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In this episode, Min Paing Moe offers practical ways to modify listening instruction when technology, audio, and materials are limited. In specific, he shares the LTRS (listen, talk, recall, swap) strategy for listening practice in low-resource contexts. He expands on each component and provides ideas for how to modify language teaching resources to successfully incorporate listening in any teaching environment.

Resources:

(1) Practical and user-friendly digital tools for ELT teachers: https://padlet.com/minpaingmoe/elt-teacher-community-resources-fs1snhinuac000vq (feel free to add more)

(2) Teaching in low resource contexts webinar: https://youtu.be/8nGUoMn7_ro?si=7HQWeCmK11wodnTF (In this webinar, I focused on utilizing differentiated instruction in low resource classrooms.)

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In this episode of The Language Educators' Exchange, hosts Dr. Aniqa Shah and Dr. Sarah Albrecht welcome Dr. Mandy Stewart, professor at Texas Woman’s University and author of The Multilingual ELA Classroom (NCTE). Dr. Stewart shares the HEART approach to teaching for biliteracy—strategies that empower teachers to support multilingual learners even when they do not speak students’ home languages. Focusing on the “T” in HEART (teacher-created mentor texts), she offers concrete classroom examples from the U.S. and Poland that highlight how identity-affirming, multimodal mentor texts foster engagement, belonging, and biliteracy development for immigrant and refugee students. Listeners will leave with practical ideas, research-based insights, and links to open-access resources they can immediately apply in their own classrooms.

Resources:

Open Access Journal Articles that show teacher mentor texts for language learning.

• In Poland-And this gives a full explanation of the HEART approach to teaching for biliteracy
• In the US
• Forthcoming book with NCTE that shows teacher mentor texts PreK-12

Stewart, M.A. & & Abbasher, D. (2024). Supporting biliteracy in the English language arts through family partnerships: Cases of early childhood teachers and their Arabic- and Russian-speaking students. Research in the Teaching of English, 59(1), 19-46. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.58680/rte202459119

Stewart, M.A., & Genova, H. (2020). But does this work with English learners? A guide for English Language Arts teachers grades 6-12. Corwin.

Flint, P., Dollar, T. & Stewart, M.A. (2019). Hurdling over language barriers: Building relationships with adolescent newcomers through literacy advancement. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 62(5), 509-519. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.927

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In this episode, classroom teacher and teacher educator Colleen Hill shares how she helps students develop vocabulary across all content areas through the four-square template.

Episode notes:

Four-box Strategy Steps by Colleen Hill

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In this episode, we talk with bilingual specialist Gloria Sevilla about how we can better support multilingual learners with disabilities. Gloria shares how her own journey informs her work, and we discuss practical ways to bridge bilingual and special education using tools like UDL, translanguaging, and bilingual resources that give students more voice and choice.

Show notes:

Gloria's Edutopia profile with downloadable resources: https://www.edutopia.org/profile/gloria-sevilla

Book referenced by Gloria: https://www.tcpress.com/teaching-emergent-bilingual-students-with-dis/abilities-9780807768105

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How can you turn a small pull-out group into the most exciting part of the school day for English language learners? In this episode of the Language Educator’s Exchange, ELD specialist Eliana Belle shares how she transformed her newcomer sessions with gamified learning strategies. From buzzers to Kahoot! quizzes, Eliana walks us through her step-by-step process of bringing energy, engagement, and laughter into language development lessons.

Listeners will hear how trial and error led to a breakthrough, why gamification matters for language learning, and how even the simplest tools can radically shift classroom culture. Whether you’re new to gamified teaching or looking for fresh ideas to motivate your ELL students, this episode offers practical takeaways and resources you can use right away.

Resources:

- How to use Kahoot!

- Kahoot certification course

-Gamification for ELLs- Article

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In this episode, Eliana Belle, a passionate elementary school educator, shares strategies for intentional multiple exposures to content-area vocabulary in all four domains

Resources:

Strategies for Intentional Multiple Exposure for Content-area Vocabulary: Click here

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In this special anniversary episode of the Language Educator’s Exchange, hosts Dr. Aniqa Shah and Dr. Sarah Albrecht are joined by returning guest Dr. Jill Castek and first-time guest Dr. Kathy Harris for a reflective conversation on language, literacy, and education. Together, they revisit major themes from the past year—multimodal literacy, translanguaging, and community engagement—while exploring how evolving definitions of literacy and technology shape teaching practices. Drawing on decades of research and classroom experience, Jill and Kathy share personal stories, “aha” moments, and practical insights for educators. Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or just entering the field, this episode weaves together the big questions and enduring lessons that continue to shape language education today.

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In this episode, we talk with Dr. Alma Montemayor-Sándigo about bilingual teacher professional identity and the influence their professional identity can have on their students' acquisition of academic identity. Ultimately, a strong professional identity can put them in the position of becoming solvers not just of situations, but of systems.