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In this episode Dr. Leon speaks about language ideologies and how to address them in the classroom

Episode Resources:

• English Listening Lesson Library Online (ELLLO): over 3,000 free listening lessons for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. The lessons include audios or videos, vocabulary, grammar, and even practice quizzes. Wonderful resource to expose students to fluent users of English from all over the world.
• English with an Accent Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States by Rosina Lippi-Green: this book offers a very accessible discussion about language ideologies and its impact on society.
• Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners Tools for Equity by Sydney Snyder & Diane Staehr Fenner: this book offers practical resources for content instruction to ensure culturally responsive teaching that serves the unique needs of multilingual learners. It includes activities to help students explore their identities, connect with families and lots of useful information.

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In this conversation, we discussed multimodal language teaching, its relevance in the K-12 classroom, and how teachers can adapt despite curricular and technological limitations.

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In this conversation, we speak with Dr. Maria Bhattacharjee about the use of digital resources to enhance the reading experience of bilingual children and their families.

Episode Resources:

Link to the bilingual e-library: E-library

Video introduction to the e-library: Video

Aldine ISD student showcase: Showcase

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Dr. Ali Yaylali talks with us about turning misconceptions about multilingual learners into asset-based teaching approaches.

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In this episode, Sarah, one of our co-hosts, takes a deep dive into using pedagogical translation for language and literacy teaching. Pedagogical translation can be used across ages, language-learning stages, and content-area contexts, so tune in to see how you might use it in your teaching environment.

Episode Resources:

For more information on topics discussed in this episode, please see the following:

OER teacher's guide using translation in the world language classroom (these activities can be adapted for other learning environments):

Incorporating Translation in the World Language Classroom: A Teacher's Guide: https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/scolina/

Transfer of content learned in one language into another (common underlying proficiency):

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5571872/#:~:text=Cummins%20(1981)%20introduced%20the%20idea,L2%20are%20not%20separate%20abilities.

Escamilla et al.'s Así se dice translation activity:

Escamilla, K., Hopewell, S., Butvilofsky, S., Sparrow, W., Soltero-González, L., Ruiz-Figueroa, O., & Escamilla, M. (2014). Biliteracy from the start: Literacy squared in action (pp. 25-26). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing.

Preschool verbal translation activity:

Kultti, A., & Pramling, N. (2017). Translation activities in bilingual early childhood education: Children’s perspectives and teachers’ scaffolding. Multilingua, 36(6), 703-725.

Poetry translation in mixed world-heritage language Spanish class:

Albrecht, S. Pedagogical translation for reading comprehension in mixed HL‐L2 secondary classrooms. Foreign Language Annals.

Pedagogical translation as a culturally-sustaining pedagogy:

Albrecht, S., Hill, C., & Smith, K. J. (2023). Pedagogical Translation as a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Bilingual Language Environments. English in Texas, 53(2), 42-49.

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In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jennifer Dalzell about designing and implementing effective educational programs for adult language learners. Jennifer is a dynamic educator, researcher, and school leader with over 15 years of experience in leadership roles within educational and community organizations. She has also taught extensively in community colleges and adult public charter schools. Throughout her career, she has held several key leadership positions, including being a founder and manager of a bilingual teaching assistant program, professional development specialist, and director of adult education. Currently, she serves as the Chief Academic Officer at a charter school in Washington, DC, specializing in adult literacy education. During our conversation, Jennifer focuses on the unique characteristics of adult language learners and offers tips on designing learning experiences that make the learning process relevant to and effective for this group.

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In this episode, we talk with Maryam Aslam, an English as an Additional Language (EAL) teacher in Dubai. As an EAL and Inclusion Specialist, she focuses on linguistic acquisition and coordinates fast track EAL strategies for diverse learners. She supports students with dyslexia and additional learning needs, ensuring an inclusive environment that promotes engagement. Maryam has expertise in multi-sensory teaching which allows her to create differentiated lessons tailored to individual strengths.

In this discussion, Maryam shares key strategies for teaching in super diverse classrooms and for collaborating as educational teams, reminding us that, in some way, all teachers are language teachers.

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This episode features Catalina Lugo, lecturer in bilingual education with the University of Houston-Downtown in Texas. She is a former classroom teacher in Mexico and the US and a bilingual dyslexia specialist. Ms. Lugo shares multiple tips to identify and help multilingual students with dyslexia and to distinguish between students dealing with language vs. dyslexia challenges.

Episode Resources:

As mentioned in the podcast episode, the second language acquisition theories of both Stephen Krashen and Jim Cummins have been highly influential in education. The resources below are a suggested starting point for familiarizing yourself with their work:

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition.

This is an early, seminal work by Krashen on second language acquisition. Krashen published multiple additional articles building upon this work, and many others have published supporting or controverting Krashen's theories.

Cummins, J. (2008). BICS and CALP: Empirical and theoretical status of the distinction. Encyclopedia of language and education, 2(2), 71-83.

In this chapter, Cummins revisits his early work from the late 1970's on Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency and their educational implications. Like Krashen, Cummins has published extensively on this topic, as have many others in support or criticism.