The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

We had such a wonderful time at TESOL 2023 in Portland and enjoyed meeting new and old friends there. Like last year , we wanted to bring a small piece of the conference to you. In this video episode, Anna and Shey share their reactions to the 2023 TESOL Convention, integrating ideas from a variety of other conference attendees and friends they encountered at the conference. Listen and (re)live th...

Media literacy is an essential skill in our world today. 📰 But how can we tackle it in the English language classroom? 🎯In this episode, Anna and Shey chat about strategies they’ve used to develop learners’ critical thinking about the media—from an exploration of self-identity and personal lenses to perspective-taking exercises, role play, and analyzing biased language in headlines and on TikTok...

E 38 - Incorporating music in ELT (with Heather and Ece of English as a Singing Language) In this episode, Anna and Shey speak with Heather McNaught and Ece Ulus (of the podcast English as a Singing Language) about why teachers should consider incorporating music into language instruction. 🤗 Further listening: English as a Singing Language References & resources Sing Out Loud Word Play , Amer...

We’re back!!! In this special episode, Anna and Shey discuss and react to contributions from some of our Friends of the Podcast. Listen and join the conversation about teaching contexts around the world. 🌎🌍🌏 Many thanks to all of our friends who contributed to this episode. 🙏 On the episode: English as a Singing Language: https://singinglanguages.wixsite.com/home Sandman Stories Presents: http...

We are still (blooper) reeling from 2022... See what we did there?! 😆 Have a laugh at our expense as you ring in the New Year with our 2022 Bloopies! (Warning: This episode contains explicit language.) 💌 Subscribe to our monthly newsletter: https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/. 💞 Share an episode with a friend. 👋 Reach out with episode requests or ideas. 🙏 Donate or purchase resources or mercha...

We’ve talking about assessment design and rubrics…but what about equity in assessment? In this episode, Anna and Shey speak with Albert Shaheen about his dive into equitable assessment and grading practices. 🤗 Further listening: Listen to the first two episodes in this mini-series: E31 – The beauty of assessment E33 - Long live the rubric! References & resources Blum, Sarah (2020). “ Ungradin...

The pandemic was a challenging time not just for teachers, but also for administrators. In this episode, Shey and Anna speak with Lina Jurkunas about the challenges she faced in taking on her new role as IEP director during the pandemic and the lessons she’s learned about leadership along the way. 🦸🏼‍♀️ 💜 Friends of the Podcast! 💜 We’re working on a new, exciting episode format where we integr...

It’s not always easy to recognize #trauma in our students, since everyone responds to trauma differently. In this episode, Shey and Anna speak with guest Sherry MacKay about how to define trauma, how it might appear in our classrooms, and how teachers can be sensitive to students experiencing trauma. 💜 Friends of the Podcast! 💜 We’re working on a new, exciting episode format where we integrate t...

How do you feel about #rubrics ? 🧐 In this episode, Shey and Anna dive into why teachers should be using rubrics for objective assessment, how different kinds of rubrics serve distinct purposes, and ideas for making rubric design and implementation feel less daunting. 💜 Friends of the Podcast! 💜 We’re working on a new, exciting episode format where we integrate the voices of our listeners from...

Teaching grammar: You either love it or you hate it... 😍😡 In this episode, Shey and Anna speak with friend of the podcast, Amir Houssein Khoobru, about his relationship to grammar and geek out about communicative approaches to grammar teaching. 💜 Friends of the Podcast! 💜 We’re working on a new, exciting episode format where we integrate the voices of our listeners from around the world! 🎙️Wou...

Perhaps the title of this episode doesn’t fully correspond to your feelings about assessment; regardless, classroom assessment is something we need to face up to!  💯 In this episode, Shey and Anna unpack their relationship to assessment. Listen and learn what teachers are saying about summative and formative assessment and to review some of the key concepts of assessment. 💜 Friends of the P...

