The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

In this special crossover episode of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, Shé and Anna team up with Brent Warner and Ixchell Reyes of the DIESOL Podcast (Developing Innovation in English as a Second or Other Language) for a lively conversation about reflective practice—the foundation of our podcast and a shared passion between both shows.

Instead of our usual format, you’ll hear the DIESOL style: less commentary, more conversation, and plenty of banter across all four of us.

In Part 1, the group explores the why of reflective pedagogy and its core principles:

• What reflective practice really means in the context of English language teaching

• Why reflection matters for teachers’ professional growth and students’ learning

• How to move from superficial reflection to deeper engagement 

This episode offers both philosophical grounding and practical inspiration, setting the stage for Part 2, where the conversation will dig more into actionable strategies for bringing reflection into the classroom.

🎧 Tune in to hear how reflective practice can empower teachers, shape learning experiences, and sustain professional joy—while enjoying the energy of four educators learning from each other.

💡 Reflect with us:

• How do you currently define reflective practice in your own teaching?

• When was the last time reflection helped you shift or adapt your teaching approach?

• In what ways can reflection become a shared practice in your teaching community rather than an isolated one?

🧰 Resources & Tools:

• YouTube Playlist: Introduction to Reflective Teaching

• DIESOL Podcast

• Reflective Practice Starter Kit

🎙 This episode is sponsored by Ellii Use code THINKALOUD for 15% off your first membership term. Admins can also request a two-month free trial to pilot Ellii for your program.

In this episode, co-hosts Shé and Anna sit down with climate activist, teacher trainer, and founder of Renewable English, Harry Waters, for an energizing conversation on integrating environmental sustainability into English language teaching. 🌱🌍

Harry shares how his early activism and global teaching experiences led him to reimagine ELT as a platform for climate awareness, youth empowerment, and project-based learning. From fifth graders launching school-wide recycling campaigns to international litter-picking initiatives, his stories show that students don’t need permission to make change—they just need space to act. 🚮📚

Whether you’re teaching beginners or advanced learners, Harry offers practical and empowering tips for embedding sustainability into everyday lessons—not as a one-off Earth Day unit, but as a consistent, student-centered context for meaningful communication. 💬

💡 Reflect with us:

• What’s one small shift you can make this week to model sustainability for your students?

• How can you transform your classroom into a space where environmental agency is possible?

• What’s a “local” issue your students care about that connects to a global theme?

• How might you use a grammar point (like conditionals) to explore real-world topics?

🧰 Resources & Tools:

• Renewable English – Harry’s platform with free resources for climate-focused ELT

• Activities for a Green Mindset – Harry’s book with 30 adaptable projects and lessons

• UN Sustainable Development Goals – A flexible framework to ground student inquiry

🧭 Related Episodes:

• E 44 - Global Citizenship: Opening the view to the possible (with Brantley Turner)

• E 27 - Why we <3 project-based learning 

• E 21 - Addressing current events in the classroom

🎙 This episode is sponsored by Ellii Use code THINKALOUD for 15% off your first membership term. Admins can also request a two-month free trial to pilot Ellii for your program.

#GreeningELT #EnvironmentalEducation #ClimateInELT #SustainabilityInEducation #ReflectiveTeaching #ProjectBasedLearning #YouthActivism #TeacherThinkAloud #ESL #EFL #GlobalCitizenship #ClimateAction #SDGs #ELTCommunity

In this episode, co-hosts Shé and Anna sit down with Sharon Tjaden-Burkes, Senior Instructional Designer and founder of the IDEA Networking Sessions, to explore what it really takes to move from the English language classroom into instructional design. 🎙️ 

Sharon shares a candid look at what sparked her transition, the emotional toll of adjunct life, the joy of upskilling through tinkering and tech tools, and how her teaching background became a superpower in her new role. 🎯💻

Whether you're already eyeing a move into L&D or still wondering if it’s even possible, this conversation is packed with realistic advice, reflective insights, and hard-won encouragement. Sharon reminds us that sustainable careers are not just about the paycheck—they're about peace, purpose, and knowing your worth. 🌱

💡 Reflect with us:

• What part of your teaching role feels unsustainable—and what might that be telling you?

