Category Archives: Podcast Episodes

235: Support Students in Feeling Motivated & Confident with Martha Cox-Stavros

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What actually motivates our students? Today we explore that question through the lens of Self-Determination Theory with teacher Martha Cox-Stavros, a middle school Spanish teacher in Massachusetts. Whether this theory is brand new to you or something you’ve heard mentioned in passing, this conversation breaks it down in clear, classroom-ready ways. We dig into how competence, autonomy, and relatedness show up in real language tasks and how small, sustainable shifts can help students feel successful, motivated, and confident in your classroom.

Topics in this Episode:

  • what Self-Determination Theory is and how it applies to the language classroom. 
  • how teachers can design tasks so students consistently feel that sense of progress and success?
  • practical, manageable strategies teachers can use to give students real choice and agency without losing focus on required content
  • low-stress, high-impact ways teachers can foster relatedness and connection among students
  •  how can teachers can begin to build sustainable practices that lead to competence, autonomy, and relatedness

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234: What You Can Learn When You Reflect On Your Teaching

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When did you last speak with a colleague about what really worked in your lesson? Or reflected on what helped students communicate, not just what they covered? In this episode we look at how small, intentional habits, such as weekly reflection or purposeful collaboration, can build a shared culture of growth. You’ll walk away with actionable ideas to implement tomorrow, whether you’re working solo or surrounded by a full team.

Topics in this Episode:

  • “We don’t rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems.” -James Clear, Atomic Habits
  • Growth happens when teachers pause to reflect. Not once a year during an evaluation, but in small, consistent moments.
  • Take 10 minutes once a week to reflect on your teaching: 1.) “What helped students communicate today?” 2. )“What would I repeat? What might I tweak?” 3.) “What was challenging? Was it student specific?”
  • Collaboration doesn’t have to mean full-blown PLCs. One conversation, one shared lesson, or one observation can shift practice.
  • We grow the most when the PD we choose is relevant to our classroom realities, not trends.
  • Reflection fuels improvement; Collaboration builds confidence; PD is most powerful when it’s chosen, not just assigned.

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233: Techniques to Get Students Talking with Christina Margiore

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Do you want your students to feel more confident and eager to share their ideas in the target language? In this episode, we’ll explore strategies that help learners move beyond words and phrases and into real discourse and communication. I’m joined by Christina Margiore, a Spanish teacher in New York, who brings practical routines and low-prep techniques that create a supportive environment and spark authentic conversations. You’ll get simple ways to increase student talk time right away.

Topics in this Episode:

  • barriers or obstacles that keep students from speaking in the target language and how to support students
  • routines and strategies that create a safe, low-pressure environment for student talk?
  • technique that support hesitant students
  • designing tasks that lead to authentic, meaningful interactions
  • strategies teachers can try right away
  • Christina’s Free Chat Mats

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232: CI Activities in Practice in the Classroom, Part 2

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Last week in episode 231 I began a two-part series on using a simple story to show what CI looks like in real classroom practice. In this episode, I continue by building on the same story and walking through how CI activities help students stay engaged, deepen comprehension, and interact with the text in meaningful ways. These 2 episodes are focused on seeing CI activities in practice. 

Topics in this Episode:

