The ESL Teaching Podcast

Technology has increasingly become an integral part of teaching, and honestly, I cannot imagine teaching a lesson without it. Of course, I would if I needed to and I would have to adapt, but it just makes things so much faster and easier. From pulling up an image to complement the topic, to checking the correct MLA format, to grabbing precise definitions for the vocabulary words you want your students to learn. And with the advent of AI last year, the technology game has become an even more intricate dance. We ask ourselves which tools are reliable, how to use them ethically, what can our students use, and how we can make AI work for us, not the other way around. So in today's episode, I want to share with you 3 AI tools that have made my teaching life easier this year and how I use them to move my students forward in their English learning journey.


What you will hear about in this episode:

• The AI tools I use
• Creating vocabulary lists and example sentences
• Adapting complex texts to student-friendly versions
• Comprehensive tool used for creating and managing assignments
• Features and benefits of AI tools

Show Notes:

• Episode 113 - How to Use AI to Help Your Students Access Content Plus My Favorite Tools

Simply Ieva Offers:
🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Previous Episode:

• Episode 112 - 5 Non-Negotiables for Integrating ELs in Regular Education Classroom

Let’s Connect!

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Support the show

When it comes to teaching English learners, some things come naturally for EL teachers, while regular education teachers might be wondering how they can reach their multilingual students. I have several episodes about teaching all ELs, but I wanted to distill this information into even more practical and really actionable advice that all teachers can take whenever they have an English learner in their classroom. In today's episode, I will be talking about 5 non-negotiables for integrating ELs in your regular education classroom. No matter what subject or what grade level you teach. They may be new to you or you may have already heard them many times. But as we say, the more times you hear it, the more you internalize the information and the more it can become natural to you to implement.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Importance of reaching out to EL specialists for proficiency assessments
• The four main language functions: inform, narrate, argue, and explain
• Importance of speech adjustment to assist EL comprehension
• Strategies for teaching newcomers with overwhelmed capacities

Show Notes:

• Episode 112 - 5 Non-Negotiables for Integrating ELs in Regular Education Classroom 

Simply Ieva Offers:
🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 98 - EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Proficiency Levels

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

I don't know about you, but every year around April, I feel like my energy is drained. I can no longer focus, and the feeling of inadequacy begins to creep in. The students have absorbed as much as they could. We all are just counting the days until that summer break when we all can recharge and look at things from a different perspective. But we have to somehow get through those last weeks of school. I want to share some of the end of year hacks that I use to feel like I'm still making a difference in my teaching and student learning and, what I do to not lose my own sanity in the process.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Shifting focus from new material to reviewing past lessons
• Strategies to handle waning student focus and increased energy
• The impact of changing environment on teacher motivation and creativity
• The importance of self-care and maintaining personal well-being

Show Notes:

• Episode 111 - 5 End of the Year Hacks to Finish the School Year With Sanity

Simply Ieva Offers:
🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related episodes and articles:

• Shinrin Yoku: The Japanese Practice that Could Transform Your Day
• Episode 74 - Why Teachers Should Embrace Meditation as Part of Their Daily Routine
• Episode 64 - 3 Ways to Finish Your School Year Meaningfully

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

In education, hard skills such as the academic knowledge of the subject and the know-how of teaching in general, the strategies, the methodology, the assessment are the focal point. But today, I wanted to talk about the soft skills that are much more difficult to define and quantify because they are less concrete, but have been proven time and time again just as important as the know-how. These skills involve interpersonal and interpersonal communication, being flexible, cultural awareness, and others. And they help us forge meaningful relationships, as well as allow us to live a more fulfilling life. And, in particular, I wanted to touch upon two aspects of those soft skills, communication and cultural awareness, and why they are extremely important when you're working with English learners.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• The crucial role of soft skills in effective communication and relationship building
• List of Essential Soft Skills for Educators
• The impact of teacher communication on student connection and content accessibility
• Definition and significance of cultural awareness

Show Notes:

