, y la importancia de tomar descansos estratégicos pueden transformar tu aula. Además, explo...

Send us Fan Mail In this throwback episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, we revisit Episode 42, "Setting The Stage: Key Areas To Prepare for a Successful Year in our WL Classes." As the new academic year approaches, it's the perfect time to refresh our strategies for a smooth and successful start. Join us as we delve into the four crucial areas to focus on before your st...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered how comprehensible input-based teaching varies across different educational levels? How does it look in an elementary school compared to middle and high school? Today’s episode has the answers! In this episode, we will explore how comprehensible input-based teaching looks at different educational levels, the similarities, and also the differences.  Joining u...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is part of my celebration of the 100th episode of Growing with Proficiency, and our guest today is Haiyun Lu, a Mandarin teacher renowned for her expertise in comprehensible input (CI).  In this episode, Haiyun shares her insights on brain-based learning, practical strategies for implementing CI in language classrooms, and how backward design can work in a CI based cl...

Send us Fan Mail Are you feeling excited yet overwhelmed about shifting to comprehension-based instruction? If so, you're not alone. Understanding SLA (Second Language Acquisition) research highlights that this shift is not just an option but a necessity. So, how can we make it happen without burning out?  We dive into these questions with our amazing guests, Jason Fritze and Bertha Delgadill...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine having your students acquire 0.20 words per minute! That’s 1,200 words per 100 hours of instruction. 🤯 When Margarita Pérez-García heard from Dr. Beniko Mason that there is a Second Language Acquisition methodology that can accomplish that, she was on a mission to bring this methodology to her classroom. This methodology is “Story Listening.” What makes Story Listening di...