The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

Are you as wrapped up in toxic productivity as we are? Listen in and reflect on how you can set goals to lead a happy, healthy life of work and play as we head deeper into the new year. We want YOU to be our accountability partners. Click here for episode-related resources.

Holy cow, we've come a long way in 2021... Enjoy some ridiculousness and revel in our blunders at the end of this crazy year. We'll be back in 2022!

How do you keep your passion for teaching alive despite everyday challenges and points of frustration? How can you tell if your disenchantment with the craft is temporary and burnout inspired, or an indicator of a lack of fulfillment or misalignment with your future goals? Beat the end-of-term slump with us as we discuss how to reclaim our zest for teaching. Click here for episode-related resource...

How do you go about incorporating diverse voices and realities in your curriculum? What strategies do you use to ensure that diversity is represented in your classroom? Just in time for Thanksgiving, in this episode we discuss approaches to representing more than just our own perspectives and experiences in the classroom. Click here for episode-related resources.

How do you acknowledge the connection between language and power in your classroom? How do you avoid imposing cultural norms associated with learning English? How do you highlight the validity of English as it is taught and spoken across the globe? In this episode, we touch upon the intersection of race and English’s world dominance, names and identity, white saviorism, the unicorn of “standard En...

Do you find that you rely on implicit or explicit strategies more for teaching vocabulary, and what factors do you consider in deciding? What are your most trusted and creative strategies for teaching vocabulary? In this episode, we review the foundations of vocabulary learning and teaching. We'll be following up with more practical strategies and considerations! Click here for episode-related res...

What does intercultural communicative competence (ICC) mean to you? How do you teach ICC in the classroom? In this episode, we reflect on the importance of teaching culture and ICC, and we create a foundation for beginning to do so in the classroom. There is, of course, much more to say on this topic, and we promise to create more and bring some great practical tips. But for now, let's all get on...

What routines or activities do you draw on frequently? In this episode, we discuss some of our favorite routines to keep our classes effective and efficient, to maximize learning, and to maintain our own sanity. Click here for episode-related resources.

If this is your first year teaching, this episode is for you! We’ve compiled a list of top tips for new teachers. Listen, learn and reflect. For a summary of our tips, check out our episode-related resources .

What do your lesson plans usually look like? How do you lesson plan efficiently while staying creative? In this episode, we explore different philosophies of lesson planning, establish the absolute essentials, and discuss ways to both stay fresh but not let lesson-planning take over your life. Click here for episode-related resources.

What are some of your go-to strategies for building rapport on the first day or in the first week of class? How do you maintain the rapport that you've built? In this episode, we explore ways to create a collaborative and supportive classroom culture from Day 1 through the rest of the term. Click here for episode-related resources.

How have your PD preferences shifted during the pandemic? How has participating in PD through the pandemic informed your teaching? In this episode, we explore the perspectives of listeners around the world on the transition to online teaching and changes to professional development opportunities during the pandemic. Click here for episode-related resources.

Let's talk about recasts! Do you like to correct in the moment or after the fact? What kind of oral feedback do you find most effective? In this episode, we dive into some old-school second-language acquisition and break down different kinds of oral corrective feedback.  Click here for episode-related resources.

What's your philosophy when it comes to corrective feedback? What's your stance on errors? In this episode, we discuss the significance of errors and how that impacts our approach to oral feedback.  Click here for episode-related resources.

Do you plan your questions before a class? What kinds of questions do you rely on? How do you scaffold questions? In this  episode, we consider questioning techniques, types of questions and the responses they might yield.  Click here for episode-related resources.

What percentage of the time do you think you spend talking in a class, on average? How do you go about reducing your own talk time in class? In this  episode, we consider the balance between teacher talk time (TTT) and student talk time (STT), as well as strategies for increasing opportunities for STT.  Click here for episode-related resources.

How often do you stop and reflect on your own teaching? What does reflective teaching look like for you? What do you gain from it? In this episode, we seek to understand the underpinnings of reflective pedagogy and what it looks like in our classrooms.   Click here for episode-related resources.

Welcome to The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, a podcast for reflective practice for teachers of English around the world. In this pilot episode, Anna and Shey introduce themselves and the purpose of this podcast. For more information, visit teacherthinkaloud.com .