#004 - Choice Boards for ESL Students: How to Use them in the Classroom

Welcome to episode 105 of The ESL Teaching Podcast. In this episode, I address three common misconceptions about teaching English learners in regular classrooms and provide practical strategies to reframe them. I discuss the importance of understanding the language acquisition process, the role of subject area teachers in language instruction, and the need for differentiated strategies for students at different proficiency levels. I also share insights on how to include English learners in lessons without spending hours of extra planning and emphasizes the power of consistent use of effective tools. Tune in to learn how to support multilingual learners in your classroom and discover your own power in reaching them.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Teachers feeling overwhelmed by teaching English learners due to pressure from programs and unfamiliar guidelines
• Importance of clear guidelines for co-teaching and managing EL teacher workload
• Highlighting that newcomers may already have concepts in their first language
• Emphasizing that every teacher is a teacher of language, regardless of subject area expertise
• Understanding the diversity in proficiency levels and educational backgrounds among English learners

Show Notes:

• Episode 105 - 3 Misconceptions About Teaching Newcomers in a Regular Classroom (and how to reframe them)

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!
• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 61 - Three tips for classroom teachers with newcomers
• Episode 97 - How to Harness the Power of Second Language Acquisition When Working with ELs
• Episode 98 - EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Proficie

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

Welcome to Episode 104 of The ESL Teaching Podcast! In this episode, I share valuable insights into how you can prepare for your ESL teacher interview. I delve into three essential tips to help you nail your interview: being prepared, being yourself, and asking questions. Through personal anecdotes and practical advice, I hope to provide guidance on how to approach the interview process with confidence and professionalism. Whether you're just starting your teaching career or seeking a new opportunity, these tips will be invaluable in securing that coveted ESL teaching position. So, tune in and get ready to ace your next teacher interview!

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Preparing for an ESL Teacher Interview
• Needing a change and looking for new opportunities
• Tips for Nailing the Interview
• Importance of mindset and self-awareness
• Gathering insight into the school and program

Show Notes:

• Episode 104 - Landing the Gig: 3 Secrets to a Successful Teacher Interview

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 57 - How to Nail Your ESL Teacher Interview Part 1 - Resume and Cover Letter

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

Guess what? It's Q & A time. I receive many emails from teachers sharing their current biggest struggles, both EL teachers and classroom educators. I read every single email, and although I don't always have the time to respond to you personally, I want you to know that I see you and I hear you. And with that, I also know that if one person is asking the question, there have to be other people wondering about the same thing as well. So today, I took six of the most burning questions, and we'll answer them in this episode. As always, we will talk about teaching newcomers, both in an EL setting and in regular education classrooms. We will touch upon why it is essential for schools to address the way ELs are serviced and revisit the language acquisition process.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• The importance of addressing questions that resonate with multiple teachers
• Struggles with teaching high school newcomers who do not speak English
• A new English teacher's struggle with teaching students of all levels in a private academy
• Emphasizes honoring the stages of language acquisition and working with students at their pace
• The challenges of limited resources and insufficient staffing in covering multiple schools
• The importance of mindset shifts and collaboration between EL and regular education teachers for tangible change

Show Notes:

• Episode 103 - Questions Answered - Developing Supportive Mindset for EL Success

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 97 - How to Harness the Power of Second Language Acquisition When Working with ELs
• Episode 98 - EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Proficiency Levels

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

Testing season is upon us, and with it, changed schedules, test practice, and new questions about how we can help our students, especially ELs, navigate this time of quite a bit of stress. Any test, whether it's a check-in quiz, a unit test, or a serious state assessment, can be a challenge to an English learner, especially one that is at a newcomer, beginner, or low intermediate proficiency level. So how do we help those students who bring with them so much knowledge yet frequently do not have an equitable way to demonstrate it? In today's episode, you'll hear why assessments can be difficult for ELs and what teachers can do to help them prepare for any test.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Timed formal assessments are challenging for ELs who need more time to process information.
• Challenges posed by multiple choice tests, including nuances of language and vocabulary.
• Importance of understanding the needs of EL students in relation to assessments
• Strategies to help EL students prepare for assessments

Show Notes:

• Episode 102 - 3 Essential Keys to Assessing English Learners

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 97 - How to Harness the Power of Second Language Acquisition When Working with ELs
• Episode 98 - EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Proficiency Levels

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

How many times have you heard this phrase, math is math, it is a universal language. Well, let me tell you, it is not. And that is exactly what today's guest, Odalis Amparo from Illustrative Mathematics, and I talk about. Odalis is a skilled educator who is highly committed to elevating the voice and supporting the achievement of students and teachers in historically marginalized communities. She's fiercely passionate about the intersection between language learning, mathematics instruction and the culturally sustaining pedagogy. Odalis is currently a professional learning specialist at Illustrative Mathematics, but has experience as an elementary classroom teacher and mathematics coach in a variety of settings. Odalis and I have a powerful conversation about why teaching math language is a must.

I personally could talk to her for hours, but we had a little bit of time and we managed to get so many meaningful and important ideas in just the short time that we had. I know you will find this conversation both very helpful and moving at the same time.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• The importance of teaching math language
• We dissect the notion that every student can in fact be a math person
• The cultural frameworks that students and teachers bring into a math classroom
• How to make math joyful and so much more

Show Notes:

• Episode 101 - Math is NOT a Universal Language and Here is Why with Odalis Amparo

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 62 - 4 Strategies for Teaching Math to ESL Students

Connect with Odalis: 

• LinkedIn

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

You're listening to the 100th episode of the ESL Teaching Podcast. Can you believe the ESL teaching podcast has been around for 100 episodes? Me neither. This occasion certainly calls for celebration, and I wanted to make it a little different than usual. Instead of interviewing another wonderful educator or giving you teaching tips, today, you will hear an interview with me! That's right. I am in the hot seat, and I am answering your questions about Ieva, the person, and Ieva, the teacher! 