• Episode 110 - The Two Most Important Soft Skills for Teachers of English Learners

Simply Ieva Offers:
🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 106 - Common SEL Challenges ELs Face in the Classroom

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

Welcome back to another episode of The ESL Teaching Podcast. Today we're tackling an issue that's close to the heart for so many of us educators: the challenge of negative self-talk. As teachers, we navigate not only academic pressures but also the emotional and mental weight of our personal lives. Recognizing our humanity is crucial to maintaining not just our performance in the classroom but our overall well-being. In this episode, we explore practical strategies and self-reflection tools designed to transform our inner dialogue. From identifying types of negative thoughts to embracing moments of quiet and mindfulness, join us as we unpack five powerful practices that can uplift our spirits and reshape how we perceive and respond to stress.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Overcoming the feelings of mental exhaustion
• The parallel between the struggles of students and teachers
• Five practices to combat negative self-talk and mental health challenges
• The necessity of self-care for effective teaching and personal well-being
• Four types of negative self-talk
• Reframing thoughts for mental well-being

Show Notes:

• Episode 109 - Rewriting the Script of Negative Self-Talk for Teachers

Simply Ieva Offers:
🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 74 - Why teachers should embrace meditation as part of their daily routine

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

Welcome to Episode 108 of The ESL Teaching Podcast! In this episode, I share my go-to activities for those "I can't even" days, when exhaustion and lack of inspiration make lesson planning a struggle. I candidly discuss my own experiences with feeling tired and bored while teaching, and offer practical, low-prep activities to reignite the classroom's energy. From engaging listening and speaking activities like back-to-back drawing and interviewing, to creative writing prompts using social media and vocabulary categorization, these tips are designed to invigorate both teachers and students. So, if you're looking for innovative teaching strategies to combat those off-days, stay tuned for some valuable insights!

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Dealing with exhaustion and lack of creativity as a teacher
• The need to teach regardless of challenges
• Activities to boost classroom energy and learning
• Teaching persuasive speech and helping ELLs think on their feet
• Writing activities for ELLs

Show Notes:

• Episode 108 - No Plan? No Problem! 5 Activities for those "I can't even" days

Simply Ieva Offers:

🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 64 - How to pre-teach vocabulary to ELs in the regular education classroom
• Episode 88 - How to use novel study to enrich vocabulary and speaking

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

My guest Zach Camenker, and I explore the challenges and joys of teaching English learners in a regular classroom. Zach, an English Language Arts teacher, shares his struggle with the repetition of the curriculum and his passion for reading instruction. The importance of adaptability, feedback, and collaboration in setting up a successful classroom environment for diverse learners is stressed. We discuss the need for better preparation for teachers facing ELL students and Zach's personal reasons for pursuing a master's in TESOL. Both of us reflect on the value of making connections with students and the pressures of meeting curriculum standards. Zach expresses his career aspirations towards leadership, illustrating his extensive involvement in educational extracurricular activities. The episode highlights the complex balance between following the curriculum and addressing the individual needs of English learners.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Challenges faced by mainstream teachers with ELL students
• Benefits of feedback and suggestions from colleagues and students
• Challenges due to students' lack of cultural and historical background knowledge
• The balance between connecting with students and delivering curriculum

Show Notes:

• Episode 107 - The Heart and Art of Teaching ELs in Regular Education Classrooms with Zach Camenker

Simply Ieva Offers:

🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 81 - Unlocking ESL Success: the top 5 questions every general ed teacher asks
• Episode 99 - Why Less is More when Teaching EL Newcomers and Beginners

Connect with Zach: 

• Zach’s LinkedIn 
• [email protected]

