Growing With Proficiency The Podcast

Claudia Elliott, World Language educator
  • 4.7 (87)
  • Language Learning
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Welcome to Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast!  Are you a World Language teacher who is looking for ideas, strategies, activities, and inspiration to create a World Language class where you and your students enjoy using the language to learn about the world and each other?  Do you want to transform your class into an acquisition-driven instruction space where you intentionally provide a ton of comprehensible input?  If you are, you're in the right place. Let's start this journey together. Head over to IG, and send me a DM @claudiamelliott to let me know what topics you would like me to cover in an upcoming episode.Join my free Facebook community, Growing With C. Also, check out my blog to start discovering some of these ideas and strategies at growingwithproficiency.com

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 205: New AP Spanish Language Exam Changes: What to Keep, Add, and Drop with Bethanie Carlson Drew

    Send us Fan Mail The AP Spanish Language and Culture exam is changing—and if you teach AP, you may feel like you need to change everything in your course too. But take a breath. You do not have to start from zero. In this episode, I’m joined by my friend and incredible educator Bethanie Carlson Drew, who is beginning her 33rd year in the classroom. Bethanie helps us look at the new AP Spanish Language exam format with clarity and intention. As Bethanie reminds us, approximately 80% of what we already do in a strong AP language class has not changed. Students still need to develop language proficiency, cultural competence, and the confidence to communicate. Instead of rebuilding her entire course, Bethanie is asking three questions: What should I keep? What should I increase? And what can I finally drop? ✨ In this episode, we discuss: How Bethanie uses 60–90-second mini-presentations to gradually prepare students for the new three-minute Project PresentationWhy students need explicit support to ask follow-up questions—not only answer themHow one image and only three words on a slide help students develop real presentational skillsWhy Bethanie is keeping reading, music, and culturally rich input at the center of her courseSimple ways to increase oral sharing without adding more long, formal presentationsHow to explore products, practices, and perspectives throughout the year by asking, “Why is this important?”Why culture cannot be reduced to one isolated unitHow Bethanie is simplifying the AP project materials into a manageable student notebookWhat she is dropping now that the simulated conversation and stand-alone cultural comparison are no longer part of the examWhy the beginning of the year should focus on classroom culture, confidence, and connection—not panicEven if you do not teach AP Spanish, this conversation is full of practical ideas for any language classroom. It is a powerful reminder that the activity is not the purpose—the activity serves the purpose. 📚 Resources Mentioned 👉 Read the complete blog post and show notes here. 👉 Explore Bethanie’s blog, Aventuras Nuevas. 👉 Review the AP Spanish Language and Culture Course and Exam Description. 📲 Connect with Claudia Follow me on Instagram: @claudiamelliott Learn more about Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy: growingwithproficiency.com/academy Listen, take a breath, and remember: you do not need to throw away everything that already works. Keep what supports acquisition. Increase meaningful communication. Drop what no longer serves your students.

  2. Aug 24

    Episode 204: Choral Translation and Pop-Up Grammar Without Losing Communication with Ben Fisher-Rodriguez

