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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
216 Episodes
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Send us Fan Mail SCOLT is definitely one of my favorite conferences, and 2023 was a highlight. That is why I decided to re-release this and because you can get amazing activities you can do tomorrow in your class. Are you feeling bored and uninspired in your own language classroom? I'm not talking about your students, I'm talking about you. The truth is, we all need new ideas and fresh perspectives to keep us engaged and motivated in our teaching practice. That's why I love attend...
Send us Fan Mail Interpersonal communication can feel like one of the hardest modes to teach. You plan the activity, set expectations… and then students give one-word answers, switch to their common language, or disengage altogether. But what if the problem isn’t your activity? In this second part of my conversation with Chelsea Lawrence, we build on our previous conversation in episode 163 and take a deeper look at what actually makes interpersonal communication work—especially through silen...
Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt like you are doing everything, you’re running out of energy, and somehow, it still doesn’t feel like enough? In this episode of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, I sit down with Meredith White, Bethanie Drew, and Maris Hawkins to have a real and honest conversation about something we don’t talk about enough: How do we decide what to stop caring about as teachers? Because the truth is… we cannot do it all. And trying to do it all is what leads to b...
Send us Fan Mail I’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...
Send us Fan Mail Dictation 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 stu...
Send us Fan Mail Join 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 ...
Send us Fan Mail La 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 frame...
Send us Fan Mail Are 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 ...
Send us Fan Mail What if every student in your world language classroom was actively engaged, supported, and confident in using the target language? In this practical and inspiring conversation, Sally Barnes shares the powerful framework behind the 7 Steps to a Language-Rich, Interactive World Language Classroom. Rooted in research on comprehensible input, student engagement, and low-stress output, Sally offers clear routines and strategies that work across levels, languages, and curricula—so...
Send us Fan Mail Nothing works if our students aren't truly listening, and I mean truly listening. Do you have that one class that pushes all your buttons? The chatty class where students talk over you, chat in English, and seem to tune out no matter what you try? I listened to this original episode again last week while dealing with my own challenging class, and it reminded me why this message matters so much. Here's the truth: We design compelling input, stay in the target language, and pla...
Send us Fan Mail Planear clases no debería sentirse agotador. Muchas veces el problema no es la falta de ideas, sino no tener una estructura clara que podamos repetir. En este episodio comparto un ciclo de instrucción del input al output que puedes usar con cualquier texto, tema o nivel. Un ciclo que te permite dejar de improvisar todos los días y empezar a enseñar con más intención. Hablo de: qué necesitan tus estudiantes para entender un tema o textoqué lengua y qué conocimiento previo nece...
Send us Fan Mail Why do some stories immediately capture students’ attention—while others lose them halfway through? In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, I sit down with Erica Peplinsky-Burge to explore what the brain tells us about storytelling, attention, and student engagement in the world language classroom. This conversation goes beyond “telling better stories.” We unpack why storytelling works, how the brain processes language through narrative, and what teachers can do to keep ...
Send us Fan Mail So many teachers ask the same questions: "How do you assess in a proficiency-driven classroom?" "How do you grade without overwhelming students—or yourself?" And, "How do you keep assessment sustainable?" That’s why this episode is worth revisiting. In this re-released episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I sit down with AnneMarie Chase to talk about low-stress assessments and how we can shift assessment away from “gotcha” moments and toward meaningful, acquisiti...
Send us Fan Mail Interpersonal communication is what our students want most… and what many of us struggle to make happen without it turning into their common language in 10 seconds 😅 In this re-released episode, I’m joined by a friend and outstanding educator and curriculum designer Bethanie Drew to break down five repeatable, low-prep interpersonal activities that build community and keep students supported enough to stay in the target language. We talk about: Fast Five interviews (quick, st...
Send us Fan Mail (Why one-size-fits-all lessons don’t work—and what to do instead) In this episode, I focus on what I consider the heart of acquisition-driven instruction: adjusting and personalizing what we do in class so all students can stay engaged, successful, and confident—without creating multiple lesson plans. If your classes include a wide range of proficiency levels, literacy skills, heritage learners, or students who “should know this already”… this conversation is for you. Buildin...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Growing With Proficiency, we continue the series on how to build foundational skills for language acquisition in intentional 5-minute blocks. This episode focuses on one powerful — and often underestimated — skill: asking better questions. We know questions are essential for staying in the target language, checking comprehension, and personalizing instruction. But when questions feel too complex or unsafe, students shut down. When we stay too long in low-le...
Send us Fan Mail En este episodio de Growing With Proficiency, hablo de tres habilidades esenciales para la adquisición de la lengua que sostienen nuestras clases comunicativas: maximizar el uso de la lengua meta, hacer preguntas que apoyen la comprensión y muevan la conservación y ajustar y personalizar el contenido. Pero, ¿cómo podemos cultivar estas habilidades sin que creemos una mayor carga de trabajo y mayores niveles de estrés? En bloques de cinco minutos. Por eso, en este episod...
Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year, profe 🎉 If you’re setting classroom goals for 2026—this episode is for you. So many language teachers want the same thing: use more target language, keep students engaged, and support acquisition… but “90% in the TL” can feel overwhelming. In this first episode of a 3-part mini-series, I’m sharing a more realistic approach: think in 5-minute moments. Because five minutes is doable—and when you repeat it, it adds up. Inspired by my conversation in Episode 158 w...
Send us Fan Mail Do you spend too much time lesson planning, searching for files, or managing your inbox—and still feel like you’re always behind? In this re-released episode of Growing With Proficiency, I’m joined by Lisa McCart to talk about how systems and organization can help teachers reclaim their time without adding more stress. Teachers spend hours every week redoing lessons, digging through Google Drive (or its equivalent), and trying to stay on top of email. Yet when we hear phrases...
Send us Fan Mail As the school year wraps up, there’s no better time to reflect—not just on what we think worked, but on how students experienced our class. In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I’m sharing how I use end-of-year surveys to gather meaningful feedback that helps me adjust my teaching and better meet my students’ needs. I’ll walk you through key survey questions that cover classroom culture, comprehension, learning strategies, and personal progress. I’ll also...
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Fantastic podcast for language teachers! Thank you Claudia, you're amazing!!!
Mil gracias Claudia, tus consejos me ayudan mucho. me gusta mucho escuchar tu podcast. Siempre encuentro algo que puedo aplicar en mi clase y sobretodo me motiva a seguir creciendo como profesora.