  • CI Activity Episodes
  • Episode 231: CI Activities in Practice in the Classroom., Part 1
  • CI Toolbox
  • The CI Story:  “Problem in the Market”: It’s Saturday morning. Sofía’s family is at a market in Oaxaca, Mexico. There are many colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers. Sofia wants to buy mangoes. Her little brother, Diego, sees some piñatas. Diego says: “I’m going to look at the piñatas!” and walks alone. There are many people in the market. Diego looks at the piñatas and doesn’t see his family. He feels nervous and says, “Where is my mom?” A fruit seller sees Diego. She says, “Hello, are you lost?” Diego responds: “Yes… I can’t find my mother.” The saleswoman walks with Diego through the market. After a few minutes, they see Diego’s family near a tortilla stand. His mother hugs Diego. She says, “Thank you, Miss.” The family buys mangoes and tortillas, and everyone is happy.
  • Interaction and Discussion Activities
    • Picture Talk: Picture Talk uses images to drive meaning-based discussion. The teacher asks simple, open-ended questions so students describe what they see using familiar language, with the teacher providing lots of support and repetition.
    • PQA (Personalized Questions & Answers): PQA connects story language to students’ own lives through highly scaffolded, repetitive questions, helping them acquire language through personal relevance
    • Special Person Interviews: Students are interviewed using familiar structures, often taking on a role. The class listens and helps co-construct meaning.
    • Card Talk: Students draw something meaningful to them, and the class discusses it using shared, high-frequency language.
    • Weekend Chat: Weekend Chats build community and routine by talking about what students do on certain days, using simple present-tense language.
    • Calendar Talk: Calendar Talk uses the daily date and routine events to recycle language in a predictable format.
  • Reading and Writing Activities
    • One Word at a Time: Students slowly build or reconstruct a sentence word by word, focusing on meaning and structure.
    • Embedded Reading: Embedded readings move from very simple to more detailed versions of the same text, increasing comprehension and confidence.
    • Volleyball Reading: Students take turns reading and clarifying meaning, often in pairs, with a strong focus on comprehension.
    • Draw the Sentence: Students draw what a sentence says, then match it back to the text, reinforcing comprehension.
    • Running Dictation: Students move, read, and reconstruct text collaboratively,
    • Dictation with a Twist: Students hear a sentence and rewrite it with a small, controlled change, encouraging creative output within a safe structure.

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231: CI Activities in Practice in the Classroom, Part 1

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Over a series of 3 episodes we looked at a range of CI activities, and I promised I’d be back and to show exactly how they work together in practice. This is the first of 2 episodes where I’ll take a simple story and use it as a throughline to model what CI can look like in an actual classroom. Today’s focus is on setting the scene and preparing students for the story, and next week we’ll continue with what happens once the story is underway.

Topics in this Episode:

  • CI Activity Episodes
  • CI Toolbox
  • The CI Story:  “Problem in the Market”: It’s Saturday morning. Sofía’s family is at a market in Oaxaca, Mexico. There are many colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers. Sofia wants to buy mangoes. Her little brother, Diego, sees some piñatas. Diego says: “I’m going to look at the piñatas!” and walks alone. There are many people in the market. Diego looks at the piñatas and doesn’t see his family. He feels nervous and says, “Where is my mom?” A fruit seller sees Diego. She says, “Hello, are you lost?” Diego responds: “Yes… I can’t find my mother.” The saleswoman walks with Diego through the market. After a few minutes, they see Diego’s family near a tortilla stand. His mother hugs Diego. She says, “Thank you, Miss.” The family buys mangoes and tortillas, and everyone is happy.
  • Storytelling and Narrative Activities
    • Story Listening: Story Listening is teacher-led, highly comprehensible storytelling using gestures, visuals, and repetition to support listening comprehension.
    • Write and Discuss:The teacher and students co-construct a short text on the board, discussing meaning as it’s written.
    • Clip Chat:Clip Chat uses short video clips to provide visual input while the teacher narrates and asks comprehension questions.

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230: Recharge Your Educator Battery with Will Anderson

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It’s the start of new year and a chance to recharge our educator battery. Sometimes a little easier said than done, I know. In this episode, recorded at the NYSAFT Annual Conference in Albany, NY, we are going to look at ways to make sure that your teaching  spark is still alive and well. Will Andersson joins me for this insightful conversation. He is a long time language teacher and language department administrator.  He is now an Associate Dean at Hofstra University’s School of Education. Will shares practical and actionable ways to recharge our educator battery.