    Send us Fan Mail What if one simple routine could help students see, understand, and feel more confident with the language they have already experienced? In this episode, I sit down with Ben Fisher-Rodriguez to explore how Write and Discuss, choral translation, and pop-up grammar can help students make sense of the language they are hearing and reading while keeping meaningful communication at the center. Ben walks us through the process step by step: beginning with a highly comprehensible or co-created text, translating it together as a class, briefly highlighting one grammatical feature, and then returning to meaningful communication. We also discuss how choral translation can serve as a quick formative assessment, how to plan pop-up grammar when you have a grammar-heavy curriculum, and why noticing a structure does not guarantee immediate language acquisition. This episode offers practical classroom strategies for world language teachers who want to address grammar while keeping communication, comprehension, and proficiency at the center. ✨ Takeaways Why students need to understand the meaning of a text before focusing on grammatical formHow to create a highly comprehensible, personalized text through Write and DiscussA step-by-step process for introducing choral translationHow choral translation can reveal gaps in comprehension and serve as a formative assessmentHow to plan brief, student-friendly pop-up grammar without turning it into a full grammar lessonWhy noticing grammar may support students, but does not guarantee immediate acquisition or accurate productionIdeas for returning to meaningful target-language communication after the grammar “pop”📚 Resources Mentioned Choral Translation and Pop-Up Grammar: Discovering How Form Contributes to Meaning by Ben Fisher-Rodriguez Read Ben’s original articleMr. Fisher Says Explore Ben’s websiteSLAyyy: Second Language Acquisition for Everyone with Ben Fisher-Rodriguez and Bill Langley-Bostick Listen on Apple PodcastsThe Perfect Low-Prep Activity for Any Day in Our World Language Classes with Ben Fisher-Rodriguez Listen and read moreHow to Build a Sustainable Language Class with Routines Read the related blog postListen to the full episode and share it with a world language teacher who is trying to balance a grammar-focused curriculum with a more communicative, proficiency-driven classroom. And if you need more support, check this out: BlogGrowing With Proficiency on Teachers Pay TeachersJoin the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy

  3. Aug 17

    Episode 203: How to Keep Students Engaged With Stories: Confidence, Curiosity, and Comprehension With Eric Richards

    Send us Fan Mail Have you ever started a story with your students and felt like everything was going beautifully until you noticed the glazed expressions, delayed responses, and side conversations beginning? It is easy to assume the story is boring or that students simply do not care. But a drop in engagement does not necessarily mean the story failed. In this episode, I sit down with world language educator, author, and presenter Eric Richards to explore how we can use stories and reading to support language acquisition while keeping students engaged. Eric shares how he builds engagement through two essential elements: confidence and curiosity. We also discuss how to make stories more comprehensible, recognize when students’ attention is beginning to fade, and respond with quick resets instead of falling into what I call the judgment trap. This conversation is filled with practical, low-prep strategies you can use with any story, reading, proficiency level, or curriculum. ✨ Takeaways Why comprehension itself can make a story compelling for beginning learners.How confidence and curiosity help students continue listening and reading.Simple ways to add movement, drawing, personalization, and interaction.What to do when you notice student engagement beginning to drop.How to check comprehension without turning every reading into a test.Why the response students give should match the purpose of the activity.📚 Resources and Links Read the complete blog post and find all the resourcesVisit Eric Richards’ website and blogExplore Eric’s professional development and classroom resourcesJim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook, Eighth EditionJoin the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher AcademyFollow Claudia on Instagram: @claudiamelliott🎧 Listen now and discover how stories can become a vehicle for language acquisition, connection, curiosity, and cultural competence—poco a poco.

  4. Aug 10

    Episode 202: Classroom Management Through a Nervous System Lens with Hélène Colinet

    Send us Fan Mail What if challenging student behavior is not always simply a discipline problem—but sometimes a sign of overwhelm, anxiety, or disconnection? In Episode 202 of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I’m joined by French teacher and teacher educator Hélène Colinet to explore classroom management through the lens of nervous system regulation. This conversation is not about excusing behavior or removing boundaries. Instead, Hélène invites us to pause before assigning motives, consider what a behavior may be communicating, and respond in ways that protect both the student’s dignity and the learning environment. We discuss practical ways to create the conditions students need to engage and acquire language—including connection, comprehensible input, predictable routines, movement, and teacher self-regulation. Key Takeaways Observe behavior before assigning a motive.Safety and clear boundaries can coexist.Slow down and check for comprehension.Use predictable routines to reduce uncertainty.Include both brain breaks and body breaks.Address difficult behavior calmly and privately.Notice and support your own regulation.Remember that our state can influence the class.Resources Mentioned Read the companion blog postLearn more from Hélène ColinetFollow Hélène on InstagramCreating a Powerful First Day of Language ClassSave Time and Reduce Stress With Classroom RoutinesThe Science Behind the Power of StorytellingBrain Breaks, Map Talk, and StorytellingGrowing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher AcademyIf this episode gives you a different way to think about classroom behavior, share it with a teacher who may need it. Then come find me on Instagram at @claudiamelliott and tell me: What is one small practice that helps you feel more regulated during the school day?

