The ESL Teaching Podcast

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 impossible to share in an effective way with those who could really benefit from it. So I wanted to record a short episode that addresses the frustrations of teachers who have ELs in their general education classroom, answer some of the questions, and share the essential truths. Whether this is your first time having an English learner in your content classroom or you're more experienced, in this episode, I will share 3 essential truths that are valid anytime an English learner joins your classroom community. These truths are simple yet very powerful and will serve as your signpost whenever you feel unsure. I hope you find this episode useful.
What you will hear about in this episode:

• Frustrations and Questions About EL Students in Regular Education Classrooms
• Connection over curriculum comes first
• Knowing the proficiency level of EL students
• Ensuring assessments are appropriate for EL students

Show Notes:

• Episode 86 - Here Are Your 3 Essential Truths to Reaching ELs in General Education Classroom

Resources Mentioned:

• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join.
• Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle

Related Episodes:

• Episode 80 - Empowering English learners - an Asset Based Approach
• Episode 64 - How to pre-teach vocabulary in the regular education classroom

Connect with Ieva:

• Instagram - @simplyievaesl
• Website - www.simplyieva.com
• Join the - Simply Ieva Facebook Group

The ESL Teaching Roadmap is your one-stop shop not only for ESL curriculum materials, but most importantly, for personalized teacher support that you will not get anywhere else. If you are ready to say “yes” to more aligned EL teaching, go to www.simplyieva.com/roadmap and join us!

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 phrase, but I'm not a language teacher. I teach math, science, social studies, you name it, not English. Well, this episode is for all of you who have ever heard this phrase and all of you who have ever uttered it.

Today, I will break down why every teacher is, in fact, a language teacher, and what knowledge you already have that you can harness to reach students who are learning both English and your subject.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Importance of knowledge of language acquisition theory, teaching strategies, and methodologies
• Recognition that language is embedded in every subject area
• Overcoming discomfort as a language teacher
• Academic language and its acquisition
• Supporting students in subject area language acquisition
• Tips for teachers to get started in supporting subject area language acquisition

Show Notes:

• Episode 84 - Every Teacher is a Language Teacher: Here is Why!

Resources Mentioned:

• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join.
• Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 80 - Empowering English learners - an Asset Based Approach
• Episode 72 - Four easy ways to differentiate the same lesson

Connect with Ieva:

• Instagram - @simplyievaesl
• Website - www.simplyieva.com
• Join the - Simply Ieva Facebook Group

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 or that their English is bad and they won't participate in a conversation.

I recorded this episode around this time last year, but it is just as relevant now as it was 12 months ago. In this episode, I will share with you a simple formula for activating a more productive way of thinking as well as 10 positive affirmations that you can use in your classroom. I hope you'll find this useful, and I would love to hear what your thoughts are on them.
What you will hear about in this episode:

• The importance of addressing negative self-talk among English learners and students.
• The use of affirmations as a tool for promoting a positive mindset.
• Tips and strategies for implementing affirmations in the classroom.
• The connection between affirmations and the growth mindset concept.

Show Notes:

• Episode 79 - The Power of Affirmations for English Learners and All Students

Resources Mentioned:

• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – back to school sale 20% off monthly plan
• Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle

Connect with Ieva:

• Instagram - @simplyievaesl
• Website - www.simplyieva.com/
• Join the - Simply Ieva Facebook Group

The ESL Teaching Roadmap is your one-stop shop not only for ESL curriculum materials, but most importantly, for personalized teacher support that you will not get anywhere else. If you are ready to say “yes” to more aligned EL teaching, go to www.simplyieva.com/roadmap and join us!

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 elementary grades.

Kristen Vibas is a K-6 elementary ESOL teacher living in Northern Virginia. She's been teaching multilingual learners since 2005 in one of the country's largest school districts.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Scheduling and grouping English learner students in elementary grades
• The process of scheduling small groups and providing targeted English language development to students
• The importance of using data, such as ELP scores and assessment scores, to group students with similar language needs for effective instruction
• Grouping students with similar language needs in order to effectively target their individual language development

Show Notes:

• Episode 82 - How to Master Small Group Scheduling and Instruction with guest Kristen Vibas

Resources Mentioned:

• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join.
• Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 22 - Teaching Reading with Kristen Vibas
• Episode 80 - Empowering English learners - an Asset Based Approach
• Episode 72 - Four easy ways to differentiate the same lesson

Connect with Kristen:

• On Instagram - @awalkinthechalk

Connect with Ieva:

• Instagram - @simplyievaesl
• Website - www.simplyieva.com
• Join the - Simply Ieva Facebook Group

The ESL Teaching Roadmap is your one-stop shop not only for ESL curriculum materials, but most importantly, for personalized teacher support that you will not get anywhere else. If you are ready to say “yes” to more aligned EL teaching, go to www.simplyieva.com/roadmap and join us!

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 appears that general education teachers ask the same questions across the board. What can we do, they ask? How can we help our EL students?

So today, I compiled a few of the most recent frequently asked questions and wanted to share my answers to them. I hope that you find these helpful, especially those about first language usage in the classroom translations and how to help newcomers with reading.
What you will hear about in this episode:

• Recognizing English proficiency levels of newcomers
• Teaching without knowing the student’s first language
• Using visual aids to help the student understand words
• Speaking in concise sentences to ensure understanding
• Collaborating with EL teachers in your school

Show Notes:

• Episode 81 - Unlocking ESL Success: The Top 5 Questions Every General Ed Teacher Asks

Resources Mentioned:

• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join.
• Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session
• Essential Lesson Plan Bundle

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 5 - 4 ways to use students’ first language in teaching English
• Episode 38 - Responsive classroom and planning with ELs in mind
• Four easy ways to differentiate the same lesson

Connect with Ieva:

• Instagram - @simplyievaesl
• Website - www.simplyieva.com/
• Join the - Simply Ieva Facebook Group

The ESL Teaching Roadmap is your one-stop shop not only for ESL curriculum materials, but most importantly, for personalized teacher support that you will not get anywhere else. If you are ready to say “yes” to more aligned EL teaching, go to www.simplyieva.com/roadmap and join us!