Growing With Proficiency The Podcast

Send us a text

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’re incorporating in your class, it has to be sustainable—because you deserve strategies that work without burning out.

Episode Highlights

🌎 Authentic Resources: Are authentic resources helping or frustrating your students? Learn how to bridge the gap between cultural authenticity and comprehensible input.

📚 Grammar Instruction: Why teaching grammar for grammar’s sake is pointless. Strategies like P.A.C.E., Pop-up Grammar, and Structured Input Activities that make grammar meaningful.

✍️ Writing Support: The Breathe In/Breathe Out approach: Reading as input, writing as output. Break writing into manageable steps with scaffolds and examples.

💡 Feedback: Shift your mindset: Feedback isn’t about fixing everything—it’s about guiding growth. Strategies to help students listen to feedback while they are working on their product.

🎉 NEW SEGMENT: The Tool or Activity of the Week: Quizzizz!

This segment is sponsored by Mitten CI Language Conference! Register by December 1st to grab your early bird discount and infuse happiness into your teaching!

Resources & Links Mentioned

Free resources:

Scaffold for AP Free Responses

AP Question Guide

📖 Previous Episodes:

Episodes 60–66: Sustainable practices in the language classroom.

Episode 41: Using Structured Input Activities for grammar instruction.

🔎 Edutopia article

🌟 Mitten CI Language Conference: Register now and save: Mitten CI Conference Registration

Join the Conversation

Did this series spark ideas or questions? Share your thoughts!

📧 Email me: [email protected]

💬 DM me on Instagram

Thank you for being part of this series. Don’t forget to revisit parts 1 and 2 to explore how comprehensible input can transform your intermediate learners’ experience. ¡Sí se puede! 🎉

🎧 Spanish teacher — this is your invitation to finally experience what it's like to teach with clarity, connection, and confidence.

The 7-Day Start Experience of Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy gives you a FREE sneak peek inside the trainings, tools, and story-based curriculum that hundreds of teachers are using to transform their classes.

Get the why, the how, and the what — all in one place, with a comunidad tha

Send us a text

Welcome back to Growing With Proficiency The Podcast. We've got something special lined up for Episode 50!!! In this episode, we've got Bertha Delgadillo, Spanish teacher and 2022 TOY for the state of Georgia.
Today Bertha is sharing with us all about Hexagonal Thinking in the World Language class. But, what is Hexagonal Thinking? It ́s a great strategy borrowed from the business world and often seen in English Language Arts classes where students get to make different connections among topics or ideas.
And, guess what? You can tweak and adjust it to fit our World Language class, no matter the level.
Bertha has used Hexagonal Thinking not only as a formative assessment with PQAs (and if you want to know more about PQAs check out Episode 48) but also as a formative assessment. Whether you're exploring a novel, a movie, a story, a topic, or even a song, Bertha's strategies will help your students connect the dots like never before.
In this chat, Bertha breaks it all down, giving you the lowdown on what Hexagonal Thinking is and, more importantly, how you can put it into action. No jargon, just practical tips and insights you can use right away.
By the end of this episode, you'll be ready to bring this innovative strategy into your classroom, no matter your language or your students' proficiency level. And if you need more, check out the links below to get into Bertha’s upcoming online course all about Hexagonal thinking.
So, if you're ready, click right here to listen and learn how Hexagonal Thinking can transform your language class. Tune in now and grow with proficiency!

Links & Resources

Hexagonal Thinking Online Course by Bertha Delgadillo

Hexagonal Thinking PQAs Template Free

Bertha Delgadillo’s Blog

Growing With Proficiency Blog

FB Community Growing With CI

Connect with me on IG

TPT Store

🎧 Spanish teacher — this is your invitation to finally experience what it's like to teach with clarity, connection, and confidence.

The 7-Day Start Experience of Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy gives you a FREE sneak peek inside the trainings, tools, and story-based curriculum that hundreds of teachers are using to transform their classes.

Get the why, the how, and the what — all in one place, with a comunidad tha

Send us a text

In this episode of Growing with Proficiency, we welcome back Dr. Karen Lichtman for a great conversation on TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling).

Dr. Karen Lichtman, an expert in the field and the author of the book Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS), explains the three core steps of TPRS: establishing meaning, asking a story, and reading. She highlights the importance of co-constructing stories with students to make language learning both engaging and effective.

Listeners will learn about the power of questioning, and the benefits but also the limitations of "circling," to reinforce language structures and ensure comprehension. Claudia and Karen discuss the benefits of either/or questions in reducing student anxiety and increasing engagement.

The conversation also touches on strategies for integrating grammar into TPRS, with a brief exploration of TPRS 2.0. Claudia shares her experiences with pop-up grammar and co-writing stories, emphasizing the natural curiosity and learning that emerge during these activities.

Throughout the episode, the importance of cultural integration in language teaching is underscored. Claudia and Karen discuss how incorporating cultural content and real-life narratives can enrich the learning experience and make it more relevant for students.