Topics in this Episode:

  • The State of the Profession: the biggest factors that either drain or recharge educators today
  • Sustainable Teaching: practical, everyday strategies teachers can use to sustain their energy and passion throughout the school year
  • Mentorship and Renewal:  the value of mentoring student teachers and how working with the next generation of educators can help seasoned teachers feel energized in their own practice
  • Connection and Community: the role of professional communities (colleagues, conferences, online spaces) in recharging our educator batter
  • Advice for Language Educators: how to stay connected to your “why” and keep your professional battery charged

Connect with Will Anderson:

  • Email: William.C.Anderson@hofstra.edu

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229: Sponge Activities for Any Level with Jessica Hall

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What do you do when there is a change in your schedule, like shortened class time because of a delayed opening?  What if several students need to miss class because of a school event or responsibility? This is sometimes the reality of our teaching.  We had a plan, but need to figure out in the moment how to best use the time we have. This is where sponge activities are useful. Jessica Hall, a Spanish teacher in Connecticut, joins me to talk about what we can do when we find ourselves in these situations.

Topics in this Episode:

  • what sponge activities are and why are they such an important tool for language teachers
  • how can sponge activities help teachers make sure that every minute in the classroom is purposeful and engaging
  • strategies to adjust the same sponge activity so it works for beginners as well as more advanced learners
  • how do you keep sponge activities fun and interactive while still ensuring that they support language growth
  • simple low-to-prep sponge activities you can try right away
  • PDF with all the activities that Jessica mentions in the episode

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228: 3 Engaging Narrative and Storytelling Activities

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Do you use stories in your classroom? Do you have some engaging ways for students to, well, engage with those stories? In this third episode of the CI Toolbox series, we look at storytelling and narrative-based activities that hook students through emotion, curiosity, and creativity. You’ll learn how to deliver compelling stories, co-write summaries with students, and use video clips as interactive narratives, all while keeping input comprehensible and student-centered.

Topics in this Episode:

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227: Engaging Reading Activities That Build Proficiency

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Have you noticed how a well-chosen reading can spark curiosity in your students? Reading can be one of the most engaging, communicative parts of your language class. With the right support, reading is incredibly empowering for students. In this episode, we’ll explore how pre-, during-, and post-reading activities can give your students the confidence and tools to dive into texts with purpose and curiosity. You’ll walk away with a practical framework you can use tomorrow, or even today.

Topics in this Episode:

  • Reading is more than a comprehension check—it’s a gateway to vocabulary growth, cultural exploration, and communicative opportunities.
  • 5 Key Benefits of Reading in the World Language Classroom
    • Reading Provides the Input That Drives Acquisition
    • Reading Builds Vocabulary and Grammar Naturally
    • Reading Strengthens Interpretive Skills That Transfer to All Modes
    • Reading Lowers Anxiety and Builds Confidence
    • Reading Opens the Door to Culture and Authentic Communication
  • Reading Framework
    • Pre-Reading: Set the Stage for Success
    • During Reading: Focus Their Attention
    • Post-Reading: Extend the Learning
  • Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: Engaging Reading Activities That Build Proficiency

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226: Teach Students the Skill of Listening

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Have you ever played an audio or clip for your class, only to see blank stares and puzzled expressions? It’s not that your students aren’t listening—it’s that they need tools to know how to listen. In this episode, we’ll explore three essential strategies: prediction, summarizing, and focus tasks. These make listening more intentional, more engaging, and more effective. Whether your learners are novices or advanced, these techniques will help them process language with purpose and confidence.

Topics in this Episode:

  • Listening isn’t passive, it’s active.
  • When students predict what they might hear, listen with a specific purpose, and summarize afterward, they aren’t just hearing language they’re processing it in real time. This builds comprehension, retention, and confidence, no matter the proficiency level. 
  • We are supporting the skill in ways that won’t happen in real situations, but students are learning the skill of listening in our classrooms (with our support) that they will transfer to realistic situations where they will draw on these skills and have the confidence.
  • Classroom Strategies:
    • Prediction Before Listening
    • Focus Tasks During Listening
    • Summarizing After Listening
  • Ready For Tomorrow Quick Win PD Course: Build Strong Listening Skills

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