What you will hear about in this episode:

• You will learn about my family and my story as an immigrant and English learner
• The silly things I can't live without and my life outside of school
• My philosophy as a teacher and educational consultant
• I will also share wonderful reviews from my listeners, and I invite you to share yours whenever you get a chance

Show Notes:

• Episode 100 - It's our 100th episode! Comments from listeners and hot seat with Simply Ieva

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 95 - Empowering Adult English Learners with Leah Mitchell
• Episode 69 - How to Engage English Learners with TPR with guest Meeghan Carter

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Connect with Allison, Podcast Manager: 

• Instagram - @allisonnitsch
• Website - allisonnitsch.com

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

This is episode 3 of the 3-part series called, “You Can't Buy Language at Walmart: 3 Essential but Overlooked Details of Teaching Language to EL Newcomers and Beyond.” In the previous episodes, I talked about the time it takes to acquire a language and about proficiency levels and why they are essential for teachers to know when working with English learners. Today, I wanted to talk about the classwork and homework our ELLs have to do, and about how we can make it more manageable and effective with a less is more when teaching EL newcomers and beginners. 

The amount of academic work is highly dependent on the student grade level and school, but I wanted to offer a few insights about what can be done to battle teacher and student overwhelm when it comes to assigning work to English learners. I will share a seemingly simple phrase, which is so elusive when we try to implement it in real life, insights into why it is important to pause and review what we're doing and ways to make classwork more targeted for ELs.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Challenges faced by English language learners in school
• Less is more approach in teaching English language learners
• Strategic instruction and quality of work for ELs
• Crafting a plan to enhance teaching strategies and create a system for effective instruction

Show Notes:

• Episode 99 - Why Less is More When Teaching EL Newcomers and Beginners

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 98 - From newcomer to experienced multilingual : a journey through proficiency levels 
• Episode 87 - What does it take to acquire a language and why all teacher should know this

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

Today's episode is episode 2 of the 3 part series, which I called, “You Can't Buy Language at Walmart: 3 Essential but Overlooked Details of Teaching Language to Young Newcomers and Beyond”. In the previous episode, I talked about the stages of language acquisition and the most important aspect of learning any language, which is time. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend going back and tuning in. Today, I wanted to take you a step further and talk about the language proficiency levels. Different states use different assessment tools to determine where on the English language learning spectrum the students are. But, nonetheless, it is crucial for all educators to know this information if we want to help our multilingual learners progress and succeed in the academic environment at school.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Different types of English learners, including newcomers and experienced multilingual learners
• Importance of understanding language proficiency levels
• Why teachers should use proficiency based scaffolds in their classroom
• Correlation between language proficiency levels and language acquisition stages

Show Notes:

• Episode 98 - EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Proficiency Levels

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 87 - What Does it Take to Acquire a Language and Why All Teacher Should Know This
• Episode 97 - How Teachers Can Harness the Power of Language Acquisition Stages When Working With ELs

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

Welcome to another episode of The ESL Teaching Podcast! In today's episode, I dive into the fascinating world of second language acquisition stages and how they impact teaching English learners. With a focus on the five stages of second language acquisition, I want to shed light on the importance of understanding this process for educators. From the cooing stage to advanced fluency, I outline the timeline and key milestones in language development, offering valuable insights for teachers working with EL students.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• First language acquisition stages
• Second language acquisition stages
• Importance of understanding where students are on the language acquisition timeline
• Strategies for teaching newcomers in the silent phase
• Adjusting lessons for students at different language proficiency levels

Show Notes:

• Episode 97 - How Teachers Can Harness the Power of Second Language Acquisition Stages when working with ELs

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• What does it take to acquire a language and why all teacher should know this - episode 87

Connect with Ieva:

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

Did you know that the ESL teaching podcast is a couple episodes away from its 100th episode? That means that I’ve been recording and you’ve been listening for two years and this calls for a celebration. Record a short message on speakpipe.com and I will air it on the 100th episode. You can find the link to speakpipe in the show notes - can’t wait to hear from you!

HERE is the link. 

In today's episode, I reflected on the wisdom gained and impact made in the past year, sharing valuable lessons for teachers of English learners. From the power of "less is more" in lesson planning to the importance of connecting with student families in a genuine way, I provide insights that can transform your teaching approach. Additionally, I emphasize the significance of prioritizing your well-being as a teacher and share my personal strategies for self-care. Join us as we delve into my reflections and impactful initiatives, and discover how these lessons can empower educators in the new year.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Importance of slowing down and reflecting on wins and struggles
• Less is more: acknowledging the tendency towards perfectionism in lesson planning
• The importance of direct and real communication with families
• Teaching as a job and not an all-consuming identity
• The 3 biggest ways Simply Ieva has made an impact for teachers

Show Notes:

• Episode 96 - Lessons Learned, Impact Made and the Wisdom to Bring Into the New Year

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• 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. 
• My TpT store

Related Episodes:

• Episode 48 - 8 Reasons Why ESL Instructional Coaching is an Integral Part of Teacher Success
• Episode 74 - Why Teachers Should Embrace Meditation as Part of Their Daily Routine

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group