Episode Summary Today, I’m sharing a simple but powerful structure—the 30–60–90 Minute Planning Framework—to help EL teachers stop the spiral of overplanning and find clarity, even during busy seasons like testing. In this episode, I am unpacking why planning often feels so heavy for teachers of multilingual learners (hint: it’s rarely about time), and how…
The Ultimate Planning Framework for ELL Teachers Read More »
Episode Summary Today I’m diving into a topic I believe is foundational to everything we do in our classrooms: listening. Communication breakdowns are often about what wasn’t fully heard. In the first part of the episode, I break down why listening is an active, intentional skill—not passive—and review Joseph DeVito’s five stages of listening.Then, in
How to Teach Listening (Not Just Speaking) to ELs Read More »
In this episode we tackle the pervasive issue of decision fatigue among educators, specifically focusing on teachers of multilingual learners (ELs). We redefine decision fatigue not as a result of being disorganized, but as a rational response to working within a system that demands constant decisions without providing sufficient structural clarity—what is called “Ambiguity disguised
When “You’re the Expert” Becomes Too Much: Decision Fatigue in EL Teaching Read More »
In this episode, we address the overlooked emotional dimension of language learning and testing, exploring why English Learners (ELs) may “freeze, shut down, or give up” during high-stakes assessments like ACCESS. When English learners freeze during a test… (or shut down, rush, or quietly give up…) isn’t a lack of preparation. It’s an emotion. ACCESS
What Testing Reveals About the Emotional Side of Language Learning Read More »
Episode Summary ACCESS season can quietly shift the energy in our classrooms—bringing urgency, pressure, and the feeling that we should be doing more. More prep. More drills. More fixing. But let’s talk about preparing ELs for ACCESS without panic. In this episode, we slow the entire conversation down. Instead of panic-driven test preparation, we focus
Episode Summary If you’re listening today and you feel like you’re constantly trying to do more—more scaffolds, more supports, more differentiation—yet still wondering if you’re doing enough for your English learners, this episode is for you. In today’s episode, I want to do something very simple and very intentional. I’m going to share: I have
One EL Strategy, One Shift: How to Support ELs Without Burning Yourself Out Read More »