• What are your non-negotiable values in your next career move?

• IDEA Networking Sessions – Free monthly Zoom meetups for transitioning teachers: Join here

• PowerDirector by Cyber Link– Sharon’s go-to video editing software

• Camtasia – Screen recording and editing tool

• E 60 - From teaching to materials writing: a chat with Ellii (with Ben Buckwold and Tara Benwell)

• E 35 - Be brave enough to say ‘I don’t know’ (with Lina Jurkunas)

• E 16 - It’s okay to just exist

• E 15 - So you’ve lost your zest for teaching

Just for fun:

• Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling | Emilie Wapnick | TED

• Anna actually gifted Shé Emily’s book, How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up a few years ago. It’s a useful guide that helps you reframe your professional narrative and unique skillset. Definitely recommend picking it up if you’re thinking of a change, or curious about what it means to be a multipotentialite.

🎙 This episode is sponsored by Ellii

• Use code THINKALOUD for 15% off your first membership term.

• Admins can also request a two-month free trial to pilot Ellii for your program.

#ELTtoID #InstructionalDesign #TeacherTransition #ID #L&D #LearningandDevelopment #ReflectiveTeaching #OnlineLearningDesign #TeacherThinkAloud #LDtools #TeacherSustainability #CareerPivot #WomenInEdTech

In this episode, co-hosts Shé and Anna share their 2025 summer reading list—13 unforgettable books that move across cultures, borders, and languages. Whether you're traveling, lesson planning, or just in need of some inspiration, this curated collection will offer powerful perspectives on migration, memory, identity, and resistance. 🧳💬

From a nine-year-old’s journey across Central America in Solito, to reflections on travel privilege in Airplane Mode, and explorations of family legacy in Homegoing and The Covenant of Water, these stories will expand your worldview and spark classroom ideas for deeper cultural engagement. 🌍✍️

Need inspiration for PD book clubs or classroom literature units? We’ve got you. These texts aren't just for pleasure reading—they’re powerful teaching tools.

🎧 Listen now and join us for a literary journey across generations and geographies!

💡 Reflect with us: What are you reading this summer to challenge cultural assumptions? What literature have you brought into your classroom to increase cross-cultural understanding and build empathy? What’s your favorite way to engage students with world literature?

🎧 Related Resources:

📖 Books Mentioned:

2. The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese (India)
4. Solito – Javier Zamora (El Salvador → U.S.)
6. Beautiful Country – Qian Julie Wang (China → U.S.)
8. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane – Lisa See (Akha community, China & U.S.)
10. Braised Pork – An Yu (China)
12. Ghost Music – An Yu (China)
14. Airplane Mode – Shahnaz Habib (Nonfiction: Travel privilege, global movement)
16. The Penguin Book of Migration Literature – Edited by Dohra Ahmad
18. Kaikeyi – Vaishnavi Patel (India; Hindu epic reimagined)
20. 10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in This Strange World – Elif Shafak (Türkiye)
22. Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi (Ghana & U.S.)
24. A Woman Is No Man – Etaf Rum (Palestine & U.S.)
26. Everything Inside – Edwidge Danticat (Haiti, U.S., Caribbean)

🎙 This episode is sponsored by Ellii

• Use code THINKALOUD for 15% off your first membership term.

• Admins can also reach out for a two-month free trial!

In this episode of the Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, hosts Anna and Shé discuss the importance of building rapport in the classroom, revisiting techniques adapted for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guest Bob Nguyen shares his journey of integrating technology into teaching, emphasizing authentic student connection through tools like Padlet, Mentimeter, and Gather Town. Bob also highlights the pedagogical principles that improved his teaching practices both online and in-person, focusing on inclusivity and genuine interactions. The episode concludes with reflections on transferring these insights back to traditional classroom settings.