  5. Aug 3

    Episodio 201: 4 ideas fundamentales para el regreso al aula con actividades prácticas

    Send us Fan Mail El regreso al aula viene acompañado de muchas ideas, actividades guardadas, screenshots, recursos y recomendaciones. Pero tener más actividades no siempre significa sentirnos más preparados. En este episodio de Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast en español, comparto cuatro ideas fundamentales inspiradas en las sesiones de nuestra Conferencia de Verano dentro de Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy. Más que darte una lista de actividades, quiero ayudarte a pensar en el propósito detrás de ellas para que puedas comenzar el año con mayor claridad, crear una cultura de respeto y diseñar experiencias en las que más estudiantes puedan comprender, participar y comunicarse. Hablamos de cómo establecer expectativas claras y consistentes, cómo explicarles a nuestros estudiantes el proceso de adquisición de una lengua, cómo estructurar actividades para aumentar la participación y cómo seleccionar contenido que promueva comunicación y competencia cultural. En este episodio aprenderás: Cómo definir tus expectativas no negociables antes del regreso al aula.Por qué la claridad y la consistencia son esenciales para el manejo de clase.Cómo explicarles a tus estudiantes el propósito de las actividades.Por qué la participación necesita ser diseñada y modelada.Cómo usar pausas activas, teatro interpretativo y señales de respuesta total.Cómo integrar productos, prácticas y perspectivas desde los niveles novatos.Cómo elegir actividades que puedas mantener durante todo el año.También comparto ideas de las sesiones de Meredith White, Justin Slocum Bailey, Valentina Correa, Sally Barnes, Diego Ojeda y la Dra. Bertha Delgadillo. Porque no necesitamos regresar al aula tratando de hacerlo todo. Necesitamos regresar con claridad sobre qué hacemos, por qué lo hacemos y cómo cada actividad apoya el aprendizaje de nuestros estudiantes. Recursos mencionados: Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher AcademyRecursos para el regreso al aula en mi tienda de Teachers Pay Teachers que está en oferta el 4 y 5 de agosto: Calendar TalkEstudiante EstrellaPanorama Cultural Volumen 1Panorama Cultural Volúmen 2Recursos para explicar adquisición, competencia y evaluaciónEpisodios relacionados sobre el primer día y las primeras semanas de clase: 🎧 Episodio 42, episodio 43 y episodio 45 de Growing With Proficiency The Podcast Sígueme en Instagram: @claudiamelliott Visita: GrowingWithProficiency.com

  6. Jul 27

    Episode 200: Back to School—How to Get Students Participating Without Raising the Pressure with Justin Slocum Bailey

    Send us Fan Mail We all want students to participate. We want them to raise their hands, share their ideas, react, ask questions, and bring that energy that makes a classroom feel alive. But what happens when they don’t? It is easy to assume that the activity is not working, that students are not motivated, or even that we are doing something wrong. In this special 200th episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I sit down with Justin Slocum Bailey to explore another possibility: Maybe the activity is not the problem. Maybe we need to get the stakes right. As you prepare to go back to school, this conversation will help you think more intentionally about the questions you ask, the topics you choose, and the different ways students can participate without feeling pressured or put on the spot. Justin shares how we can create participation that feels meaningful enough to be worth the effort—but safe enough for students to take the risk. ✨ Takeaways What it means when the stakes for participation are too high or too lowWhy an activity may fall flat even when it is a great activityHow information gaps and opinion questions can make communication more meaningfulWhy some personal questions may feel too risky for studentsHow to create distance from sensitive topics without removing authentic communicationSimple ways students can participate without immediately speaking in front of the classWhy grading every interaction may increase pressure instead of participationWhy curiosity is more helpful than blaming the activity, the student, or yourselfThis episode is an invitation to pause before searching for another activity and ask: Are the stakes too high, too low, or just right for my students? 📌 Resources + Links Mentioned in This Episode Learn more from Justin at Indwelling Language: indwellinglanguage.com Find more about Voces Digital here Follow me on Instagram: @claudiamelliott Explore ready-to-use back-to-school resources for Spanish teachers in my store: Growing With Proficiency on Teachers Pay Teachers Learn more about Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy: growingwithproficiency.com/academy

