The ESL Teaching Podcast

Today's episode is episode 2 of the 3 part series, which I called, “You Can't Buy Language at Walmart: 3 Essential but Overlooked Details of Teaching Language to Young Newcomers and Beyond”. In the previous episode, I talked about the stages of language acquisition and the most important aspect of learning any language, which is time. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommen...

Welcome to another episode of The ESL Teaching Podcast! In today's episode, I dive into the fascinating world of second language acquisition stages and how they impact teaching English learners. With a focus on the five stages of second language acquisition, I want to shed light on the importance of understanding this process for educators. From the cooing stage to advanced fluency, I outline...

In today's episode, I reflected on the wisdom gained and impact made in the past year, sharing valuable lessons for teachers of English learners. From the power of "less is more" in lesson planning to the importance of connecting with student families in a genuine way, I provide insights that can transform your teaching approach. Additionally, I emphasize the significance of priorit...

Being an educational consultant is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have. Through my website and podcast, I hear from so many teachers from all around the world who teach a variety of ages in a variety of places with a variety of experiences and resources. And what's even more exciting is that I get to work with some of those wonderful teachers as their coach. In today's epi...

With the new year right around the corner, we tend to reflect on the things we accomplished and what we can do to improve on the quality of our lives, both personal and professional, in the next year. So setting goals is especially popular this time of year. The hopes are high that in the coming year, we for sure will exercise more, or read more books, or do more of this or less of that. Unfortuna...

In today's episode, I want to delve into the art of cultivating comprehension through strategic questioning for English learners. Every day, I am amazed at how language intense our students' classes are. Instructions are given in lengthy paragraphs and posted in Google Classroom or any other form your school uses. Students are required to show their reasoning in writing in complete sente...

December is right around the corner, and we all know that everything seems to gain speed once Thanksgiving is over. With a few weeks left before the holiday break in December, we also want to make sure our lessons are meaningful and not just busy work. Have you ever wondered what December holidays are celebrated around the world? This question has come up for me personally and has been popping up...

As I was planning this episode out, I looked at all the things we talk about on this podcast. That is a lot! From EL newcomer teaching and all that is related to that, how to teach grammar and vocabulary, where to find materials, different teaching strategies and tips, teacher collaboration, ELs in regular education classrooms, and so many more topics. And since this podcast is for all of you invo...

A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with a student who had just arrived from Turkey that inspired a monthly newsletter to our staff about celebrations around the world for that month. In November, as we were going over the days that we will be in school and why we have a break at the end of the month, we talked about the celebration of Thanksgiving and what typically happens during that ti...

Welcome to episode 89 of The ESL Teaching Podcast! In this episode, we dive into the three Cs of EL family engagement: connection, community, and continued support. I want to share my personal experience of creating a space for parents of EL students to come together and have coffee and conversation. Through this informal setting, my partner and I discovered valuable lessons about building an incl...

Reading is always a hot topic, and teaching reading to English learners presents its own set of challenges. It has to do with grade level, with English proficiency, and other factors. So today, I wanted to share with you how I have been implementing novel study this school year with my middle schoolers in particular, and that has allowed my students to be engaged in and motivated to read. What you...

What does it take to acquire another language? In my previous episode, I used a phrase that I have heard many times, “Oh, but there's another language spoken in the home.” The statement can mean so many things and nothing at all. I want to break down what it takes to acquire another language in today's episode.  If we are to embrace the notion that teaching multilingual learners is not j...

Last week, I was talking to my colleague who was so overwhelmed by all the questions and comments coming from the regular education teachers and frankly, the unwillingness of some to pause and take the situation in for what it was. We chatted a bit and calmed down, but a part of me was still dissatisfied. Sometimes, EL teachers are spread so thin or work in isolation that all of our knowledge is i...

A while back, I recorded an episode about how I structured my middle school class, and since I work at 2 schools, middle and high school, I wanted to offer you a little glimpse into how I structure my high school classes. I have more students at the high school this year and more classes, so there's plenty of room for creativity.  Lesson planning and vocabulary instruction is something that i...

Teaching multilingual learners requires great knowledge of language acquisition theory, teaching strategies, and methodologies. At the same time, it requires empathy, cultural awareness and openness. And that said, multilingual learners are not only students of EL teachers. They are all of our students. Every teacher is a language teacher.  Sometimes when we talk to our colleagues, we might hear a...

Artificial intelligence, or AI as we call it, has taken over so many areas of our life, and teaching is no exception. I have been waiting to share my insights into what using artificial intelligence might mean for all teachers and especially those of us who work with multilingual learners, but now I think it is time.  In this episode, I will share 5 specific and effective ways you can leverage the...

Many teachers work with small groups of students and especially if you're in an elementary  setting, making a schedule for those small groups can be one of the most challenging tasks of your entire school year.  For today's episode, I have invited back my dear friend, Kristen Vibas, to chat about just that, the peculiarities of scheduling and grouping English learner students in elementa...

I frequently receive questions from my content area teachers about how to help English learners in the classroom. And those questions frankly are the same every year from how to help a newcomer to more specific activity and engagement ideas. And I was wondering if there are any different questions that EL teachers get asked.  So I posted this on Instagram and inside my Facebook group, and it appea...

The start of the new school year is typically extremely busy. There are new families registering students, students coming to their new schools, meeting their teachers and classmates. There's lots of screening, placement, scheduling, action, action, action.  Multilingual learners join our communities all the time. But somehow, the deficit mindset, which assumes they don't understand anyt...

The new school year is here. And as I'm looking ahead, I reflect about what worked and hasn't worked before and how I can encourage and empower my students even more this year.  I work with teenagers, and there are a lot of nuances in their English learning, including one very important aspect: negative self-talk. It is sad to hear when a bright student says they're not good enough...

Many teachers either are starting their school year soon, or have already been at it for a couple of weeks. And this time of year, when everything is full of fresh new energy, is a good time to go back to icebreakers.  Whether you have new students joining you or want to reconnect and have fun with the ones you already know, icebreaker activities will always make your classroom come alive.  Today&...

How do you build students' literacy and confidence from the ground up? My guest, Kyle Larson, and I talk about just that on this episode. How to help EL students with literacy, especially as they enter the US educational system in upper elementary grades or later, is an eternal question for all of us. There are so many nuances in this.  I am excited to share our conversation with you, and I k...

Part of an EL teacher's job is to advocate for their students and educate and support their peers in language acquisition theories, teaching strategies and content delivery. This is where professional development comes into play. Frequently it is up to us to plan and deliver it in such a manner that it touches the most important aspects in a short amount of time.  We've all sat in worksh...

Navigating to a new grade level and collaborating with new colleagues can be quite a challenge when it comes to being an ESL teacher. In today's episode, I chat with Sarah, who is a member of the ESL Teaching Roadmap membership. It's been a while since I talked about ESL teacher coaching, and with summertime in full swing, I know a lot of teachers have more headspace and creative flow as...

For some time now, I have been wanting to share a tool with you that has helped me navigate to the difficult times as an educator as well as to be even more empathetic in situations that seemed like they had no solution. I am talking about meditation.  If you haven't tried it, I know there are a lot of assumptions about what meditation is and why it may not be for you. I also have learned tha...