In this episode, I talk with Carly Spina about her experience as a teacher and her book Moving Beyond for Multilingual Learners. I have followed Carly for years and have used her resources in my classes, so I know you’ll love them too.
Carly shares about her experiences growing up in a linguistically diverse neighborhood in Chicago. She went on to learn Spanish, but is quick to acknowledge that she learned a new language out of privilege, not out of necessity to learn. While she has a passion for working with elementary school students, she now works with multilingual learners and teachers from early childhood to high school. No matter the grade level, she believes she works with the best students and best families in the school.
We compare our experiences teaching in closet-like classrooms and our favorite lessons and student stories. The, we discuss the cultural change that needs to happen to change the acronyms used to refer to multi language learners, who are often reduced to letters like LEP, ELL, and ELs. These acronyms start with something the students don’t have as compared to labels like “gifted and talented” which are almost never reduced to letters.
She goes on to share her frustration around lessons that seem to treat multilingual learners as afterthoughts, only referred to in a gray box at the bottom of the lesson page. Language has to be at the forefront of every lesson plan, not a “tweak” at the end. Carly describes how she leans into student interests and get them learning and creating. So many students, she says, want to be content creators, which is the highest level of rigor and uses all 4 language domains, so why not?
What you will hear about Language and Inclusion for Multilingual Learners
- Why multilingual learners are the best in the school
- All about Carly’s Book, Moving Beyond for Multilingual Learners
- The importance of the language we use to label our students
- The need to continually reflect on our own language choices
- Ways text Engineering can support multi language learners
- Some of her favorite lessons & activities
Resources
As mentioned in the episode, I am linking some useful resources!
- 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.
- 25 Authentic Speaking Activities for Your ESL Classroom
- Simply Ieva ESL Teachers Pay Teachers Store
- Teachable Platform – Courses and Workshops
- Follow me on Instagram
- Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group