💡 Reflect with us: What strategies have you learned over the years to build rapport in your classroom? How did teaching online enhance your practice? And what strategies have you brought back with you to the analog classroom?

🎧 Related Resources: 

• Episode 7 - Building Rapport on Day 1

• Bob Nguyen’s YouTube channel

⚒️ Tech Tools on this Episode:

• Use code THINKALOUD for 15% off your first membership term.

• Admins can also reach out for a two-month free trial!

#DigitalTools #TeachingOnline #Pandemic #VirtualLearning #OnlineLearning #OnlineTeaching #Gather #Padlet #Mentimeter #LanguageEducation #ReflectiveTeaching #TeacherThinkAloud

In this episode of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, we pull back the curtain on the increasingly popular—yet often misunderstood—lifestyle of digital nomadism in English Language Teaching (ELT). Our guest, teacher trainer, materials writer, and visual thinking advocate Emily Bryson, joins us from the road to talk about the real logistics, trade-offs, and intentional choices that come with taking your ELT career on the move.

We dig into everything from makeshift workstations and managing multiple income streams to travel-induced burnout, marketing myths around passive income, and the hidden labor of constant relocation. Emily also shares her evolving reflections on privilege and global mobility, climate impact, and what it means to work remotely in an ethical and grounded way.

Whether you’re considering life as a digital nomad or are simply curious about how other ELT professionals manage remote work and international living, this episode offers practical insights and heartfelt reflection on finding balance between purpose, place, and profession.

💡 This episode is sponsored by Ellii – one of the world’s leading content libraries for English language teachers. Use our exclusive code THINKALOUD to save 15% on your first membership, or reach out for a free trial if you’re buying for a full program. Visit ellii.com.

📚 Links & Resources:

• Emily Bryson’s website: emilybrysonelt.com

• Emily’s blog post on becoming an ELT nomad (via Ellii)

• Ellii resources and discount: ellii.com
  

🎧 Related Episodes:

• Episode 61 - Travel with Purpose: Teaching and volunteering around the world (with Aileen Hale) 

• Episode 44 - Global Citizenship: Opening the view to the possible (with Brantley Turner)

• Episode 21 - Addressing current events in the classroom

• Episode 16 - It’s okay to just exist

• Episode 15 - So you’ve lost your zest for teaching
  

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TESOL 2025 was a whirlwind! We interviewed educators from around the globe, discussing AI, advocacy, community, and more. Hear their insights and feel the energy of the convention. Watch or listen to our video episode now! 

📸 Photo & video credit: joevoigts.com 

🎧 Related Resources:

• Episode 30 – Drama in the classroom: beyond the role play (with Richard Silberg)

• Episode 66 – “Being a native speaker isn’t a qualification” (with Meri Maroutian)

• Episode 65 – The World Comes to TESOL (with Debra Suarez)

• DIESOL 118 – 10 Questions Teachers are Asking About AI

🎙 This episode is sponsored by Ellii

• Use code THINKALOUD for 15% off your first membership term.

• Admins can also reach out for a two-month free trial!

💡 Learn more:

In this episode, we dive into the pervasive issue of native speakerism in English Language Teaching with educator and advocate Meri Maroutian.

Meri shares her journey into the profession, the biases she’s faced, and the reflective, practical tools she now offers to help others tackle this issue—like her three-part masterclass designed to dismantle accent bias and outdated teaching models.

We also hear from listeners about how native speakerism has impacted them, and reflect on how all of us—whether classroom teachers, trainers, or administrators—can work toward a more equitable profession.

💡 Reflect with us:

How do your materials, practices, or hiring processes reinforce or challenge native speaker bias? What steps can you take to prioritize qualifications and intelligibility over perceived nativeness?