Finally, the episode wraps up with practical tips on lesson planning and maintaining a balanced approach in language classes. Claudia and Karen agree that mixing various strategies, such as special person interviews and calendar talks, can create a dynamic and effective learning environment.

Join Claudia and Dr. Karen Lichtman for this episode, packed with valuable takeaways for language teachers seeking to enhance their practice with TPRS.

Key Points:

• Introduction to TPRS and its principles
• Importance of comprehensible input and communication in language teaching
• Techniques for effective questioning and student engagement
• Strategies for integrating grammar into TPRS
• The role of cultural content in enriching language education
• Practical tips for lesson planning and creating a balanced curriculum

Resources:

Our guest: Dr. Karen Lichtman https://www.karenlichtman.com/

Episode 38 with Dr. Karen Lichtman

🏫 Join our waitlist for Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy

👩🏽‍💻 Our Blog: Growing With Proficiency

📲 Join our free FB Community: Growing With CI

📳 Follow us on social media for updates and morse support: IG @claudiamelliott and FB @claudiamelliott

🖇️

🎧 Spanish teacher — this is your invitation to finally experience what it's like to teach with clarity, connection, and confidence.

The 7-Day Start Experience of Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy gives you a FREE sneak peek inside the trainings, tools, and story-based curriculum that hundreds of teachers are using to transform their classes.

Get the why, the how, and the what — all in one place, with a comunidad tha

Send us a text

In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I’m joined by three brilliant educators—Donna Tatum-Johns, Justin Slocum Bailey, and Erika Peplinski-Burge—for a real, honest, and insightful conversation straight from the heart of CI Mitten.

Together, we answer 6 of the most common questions world language teachers ask, like:
🎯 How can I get my upper-level students to actually speak in class?
🧠 How do I juggle multiple preps without burning out?
🎭 What if I’m tired of feeling like a performer?
🧩 How do I support neurodiverse learners in a CI classroom?
🤝 What if my department isn’t on board with CI?
🌍 How can we advocate for our programs when cuts are everywhere?

You'll leave with tangible strategies, mindset shifts, and a deep reminder that you’re not alone in this work. 💛

Whether you’re new to CI or a seasoned teacher, this episode is packed with inspiration, practical ideas, and lots of love for our community.

Resources:

GWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting List

Growing With CI FB Community

Blog post

IG

TPT Store

🎧 Spanish teacher — this is your invitation to finally experience what it's like to teach with clarity, connection, and confidence.

The 7-Day Start Experience of Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy gives you a FREE sneak peek inside the trainings, tools, and story-based curriculum that hundreds of teachers are using to transform their classes.

Get the why, the how, and the what — all in one place, with a comunidad tha

Send us a text

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 feels empowered. Regardless of your context of teaching, this episode offers valuable insights into how motivation and acquisition are connected.
Check out the main highlights of this conversation.
-Understanding Context in Language Teaching: Liam and Claudia discuss the importance of contextually appropriate pedagogies and how these principles can be applied in various teaching environments.
- Navigating Upper-Level Language Classes: Strategies for maintaining high levels of comprehension and motivation in upper-level courses, including the integration of authentic resources.
- Building Community and Connections: How getting to know your students on a personal level can transform classroom dynamics and enhance learning outcomes.
- Practical Activities for Engaging Students: Dr. Liam Printer and Claudia share engaging classroom activities like the “Know your classmates”, "Off-Topic Challenge" and the "Mentira" game to keep students motivated and involved.
Dr. Liam Printer
Dr. Liam Printer hosts The Motivated Classroom podcast and is currently an Instructional Coach at the International School of Lausanne in Switzerland, where he works with teachers to improve their practice. Prior to this role, Liam was the Leader of Pedagogical Innovation and Approaches to Learning at the school. Liam has been a teacher of additional languages for the past 17 years. He currently teaches Spanish and English in the middle and high school as part of the International Baccalaureate. His Motivated Classroom podcast was listed in the Top 5% of all downloaded podcasts worldwide in 2022 with over 400,000 listens to date. His Doctorate in Education focussed on motivation and teaching languages through storytelling and his research has been published in various peer reviewed journals and it has been cited over 30 times in the past 3 years in other academic research. Liam also holds a Masters in French, a Postgraduate Diploma in teaching of modern languages, a Bachelor's degree in Business and languages, and he is currently working on a Masters in Applied Linguistics and Teaching of English. His book with Oxford Hachette publishing, on motivation and language teaching, will be published in 2025. Liam has been invited as the Keynote speaker at more than 10 international language teaching conferences and he continues to work with a wide range of schools and districts around the world on raising motivation in the language classroom. If you'd like to learn directly from Liam, check out his upcoming online workshops on his website www.liamprinter.com.
Links and resources!

Comprehensible and Communicative Language Education: Free Teacher Guide

🎧 Spanish teacher — this is your invitation to finally experience what it's like to teach with clarity, connection, and confidence.

The 7-Day Start Experience of Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy gives you a FREE sneak peek inside the trainings, tools, and story-based curriculum that hundreds of teachers are using to transform their classes.

Get the why, the how, and the what — all in one place, with a comunidad tha