Growing With Proficiency The Podcast

Re-Release Episode 163: Silent Discussions — A Simple Strategy to Boost Interpersonal Communication in Your Language Classes

Send us Fan MailI’m re-releasing this episode today because Silent Discussions have become one of the most powerful activities in my classroom. Recently, during a formal observation, my assistant principal watched my students fully engaged in a Silent Discussion for almost 30 minutes—reading, asking questions, responding to each other, and learning from their classmates.If you’ve been looking for a strategy that truly gets students interacting in the target language, this episode is a great place to start.Have you ever felt like getting your students to really use the target language with each other is the hardest thing? You want them to share ideas, agree or disagree, and ask questions. But when the moment comes, silence takes over—or worse, they switch to English.In this episode, I sit down with my friend and incredible Spanish teacher, Chelsea Lawrence, to talk about a game-changing strategy: Silent Discussions.✨ What you’ll learn in this episode:• What Silent Discussions are and how to set them up step by step.• Why this strategy works so well to lower stress and build success in interpersonal communication.• Real classroom examples—from connecting the Panama Canal to a local tunnel, to jigsaw activities with biographies and even telescopes.• Practical scaffolds to support your students: graphic organizers, sentence starters, question stems, and even a “How do you say…?” board.• What to do after the Silent Discussion to extend the learning with gallery walks, reflections, or presentational tasks.👉 If you’re a Spanish teacher looking for resources to create great jigsaw activities plus Silent Discussions, check out the Biographies to Celebrate Hispanic Women or explore the Panoramas Culturales, where you can assign one article to each group.Listen now and discover how one big sheet of paper can transform into a powerful tool for authentic student interaction in your classroom.📬 Stay connected:GWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting ListGrowing With CI FB CommunityBlogTeacher Pay Teachers StoreWebsite: https://growingwithproficiency.com

Episode 183: Dictation + Communication: How to Make Dictation Purposefully Communicative With Keith Toda

Send a textDictation is one of those classic activities many of us use in our language classes—but sometimes it can feel repetitive or not very communicative.In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I talk with Latin teacher Keith Toda about how a simple tweak can transform dictation into a purposefully communicative activity. We discuss how dictation supports comprehensible input and how we can add curiosity and interaction to make the activity more meaningful for students.If you’re looking for a low-prep strategy that slows down your pacing, increases focus, and encourages communication in your world language classroom, this conversation will give you ideas you can try right away.Takeaways• Why dictation still supports language acquisition• How to make dictation purposefully communicative• A simple prediction twist that sparks discussion• How to mix dictation with quick personalized questions (PQA)• How dictation can prepare students for reading or video inputResources📖 Read the blog post: Dictation + Communication: How to Make Dictation Purposefully Communicative🌍 Keith Toda – Toda-lly Comprehensible Latinhttps://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com🎙️ Related EpisodesTalking Language Acquisition with Dr. Bill VanPatten (Part 2)Talking Language Acquisition with Dr. Bill VanPatten (Part 1)Beyond Exposure: Comprehensible and Meaningful Input with Dr. Florencia Henshaw (Part 1)Making Our Classroom Communication DrivenGWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting ListGrowing With CI FB CommunityBlogTeacher Pay Teachers Store

Re-Release Episode 114: Talking about Listening Comprehension in World Language Education with Marta Ruiz Yedinek

