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Conversations about Language Teaching

Conversations about Language Teaching

Written by: Diane Neubauer PhD & Reed Riggs PhD
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"Conversations about Language Teaching" is a podcast of unscripted discussions of language teaching, drawing on both research and classroom & online language teaching. If you like thinking deeply about issues of classroom language teaching and how those relate to research and theory, this podcast might be for you.

Reed & Diane, the hosts, base our knowledge of language teaching on research we've read & done, theoretical views of language acquisition, our experiences as language teachers and learners, and our observations of language teaching in the US and elsewhere. We like to help build bridges among teachers and researchers and view ourselves as part of both communities. We collaborate on projects & like talking about language teaching & learning, and decided to have some of those conversations in a podcast format. Here it is!

A transcripted, video version of the podcast is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@ConversationsaboutLanguage

More about Diane: https://sites.google.com/view/dianen/home
More about Reed: http://www.reedriggs.com

© 2026 Conversations about Language Teaching
Foreign Language Audiobooks Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Episode 40: Heritage Language Learners
    Jan 1 2026

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    Thank you to our guest, Dan Call, who joined us for this episode! Information about Dan's award as Pacific Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year: https://www.actfl.org/career-development/actfl-awards/teacher-of-the-year-program/hall-of-fame-2026/dan-call

    Dan's LinkedIn Profile is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-call-377256179

    Show notes:

    Funds of knowledge is a term initially created by Gloria Ladson-Billings (information here: https://www.clrn.org/how-to-use-funds-of-knowledge-in-the-classroom/) Seeing and drawing upon students' funds of knowledge is part of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. More information here: https://www.clrn.org/what-is-culturally-responsive-pedagogy/

    Tara Yosso and community cultural wealth: https://www.tarajyossophd.com/about

    Ofelia García and translanguaging -- a nice starting place is this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l1CcrRrck0

    Dr. García is a widely cited scholar. Her Google Scholar profile is here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_HJgviUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra


    Intro & outro music selected from "23 Light Years" by CavalloPazzo

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    Conversations about Language Teaching
    Diane Neubauer, PhD & Reed Riggs, PhD

    "Conversations about Language Teaching" is a podcast of unscripted discussions of language teaching, drawing on both research and classroom & online language teaching. If you like thinking deeply about issues of classroom language teaching and how those relate to research and theory, this podcast might be for you.

    Reed & Diane, the hosts, base our knowledge of language teaching on research we've read & done, theoretical views of language acquisition, our experiences as language teachers and learners, and our observations of language teaching in the US and elsewhere. We like to help build bridges among teachers and researchers and view ourselves as part of both communities. We collaborate on projects & like talking about language teaching & learning, and decided to have some of those conversations in a podcast format. Here it is!

    More about Diane: https://sites.google.com/view/dianen/home
    More about Reed: http://www.reedriggs.com

    Watch on YouTube where episodes are captioned:
    https://www.youtube.com/@ConversationsaboutLanguage

    We welcome support for the podcasting costs. See "Support" here: https://conversationsaboutlanguage.buzzsprout.com/2325378/supporters/new

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    58 mins
  • Episode 39: Target Language for Young Learners
    Dec 18 2025

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    Show Notes:

    Diane mentioned studies that have found children process language more slowly than adults. One such study is here:

    Nip, I. S. B., & Green, J. R. (2013). Increases in Cognitive and Linguistic Processing Primarily Account for Increases in Speaking Rate With Age. Child Development, 84(4), 1324–1337. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23469381

    Intro & outro music selected from "23 Light Years" by CavalloPazzo

    Support the show

    Conversations about Language Teaching
    Diane Neubauer, PhD & Reed Riggs, PhD

    "Conversations about Language Teaching" is a podcast of unscripted discussions of language teaching, drawing on both research and classroom & online language teaching. If you like thinking deeply about issues of classroom language teaching and how those relate to research and theory, this podcast might be for you.

    Reed & Diane, the hosts, base our knowledge of language teaching on research we've read & done, theoretical views of language acquisition, our experiences as language teachers and learners, and our observations of language teaching in the US and elsewhere. We like to help build bridges among teachers and researchers and view ourselves as part of both communities. We collaborate on projects & like talking about language teaching & learning, and decided to have some of those conversations in a podcast format. Here it is!

    More about Diane: https://sites.google.com/view/dianen/home
    More about Reed: http://www.reedriggs.com

    Watch on YouTube where episodes are captioned:
    https://www.youtube.com/@ConversationsaboutLanguage

    We welcome support for the podcasting costs. See "Support" here: https://conversationsaboutlanguage.buzzsprout.com/2325378/supporters/new

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Episode 38: ACTFL Teacher Awards as Professional Development
    Dec 4 2025

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    Episode 38: ACTFL Language Teacher Awards as Professional Development

    Show Notes


    Guest: Ngan-Ha Ta, PhD
    Ngan's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nganhata

    ACTFL Convention & World Languages Expo information: https://www.actfl.org/convention-and-expo

    Our previous episode with Ngan: Episode 9: Teacher Training
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2325378/episodes/15292383


    Intro & outro music selected from "23 Light Years" by CavalloPazzo

    Support the show

    Thanks for listening to Conversations about Language Teaching.

    Watch on YouTube where episodes are captioned:
    https://www.youtube.com/@ConversationsaboutLanguage

    We welcome support for the podcasting costs. See "Support" here: https://conversationsaboutlanguage.buzzsprout.com/2325378/supporters/new

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
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