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group<

Support the show

We talk a lot about instruction of English learners, how we can accommodate our lessons, how we can scaffold, and what to teach them in general. But today, I wanted to bring to light another aspect of working with English learners that is just as important for all teachers to know as the instructional strategies. It is the social emotional aspect that is involved in moving to another country, learning a new language, making a new life, or for those students who have lived here all their life, it's the feeling like you are a part of two worlds that you're trying to navigate and to bridge. These non instructional challenges that our ELs come with into the classroom do affect their engagement and performance. So in this episode, I will share 6 challenges and how they can be addressed. Of course, there are many more, and each student's situation might have even more nuances, but let's begin with six.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Importance of addressing social emotional aspects of learning for English learners
• Impact of non-instructional challenges on ELs' engagement and performance
• Link between social emotional challenges and language learning progress
• Challenges faced by ELs in the social emotional domain

Show Notes:

• Episode 106 - 6 Most Common SEL Challenges ELs Face in the Classroom

Simply Ieva Offers:

🥳 On-Demand Digital Library “Light The Way to EL Teaching Success” 🥳

Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 81 - Unlocking ESL Success: the top 5 questions every general ed teacher asks
• Episode 99 - Why Less is More when Teaching EL Newcomers and Beginners

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

Welcome to episode 105 of The ESL Teaching Podcast. In this episode, I address three common misconceptions about teaching English learners in regular classrooms and provide practical strategies to reframe them. I discuss the importance of understanding the language acquisition process, the role of subject area teachers in language instruction, and the need for differentiated strategies for students at different proficiency levels. I also share insights on how to include English learners in lessons without spending hours of extra planning and emphasizes the power of consistent use of effective tools. Tune in to learn how to support multilingual learners in your classroom and discover your own power in reaching them.

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Teachers feeling overwhelmed by teaching English learners due to pressure from programs and unfamiliar guidelines
• Importance of clear guidelines for co-teaching and managing EL teacher workload
• Highlighting that newcomers may already have concepts in their first language
• Emphasizing that every teacher is a teacher of language, regardless of subject area expertise
• Understanding the diversity in proficiency levels and educational backgrounds among English learners

Show Notes:

• Episode 105 - 3 Misconceptions About Teaching Newcomers in a Regular Classroom (and how to reframe them)

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Record a comment for us - click HERE. We can’t wait to hear from you!
• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a $0 Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• Accommodate and Modify Your Lessons for ELs with Less than 1 Hour of Planning a Week - classroom teacher and admin checklist 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 61 - Three tips for classroom teachers with newcomers
• Episode 97 - How to Harness the Power of Second Language Acquisition When Working with ELs
• Episode 98 - EL Newcomer to Experienced Multilingual: A Journey Through Proficiency Levels

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show

Welcome to Episode 104 of The ESL Teaching Podcast! In this episode, I share valuable insights into how you can prepare for your ESL teacher interview. I delve into three essential tips to help you nail your interview: being prepared, being yourself, and asking questions. Through personal anecdotes and practical advice, I hope to provide guidance on how to approach the interview process with confidence and professionalism. Whether you're just starting your teaching career or seeking a new opportunity, these tips will be invaluable in securing that coveted ESL teaching position. So, tune in and get ready to ace your next teacher interview!

What you will hear about in this episode:

• Preparing for an ESL Teacher Interview
• Needing a change and looking for new opportunities
• Tips for Nailing the Interview
• Importance of mindset and self-awareness
• Gathering insight into the school and program

Show Notes:

• Episode 104 - Landing the Gig: 3 Secrets to a Successful Teacher Interview

Simply Ieva Offers:

• Free Audio Training - 3 Mindset Shifts for Instilling and Living Out a Belief that All Teachers are Teachers of Language.
• Book a Free Consult Call - Lead ELs to Progress without Overwhelm
• 1:1 ESL Teacher Coaching Session 
• The ESL Teaching Roadmap – membership community for middle and high school ESL/ELL teachers. As a thank you for listening, use code ESLPODCAST for 10% off when you join. 
• My TpT store

Related/Previous Episodes:

• Episode 57 - How to Nail Your ESL Teacher Interview Part 1 - Resume and Cover Letter

Let’s Connect!

• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on LinkedIn
• Join the Simply Ieva Facebook Group

Support the show