Send a textJoin host Claudia Elliott in this insightful episode of 'Growing with Proficiency, the podcast,' as she delves into the importance of listening comprehension and skills in world language education with special guest, Marta Yedinek.Discover innovative strategies and the story behind the renowned podcast 'Cuéntame,' designed to aid Spanish learners. Claudia and Marta discuss methods to prepare students before, during, and after listening activities, offering practical advice for language teachers to implement in their classrooms.Learn about Marta’s hands-on experience in adapting her podcast to meet the varying needs of her students and takeaway actionable tips to enhance your teaching approach. Don't miss out on this engaging conversation that promises to inspire and support language educators in cultivating proficient and culturally competent learners.00:00 Introduction to Growing with Proficiency01:09 Meet Your Host: Claudia Elliott01:45 Special Guest: Martha Yedinek01:50 The Importance of Listening Skills03:11 Creating the Cuéntame Podcast05:46 Strategies for Effective Listening08:05 Using Podcasts in the Classroom11:21 Practical Tips for Teachers13:16 Engaging Students with Listening Activities23:16 Reflection and Continuous Improvement30:09 Final Thoughts and ResourcesMeet our guest:Marta Ruiz Yedinak is a National Board Certified Spanish teacher, Kohl Fellow, and a WAFLT New Teacher Award recipient. She is a passionate provider of comprehensible input and a firm believer of teaching students, not curriculum. She loves sharing with other teachers by presenting at various language conferences such as ACTFL, WAFLT, CSCTFL, FLAND, MittenCI, iFLT, and CIMW, a conference that she co-directs. Marta works for the Ripon Area School District. She is the author of “La princesa y el guerrero”, published by Wayside, and the producer of ¡Cuéntame!, a podcast for Spanish acquisition.Resources mentioned in the podcast: Cuéntame Podcast List of all the episodes of Cuéntame Facebook community of CuéntameMore resources:GWP Spanish Teacher Academy Waiting ListGrowing With CI FB CommunityBlogTeacher Pay Teachers Store

Episodio 182: Comprensión auditiva en la clase de español: Estrategias y ciclo práctico para desarrollar el listening

Send a textLa comprensión auditiva es una de las habilidades más desafiantes para nuestros estudiantes… y muchas veces también para nosotros como docentes.En este episodio hablamos sobre cómo enseñar listening de manera intencional en la clase de español. Exploramos la diferencia entre el input oral que damos diariamente y un audio grabado, qué tipo de audios son más efectivos, y cómo crear un ciclo de instrucción que permita múltiples oportunidades de comprensión.Te comparto un framework práctico que incluye:Actividades antes de escuchar para activar conocimiento previo y enfocar la atención.Estrategias durante la escucha para aumentar la comprensión.Lectura posterior con echo reading y coral reading para reforzar seguridad.Espacios de reflexión y autoevaluación.La importancia de repetir el ciclo para desarrollar resistencia auditiva.Este episodio no es sobre evaluar si entendieron.Es sobre crear oportunidades estructuradas para que cada estudiante pueda entender mejor cada vez.🔗 RESOURCES🎧 Podcast Cuéntame🎙️ Episodio 180 en español sobre el ciclo de instrucción[Inserta aquí el link]🎧 Episodio 181 con Sally Barnes🎙️ Episodio 114 sobre listening en inglés con Marta Ruiz 🛍️ Teachers Pay Teachers: Panorama Cultural con Audio – Marzo 2026

Re-Release Episode 30: Low-Prep Activities and Three Pillars for High-Engagement in the World Language Class

Send a textAre you a language teacher looking for ways to engage your students?  If you’re, you’re not alone.  How to engage students is the most common question among teachers today, and that’s why I’m so excited about today's episode of Growing With Proficiency!Let's face it, even the most compelling and relevant unit won't make much of an impact if students aren't engaged with the content. So we're diving into the topic of student engagement and discussing three low-prep activities that you can incorporate into your classes tomorrow.I will share my insights and experience on how to create a more engaging classroom environment. We'll explore ways to spark student interest, keep them motivated, and create meaningful connections between the language and their lives.This episode has something for everyone. So grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage, settle in, and join me as I explore how to keep your students engaged in language learning. Tune in now to Growing With Proficiency!In this episode, we'll discuss how to engage language learners through three low-prep activities that promote student engagement.Links & ResourcesGrowing With CI FB CommunityBlogTeacher Pay Teachers StoreIG & Twitter: @claudiamelliott