Send us a text

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

Send us a text

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 

Send us a text

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

Send us a text

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

Send us a text

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

Send us a text

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.

Send us a text

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.

Send us a text

In this episode Dr. Leon speaks about language ideologies and how to address them in the classroom 

Episode Resources:

• English Listening Lesson Library Online (ELLLO): over 3,000 free listening lessons for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. The lessons include audios or videos, vocabulary, grammar, and even practice quizzes. Wonderful resource to expose students to fluent users of English from all over the world.
• English with an Accent Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States by Rosina Lippi-Green: this book offers a very accessible discussion about language ideologies and its impact on society.  
• Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners Tools for Equity by Sydney Snyder & Diane Staehr Fenner: this book offers practical resources for content instruction to ensure culturally responsive teaching that serves the unique needs of multilingual learners. It includes activities to help students explore their identities, connect with families and lots of useful information. 

Send us a text

In this conversation, we discussed multimodal language teaching, its relevance in the K-12 classroom, and how teachers can adapt despite curricular and technological limitations. 

Send us a text

In this conversation, we speak with Dr. Maria Bhattacharjee about the use of digital resources to enhance the reading experience of bilingual children and their families. 

Episode Resources: 

Link to the bilingual e-library:  E-library

Video introduction to the e-library: Video

Aldine ISD student showcase: Showcase