🎧 Related Resources:

• Episode 13 - The Delicate Dance of English

• Episode 14 - Representation: More than just a stock photo

• Episode 17 – The Benefits of Formal TESOL Training

• Episode 18 – Book Review: Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching

• E46 - Challenging inequities toward multilingual teachers (with Alex Tang & Carine Saucillo)

• Meri Maroutian’s Masterclass on Systemic Bias

Connect with Meri:

• Instagram @the_non_native_speaker

• Thenonnativespeaker.com

🎙 This episode is sponsored by Ellii

• Use code THINKALOUD for 15% off your first membership term.

• Admins can also reach out for a two-month free trial!

#NativeSpeakerism #ELTEquity #MultilingualTeachers #GlobalEnglishes #PronunciationMatters #LanguageEducation #ReflectiveTeaching #TeacherThinkAloud

E 65 - “The world comes to TESOL!” (with Dr. Debra Suarez)

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Debra Suarez, President of TESOL International Association, to explore what’s in store for TESOL 2025 and reflect on the evolving landscape of English language teaching.

From AI in ELT and translanguaging to teacher advocacy and building global communities of practice, this conversation is packed with insights for educators preparing for the convention and beyond. Dr. Suarez shares her inspiring career journey, discusses the importance of adapting—not transplanting—teaching methodologies, and gives us a sneak peek at her keynote: The Joy of TESOL. 🎉

Whether you’re a TESOL veteran or a first-time attendee, this episode offers practical advice on maximizing your conference experience and making meaningful professional connections.

💡 Reflect with us! What are you most looking forward to at TESOL 2025? How do you cultivate joy in your teaching practice?

📢 Are you attending TESOL 2025? Come say hi! We’ll be presenting “Pause and Reflect: Building a Sustainable, Personalized PD Plan” on March 19th at 10 AM in Bixby Ballroom 4 at the Marriott Long Beach Downtown Hotel.

Let us know what sessions you’re excited about! Tag us on social media and join the conversation.

📌 Resources Mentioned

• TESOL International Advocacy page

• Episode 18 - Book Review: Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching

• Episode 53 - Teachers as Advocates: You can do it too!  (with Rosemary Colón)

• Episode 54 - 2024 TESOL Special: Maximizing Your Conference Experience

• Blog Post - Maximizing Your Conference Experience: From Uptake to Output

• Reflective Practice Tools

💡 This episode is sponsored by Ellii (formerly ESL Library). Check out their offerings atellii.com.

#TESOL2025 #TESOLInternational #ELTCommunity #AIinELT #Translanguaging #TeacherAdvocacy #GlobalELT #ProfessionalDevelopment #EnglishTeaching #LanguageEducation #TeacherLife #ReflectiveTeaching #JoyofTESOL #ConferenceNetworking #TESOLConvention

E 64 - Soft Skills, Strong Impact: Supporting Multilingual Healthcare Professionals (with Shweta Rumkumar)

Happy 2025! In this episode, we dive into the essential intersection of soft skills and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) contexts. Join Shé and Anna as they chat with special guest Shweta Ramkumar, an educator specializing in coaching multilingual healthcare professionals to navigate diverse workplace dynamics.

Whether you're an ESP teacher, a language professional, or someone curious about integrating soft skills into specialized training, this episode is packed with actionable advice and thought-provoking discussions.

📌 Resources

⁠Connect with Shweta on LinkedIn⁠

Shweta's YouTube Channel: ⁠Healthy Dynamics⁠

💡 Reflect with us! What are your strategies for teaching soft skills in ESP?

We want to hear from you! Share your insights via email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ ⁠or connect with us on social media.

🎧 Like this episode? Share it, subscribe to the podcast, and stay tuned for more reflective discussions in ELT.

Until next time, happy teaching and happy reflecting!

💡 This episode is sponsored by Ellii (formerly ESL Library). Check out their offerings at ellii.com.