  7. Jul 20

    Episode 199: How to Plan the First Week of World Language Class Without Feeling Overwhelmed

    Send us Fan Mail Planning the first week of school can feel overwhelming—especially when you have a phone full of saved ideas, conference notes, activities, and resources you want to try. But a successful first week is not about doing everything. It is about choosing what will help you build the classroom you want to sustain all year. In This Episode, you will learn: Why more activities do not always create a better first weekHow to connect your first-week plans to your long-term classroom goalsWhy activities should serve a purpose—not the other way aroundHow to begin routines at a pace you can sustainWhy I do not introduce Calendar Talk, sustained reading, and every classroom routine immediatelySimple ways to connect, provide input, reset, and reflect during the first weekHow to create early success for both you and your studentsResources Mentioned Read the full blog post. Learn more about Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy: https://growingwithproficiency.com/academy The Academy is open through July 21 at 11:55 PM ET. Join us for the Academy Summer Conference on July 24 and 25, plus ongoing professional development, planning support, classroom resources, and the Creciendo curriculum. Questions about the Academy? Email support@growingwithproficiency.com Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudiamelliott/

  8. Jul 13

    Episode 198. How to Build a Sustainable Language Class with Routines That Support Language Acquisition

    Send us Fan Mail What if the reason your class feels hard to sustain is not because your activities are wrong, but because they are standing alone? In this episode of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, I’m talking about routines that support language acquisition—not classroom procedures like entering the room or turning in papers, but pedagogical routines that create the spaces our students need again and again. We’ll look at how routines can help us provide more comprehensible input, build connection, support communication, create moments for reset and regulation, and give students time to consolidate and reflect. Because a sustainable world language class is not built on one perfect activity. It is built on intentional routines that help us use the language in ways that are comprehensible, communicative, and connected. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why one great activity is not the same as a sustainable classWhat pedagogical routines are and how they support language acquisitionHow to create repeated spaces for comprehensible input, connection, communication, reset, and reflectionWhy routines need both consistency and flexibilityHow activities like free reading, Calendar Talk, Question of the Day, Star Student Interview, brain breaks, Write and Discuss, free writes, and exit tickets can become part of a sustainable classroom rhythmHow to start mapping your own weekly routine system without adding more overwhelmResources MentionedFree workshop for Spanish teachers: How to Create a Sustainable Spanish Class That Is Comprehensible, Communicative, and Connected Register here: growingwithproficiency.com/tallergratuitoJoin the waitlist for Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy growingwithproficiency.com/academyCuéntame podcast by Marta Ruiz YedinakMote Chrome Extension for recording quick listening activitiesEpisode with Dr. Bill VanPatten on the two-myths about language acquisition Episode with Chelsea Lawrence about Silent DiscussionBlog post by John Cowart about using data with free writes

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Welcome to Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast!  Are you a World Language teacher who is looking for ideas, strategies, activities, and inspiration to create a World Language class where you and your students enjoy using the language to learn about the world and each other?  Do you want to transform your class into an acquisition-driven instruction space where you intentionally provide a ton of comprehensible input?  If you are, you're in the right place. Let's start this journey together. Head over to IG, and send me a DM @claudiamelliott to let me know what topics you would like me to cover in an upcoming episode.Join my free Facebook community, Growing With C. Also, check out my blog to start discovering some of these ideas and strategies at growingwithproficiency.com

Information

  • Creator
    Claudia Elliott, World Language educator
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    238
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Growing With Proficiency The Podcast
  • Show Website
    Growing With Proficiency The Podcast