E30 - Drama in the classroom: beyond the role play (with Richard Silberg) We’ve all used role plays in class, but have we truly explored what drama can unlock for language learners? 🔓 In this episode, Shey and Anna chat with Richard Silberg about how drama has become a central part of his practice as an English language teacher and how teachers can get started using simple drama techniques. 🍂 Fa...

What are your favorite TED Talks for teaching? In in this episode, Shey and Anna go through their list of top 10 TED Talks for teaching. Listen for ideas on which talks to use and how to use them.  Intercultural Competence and Identity The Danger of a Single Story , Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  (19 mins) Don’t ask where I’m from, ask where I’m a local , Taiye Selasi  (16 mins) How lang...

Professional development can feel overwhelming! In this episode, Shey and Anna interview Ramin Yazdanpanah on his approach to PD, teacher well-being, and life. Find your center with us in this episode. 🌼  Recommended Reading: Dweck, C. S. (2022). Mindset: New Psychology Of Success . Ballantine Books. James, C. (2021). Atomic Habits . PENGUIN UK. Mercer, S., & Gregersen, T. (2020). Teache...

We're back from our summer break! Gear up for the new school year and consider weaving project-based learning into your curriculum. In this episode, Anna and Shey discuss why they love project-based learning and provide some examples of projects they and other listeners have implemented in the past. 💕  Download Shey's E-Newspaper Curriculum ⭐ ready to be used in your classroom! References &...

Teachers are amazing, carrying with them a plethora of transferable skills that others can learn from or that they can apply to different facets of life and work. In this episode, Shey and Anna share some of the takeaways their non-educator listeners have taken from the show and celebrate the incredible skills educators bring to the table. Questions for reflection: What can people learn from educa...

At some point, we've all handled conflict in our classroom---among students, between a student and the teacher... In this episode, Shey and Anna speak with guest Joe Voigts about his approach to conflict in the classroom, from handling disagreements among his Israeli and Palestinian students in Jerusalem to butting heads with his high-schoolers on the South Side of Chicago.  Listener quote:&n...

In a world overrun by social media, why not use them to make learning engaging? In this episode, Shey and Anna discuss the pros and cons of social media in the classroom and present an objectives-based framework and examples for unleashing their potential as tools for learning.  Check out our episode-related resources , our blog post on the topic, and Anna's handy-dandy resource for integrati...

Performance reviews and observations by supervisors are a common practice in the world of education, but whether they contribute to our growth as teachers depends on a multitude of factors. In this episode, Shey and Anna discuss some of their best and worst experiences with observations, and they shed light on what makes observations successful, from both the observer's and the teacher's side. Wha...

Questionable title choice...but reviewing should be fun! And, more importantly, effective. In this episode, Shey and Anna discuss some of their strategies for making reviewing engaging and beneficial. How to you make reviewing a success? Check out our episode-related resources and Anna's fun sentence combining review activity. 

Should English language teachers take it upon themselves to discuss current events in the classroom? TL;DR - Yes! But how? In this episode, Shey and Anna explore the different considerations to take into account when breaching news topics, from students' proximity to news events to media literacy to language proficiency. Check out our episode-related resources . 

We're exhilarated and exhausted after TESOL 2022! In this episode, Shey and Anna recount their key takeaways from the conference and share the thoughts and voices of other conference participants they interviewed in Pittsburgh. What ideas did you come away with? Check out our slide deck from our presentation, " The Power of Podcasting: How to Launch an ELT Podcast ." Power to the people!

Why is peer feedback important, and how can we use it to facilitate learning? In this episode, Shey and Anna discuss their experience with peer feedback and recommendations for implementing it effectively in the classroom. Check out our e pisode-related resources , and our easily adaptable peer review packet on Teachers Pay Teachers . 

In this episode, Shey and Anna review Dr. Suhanthie Motha's 2014 book, Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching: Creating Responsible and Ethical Anti-racist Practice , and discuss some of their top takeaways from the book. Click here for more episode-related resources.

In this episode, Shey and Anna chat about the benefits of their own TESOL training and the intersection of formal training and experience. Click here for episode-related resources.